DALLAS » June Jones and Rich Ellerson have another chapter to write in their long friendship.

They were teammates at Hawaii in 1974, and later spent a season there together on the same coaching staff. They played against each other in college — Ellerson for UH, Jones who had tranferred to Portland State — and coached against each other in Canada. And now the old friends will be on opposite sidelines again today, coaching their resurgent teams in the Armed Forces Bowl.

Ellerson has Army (6-6) in its first bowl game since 1996, which was also the last winning season for the Black Knights. SMU (7-6) is in its second consecutive bowl under Jones after a 25-year bowl drought, playing this one at home after last season’s Sheraton Hawaii Bowl appearance.

"It’s a threshold for our football team, for our football program," said Ellerson, in his second season as Army’s coach.

SMU has done nothing but improve since going 1-11 in Jones’ first season after he left Hawaii following an undefeated regular season and BCS appearance in the Sugar Bowl.

"I feel we have made strides," Jones said. "Last year’s team, if you asked me if we were going to win eight games, no. If we’re lucky enough to win this game, that will make eight games. I’ll say the same thing. … We’re a recruiting class and a half away from being real competitive in the echelon that we would like to be."

But the Mustangs, who had won only 30 games in the 10 seasons before Jones arrived, are making positive strides and people are taking notice. Jones has taken his name out of consideration to be Maryland’s new coach after being contacted by representatives for the ACC school.

It was 36 years ago when Jones was a quarterback at Hawaii before transferring to Portland State. Ellerson was a linebacker back then, though he moved to center after Jones left.

"I was staring him down and I never turned my back on him," Ellerson said, smiling when recalling practices at Hawaii, including an interception off his old friend. "We’ve remained friends."

Both got their first coaching jobs working for Dick Tomey at Hawaii.

Ellerson became a graduate assistant in 1977, when Tomey arrived at Hawaii, and was back there as an assistant from 1981 to ’83. The last of those seasons was when Jones became quarterbacks coach.

"I’m proud of the job both of them have done," Tomey said by phone from Hawaii, where he lives and will be watching the game on television. "Both have taken on projects that were really difficult, but that suited them both very well. They both have taken some real positive steps forward."

Before coaching again on Tomey’s staff at Arizona, Ellerson spent a season as defensive coordinator for Calgary in the CFL. That was 1986, when Jones was offensive coordinator for Ottawa.

When Ellerson was hired, Army was coming off three consecutive 3-9 seasons and had won only 30 games over 12 seasons since their 1996 Independence Bowl appearance.

"We’re really excited to be able to play my good friend Rich Ellerson, who has done an unbelievable job," Jones said. "Congratulations to him for taking them that next step to a bowl game."

Jones did that last season for SMU, which hadn’t been to a bowl game since 1984 — before NCAA probation and then more infractions that led to the Mustangs being the only team ever given the so-called death penalty.

SMU’s program resumed play in 1989 after two canceled seasons, and the Mustangs had only one winning record in that span until last season under Jones.