Ex-UH football coach McMackin was passionate and kind

Former University of Hawaii head football coach Greg McMackin was remembered for a leadership style that was as gritty as his voice, and a determination that belied his kindness.

“He was everybody’s favorite uncle,” football analyst Rich Miano said of McMackin, who died on Valentine’s Day in South Dakota. He was 77.

“He was a good guy,” said Mouse Davis, who had known McMackin for half a century. “He was 100% for the people who surrounded him. He loved football. Other than his family, which always came first, that was the most important thing to him.”

McMackin was UH’s defensive coordinator in 1999, when the Rainbow Warriors produced what was then the biggest turnaround in college football history, and in 2007, when UH went 12-0 before losing in the Sugar Bowl.

In January 2008, McMackin was named the successor to June Jones, who resigned as UH’s head coach to take the same job at SMU. McMackin’s annual salary was $1.1 million, making him the highest-paid state employee.

McMackin agreed to retire in December 2011 and spent the past few years living in Las Vegas, Texas and South Dakota.

Jones, who had known McMackin for more than four decades, praised his former defensive coordinator as “a great guy, a great people guy. The players loved him. They played hard for him.”

In addition to his UH work, McMackin coached Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis and actor Dwyane “The Rock” Johnson at Miami and served as defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks.

In 2008, four UH assistant coaches followed Jones to SMU, while Miano, Ron Lee, Cal Lee and George Lumpkin remained with the Warriors. McMackin hired former UH quarterback Nick Rolovich as quarterbacks coach and Dave Aranda, who was a graduate assistant at Texas Tech when McMackin was the Red Raiders’ defensive coordinator, as defensive line coach. A year later, Rolovich and Aranda were promoted to coordinate UH’s offense and defense.

“I would not be (in this position) without knowing him (and) having him in my life,” said Aranda, Baylor’s head coach, of McMackin. “Coach gave me my first shot at calling plays. He mentored me in calling plays. You don’t take that lightly. He wanted to be a head coach for so long, and he finally gets his shot, and then he’s going to put faith in me? … He made you want to achieve and not let him down.”

Rolovich, who was UH’s head coach for four seasons through 2019, credited McMackin with leading the program after Jones’ departure following the Sugar Bowl appearance.

“Hawaii had just come off the highest of highs, and he was able to keep it together somewhat,” Rolovich said. “He won a conference title (in 2010) at a place that hasn’t done it since.”

Rolovich noted that it was McMackin who encouraged the Warriors to keep employing the run-and-shoot, a quick-strike or quick-to-punt offense that put pressure on their defense.

“He had a real understanding of the benefits of the run-and-shoot offense,” Rolovich said. “Defensive head coaches usually really don’t say they want to run the run-and-shoot. That showed how deep a believer he was.”

McMackin often gave in to emotion. He broke down during a news conference when he learned a player’s wife was experiencing labor problems. He issued a tearful apology for using a slur to describe Notre Dame’s performance in a dance-off with UH ahead of the 2008 Hawaii Bowl.

Rolovich recalled McMackin as a family man who brought his wife, their daughter, and two grandchildren to practices and football-related events. “He loved his family,” Rolovich said. “His family was always involved. It showed a great lesson for all the young people in the program. I thought that was a good message. That’s appreciated in Hawaii, especially.”

Miano, who served as McMackin’s associate head coach, said the Oregon-reared McMackin “quickly adapted to Hawaii and its culture. … We’d go into a movie theater, and he’d buy popcorn for everybody in line. He was that kind of guy. He’d see people, and extend his aloha and generosity. People loved him because he was so gregarious.”

During UH football camps, McMackin would offer scholarships on the spot. He twice offered future scholarships to eighth graders. He donated to fundraisers, gave tours to fans, and changed the life of a former fourth-string quarterback who delivered pizzas part time to help support his family.

“As all walk-ons know, it’s tough sledding to figure out financial aid and figure out the financials for school, and then having to work, having to practice,” Bryant Moniz said. “When he gave me that scholarship, to be a Warrior on scholarship, that was a big moment. That was definitely a highlight of my time at UH, for sure.”

McMackin also found a way to “recycle.” To rally the players, he often feigned anger, then threw an overhead projector or laptop computer. “There were other times when there was an old TV that didn’t work,” Aranda said. “He was throwing a controller into the TV. Whatever it took.”

When Aranda was a GA at Texas Tech, McMackin asked him to get a pitcher of water from the hotel staff. “I thought he was thirsty,” Aranda said. “I got him a glass of water, and the pitcher was off to the side. He kind of got pissed. ‘Dave, I need a pitcher.’ I get the pitcher, and put it where he tells me to. The meeting starts now, and then his voice goes way high. His cheeks turn red. And then the water goes everywhere.”

And just like that, similar to when he swung around a 33-link industrial chain to show the Warriors the power of the three units, the motivation was in place.

“Passion,” Aranda said. “That’s how I would describe him.”