Hawaii brings Norm Chow "home" as new head coach

Veteran offensive coordinator to lead Warriors' football program

"It means the whole world."

That was how Norm Chow, who was born and raised in Honolulu, responded on Thursday when asked about the opportunity to return to his home to become the next head football coach at the University of Hawaii.

Chow, 65, has spent four decades in the coaching business--which includes 35 seasons on the college level. During that time, he has been a part of three national title teams, tutored three Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks, and earned the reputation as one of the top offensive minds in the game.

The veteran, who played offensive guard at Utah, started his coaching career as the head coach at Waialua High School in Hawaii.

Two years later, he returned to the state of Utah as a graduate assistant for BYU. Chow went on to spend nearly three decades in Provo during which he served in a variety of capacities for legendary coach Lavell Edwards. While at "Quarterback U", he worked with signal-callers such as Jim McMahon, Steve Young, and Ty Detmer.

After spending the 2000 campaign working with Phillip Rivers at NC State, Chow joined Pete Carroll's staff at USC where he tutored Heisman Trophy winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart and won back-to-back national titles in 2003 and 2004.

From 2005 to 2007, he tried in his hand in the NFL as offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans before returning to the college game in 2008 as the OC for Rick Neuheisel at UCLA.

Chow, who still has one more game--Sun Bowl versus Georgia Tech--to coach for his alma mater Utah, acknowledged that he had turned down head coaching opportunities on the mainland. His doing so was largely the result of his devotion to family.

"If it wasn't right for my family, it wasn't right for me. A long time ago, my wife and I sat down and decided our family was going to be first."

However, this move was the right fit at the right time.

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"I'm fired up. I'm excited. I can't wait to get going. Thank you for allowing me to come home," said the new Warriors' coach.

He vows that his program is going to be about much more than simply winning football games.

"We are going to graduate student-athletes. We are going to teach life lessons and core values."

However, he went on to promise that the Warriors would win as many football games as they possibly can while "chasing championships".

Chow, who reportedly signed a five-year deal with undisclosed terms, will face the tall task of taking Hawaii to the Coliseum to play USC in his first game on September 1. The Trojans will be considered one of the favorites to win next year's national title with the announced return of quarterback Matt Barkley.

By: Thomas "Bubba" Rosenbaum
DFN Sports Staff Writer