Coaches back in Hawaiian paradise

For five UA football coaches, a Pacific 10 Conference job seemed the way to go.

So head coach Dick Tomey, associate head coach Duane Akina, offensive coordinator Dino Babers, defensive coordinator Rich Ellerson and special teams and inside linebackers coach Bob Wagner all decided to leave Hawaii for the desert heat of Tucson.

Akina and Tomey return to the islands tonight for only the third time as visiting coaches, with two previous appearances in the Aloha Bowl.

But this evening, while the sun is still shining and the girls are still on the beach, they will all step onto the AstroTurf of the Aloha Stadium with thoughts of winning Arizona's season opener.

"I'm sure it will be a very emotional thing," Tomey said. "I grew so much so fast. Most of the people involved in that are gone, but I have been back an awful lot."

Tomey enjoyed great success in Honolulu, compiling a 63-46-3 record while receiving postseason accolades as the Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 1981. He even beat Arizona State 29-17 in 1979.

He saw the program grow and the fan interest increase from an average of 18,000 per game when he arrived in 1977 to 40,000 per game when he left in 1986.

Babers, who played running back, linebacker and strong safety for Tomey as a Rainbow, and was also a graduate assistant in 1984, returns to the place where he was born and met his wife.

This year, Babers has taken over the Arizona offense and hopes that his team does not go into Hawaii as vacationers but as gladiators.

"That is the big lure of the islands," Babers said. "You hang out on the beach in the sun and forget you have a war to play. It is like walking into an ambush, just like Custer."

Akina was a member of Tomey's staff in Hawaii as he coached the defensive backs in 1981-82, outside linebackers in 1983 and the defensive backs again in 1984-85.

"I'm excited to go back and play," Akina said. "I just have to remember I'm going back there to win a game."

If he starts feeling emotional during his return, Akina said he'll handle it himself.

"I'll grab myself by the throat and get back in the game," he said.

Wagner is the most recent transplant from Hawaii, fired in 1995 after a dismal 4-8 season. He was Tomey's assistant for 10 years before spending nine years as the Rainbow's head coach, compiling a 58-49-3 record.

"I had a great 10 years with Coach Tomey and nine years as head coach," Wagner said. "I had a lot of fun, but I really can't say how emotional it will be because we have been so busy that I haven't had a chance to think about it."

Ellerson rounds out the group of Arizona coaches who chose Tucson over Honolulu. He coached under Tomey from 1981-83 and was an associate head coach and defensive coordinator under Wagner from 1987-91.

He and Wagner helped coach the Rainbows to their first Division I bowl appearance, a 33-13 loss to Michigan State in the Aloha Bowl in 1989.

Dan Rosen can be reached via e-mail at Dan.Rosen@wildcat.arizona.edu.