Ben Jay turned in his keys and was escorted from the premises Friday. Many University of Hawaii sports fans consider it good riddance.
The new athletic director, David Matlin, officially starts work Monday.
A lot of people in Jay’s position would have spent Saturday away from campus, maybe even in hiding. But Jay still felt it was his responsibility to keep an eye on things on lower campus during one of the busiest days there in recent memory. There wasn’t really anything for him to do, but there was so much going on.
A track and field meet. Softball doubleheader. Baseball game. Big West water polo playoffs. And the biggest men’s volleyball match in a very long time, a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation playoff match.
All but the morning track meet were going on at the same time, creating a huge demand for parking and potential chaos. But UH was proactive in getting word out that people should come as early as possible.
By 7 p.m., the parking structure was full and cars were being directed to the music building lot. But, judging by the lack of lines at the turnstiles early in the first set of volleyball, things seemed to go as smoothly as possible.
One thought that came to mind on this busy day is it is a good time to once again point out that the athletic department does not get credit for parking revenue it generates — and it certainly was plenty on Saturday.
In the big picture it’s a drop in the bucket, sure. But there are other ways UH athletics is getting the raw end in the financial equation, like the Aloha Stadium deal.
Plenty of people didn’t like the way Jay approached the fiscal challenges, didn’t want to hear the message anymore.
Sure, he was often clumsy. The light bulb thing summed it up. If you’re running a unionized workforce you can’t complain about having to change light bulbs yourself on social media. It just doesn’t work and all you do is irritate people you can’t afford to irritate.
There were other things: the nickname change, the football-could-go-away thing that went national. The breaking point was when Jay publicly endorsed a contract extension for then-basketball coach Gib Arnold while the hoops program was under NCAA investigation. Not many people know it, but Jay’s actual recommendation (in writing) to interim chancellor Robert Bley-Vroman was to hold off; Jay said he publicly endorsed Arnold because he didn’t want him to be hamstrung in recruiting.
I spent the evening going from event to event with Jay, making the rounds. It was exciting and electric. And Jay loved it all, cheering the wins, grimacing with the losses. After everything, after they fired him and called it a resignation, he’s still a UH fan.
"I will miss the real fans of Hawaii, the ones who really cared about these student-athletes," Jay said. "I like to think it’s a silent majority that supported me and knew we were trying to make changes for the better.
"When I spoke to public groups, I always emphasized that the student-athletes come first, no matter what," he said. "But then it would always come down to they didn’t like this coach, or they didn’t like that coach. I’d try to explain there’s more to it than wins and losses. It’s about developing life skills and graduating these kids."
Ben Jay’s heart is in the right place, and not just about UH. I learned by coincidence, because one of the three Oahu families that he took a personal interest in helping financially in a steady and quiet way is the widow and children of an old softball buddy of mine who died of cancer.
When I asked him, he said he does it because he wants to set an example for his children, that giving to those less fortunate is important. I think he does it also because he’s simply a good man.
Ben Jay made mistakes as UH athletic director, and it’s fair to say he wasn’t a good fit for the job. But it’s too bad he’s likely going to move, because he is a good fit for our community.
Reach Star-Advertiser sports columnist Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com, his “Quick Reads” blog at staradvertiser.com and twitter.com/davereardon.
