CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM Hawaii head coach June Jones and new defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville were reunited at UH's practice field Tuesday.

Glanville says it’s
all about Jones

The former NFL coach says
he accepted a job at Hawaii to
work with an old partner

Jerry Glanville says he's not in it for the money. And if he's in it for the myth of endless, eternal sunshine in Hawaii, well, he might have hopped on a plane back to Atlanta after Tuesday, when Glanville wore his sunglasses in the rain at the Warriors' first spring practice of the year.

The Glanville File Fast facts about new UH associate coach/defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville. Birthdate Oct. 14, 1941 Birthplace Detroit Family Wife, Brenda; son Justin Coaching Stops 1967: Western Kentucky (Defensive Coordinator) 1968-73: Georgia Tech (Defensive Ends/Outside Linebackers) 1974-76: Detroit Lions (Special Teams/Linebackers) 1977-78: Atlanta Falcons (Secondary) 1979-82: Atlanta Falcons (Defensive Coordinator) 1983: Buffalo Bills (Secondary) 1984-85: Houston Oilers (Defensive Coordinator) 1986-89: Houston Oilers (Head Coach) 1990-93: Atlanta Falcons (Head Coach) 2005-??: Hawaii (Associate Coach/Defensive Coordinator) Playing experience Northern Michigan (Linebacker) Education Northern Michigan (bachelor's), Western Kentucky (master's) Other jobs and interests NFL network analyst for FOX, CBS, HBO and TFN; NASCAR and NHRA racing participant

No, there's just one reason The Man In Black came in from the cold of South Dakota before he even got there. Glanville said he accepted the job of UH defensive coordinator for the chance to work with June Jones again.

"I just signed a contract about 2 hours ago, but I never looked at it," Glanville said last night. "June just said 'Sign here.' I haven't read it. I have no idea what (monetary amount) I'm working for. To me that doesn't matter. It matters who I'm working with."

For those to whom it does matter, the top scale for the associate coach position Glanville fills is $125,988 per year -- and his rŽsumŽ merits it.

Glanville is a two-time NFL head coach with a reputation for creative and effective defense. His all-out rush schemes and larger-than-life persona spawned the "Gritz Blitz" in Atlanta and "The House of Pain" in Houston. Jones worked with him at both spots. Glanville was the head coach and Jones tutored the quarterbacks or coordinated the offense. But last night Glanville emphasized that they were more like partners than supervisor and employee.

"I don't think June ever thought I was his boss. We coached together, worked together," Glanville said, when asked if the reversal of roles, at least on paper, would be awkward.

"June saved me two times. Without June Jones there would not be a Jerry Glanville," he said. "Nothing matters other than who you're coaching with. They didn't need to sell me on anything. Facilities, stuff like that, I don't care. It's who you're coaching with."

Glanville's bags were already packed when Jones called him last week. He was ready to accept the head coaching position at Northern State University, a Division II school in Aberdeen, S.D. On Friday, he told Northern State he'd received a better opportunity. On Saturday, he was in Hawaii.

"(Jones) saw that I was looking at South Dakota and called me, asking me to apply for an opening at his school," Glanville said. "The people (at Northern State) were great about it, they're just like people in Hawaii."

Glanville twice turned around NFL defenses that were worst in the league against the run. He has a similar task ahead of him with the Warriors, since UH was last of 118 NCAA Division I teams in rushing yardage allowed last year.

"I have only one goal," he said. "That goal is the head coach walks into my office and tells me the total defense works better than the parts by themselves. I'll be happy when we play better as a total unit than the parts."

Glanville, 63, officially joins the staff tomorrow and replaces George Lumpkin as defensive coordinator. Lumpkin returns to coaching outside linebackers, and linebackers coach Cal Lee will handle the inside linebackers.

Glanville wasted no time settling in, even before he officially had the job. As an "unofficial observer," as Jones termed it, Glanville met with the defensive assistants for several hours Monday, then directed the defense at practice Tuesday and yesterday.

"I'm really impressed with what we can do mentally," Glanville said when asked what he thought so far of the Warriors players. "I don't think there have been three mistakes in two days."

"He's a good coach, good to be around," sophomore defensive tackle Michael Lafaele said. "His presence makes everyone want to work harder."

Jones said Glanville will restore pride to UH's defense -- the unit that was the team's foundation through the successful tenures of head coaches Dick Tomey and Bob Wagner from the late 1970s to the early 1990s ... around the time period Glanville and Jones were doing their thing together in The League.

"He's going to create a lot of excitement for the players. He'll get them going, get them energized. Now our defense will be like our offense," Jones said. "It excites me because he actually helped me get my first coaching job here at UH. He called Dick Tomey and put in the good word for me, and then he hired me in the NFL when nobody would. This is great not only for both of us, but for our team and the university as well."