Former University of Hawaiʻi head football coach Greg McMackin has died at the age of 77. McMackin announced his retirement in 2011 following a 44-year coaching career, which included four seasons as head coach of the Rainbow Warriors (2008–11) and two different stints as UH’s defensive coordinator.
McMackin compiled a 29-25 head coaching record with UH and led the Rainbow Warriors to a pair of Sheraton Hawaiʻi Bowl appearances in 2008 and 2010. In 2010, he guided UH to a 10-win season and a share of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) championship, just the fourth in the program’s history.
McMackin was the team’s defensive coordinator in 1999 and 2007, both of which were WAC championship seasons. He was a part of four bowl teams with Hawaiʻi (1999, ’07, ’08 and ’10) among his 14 bowl appearances as a collegiate coach. The Springfield, Oregon native spent 32 years coaching in the collegiate ranks at Idaho, San Jose State, Stanford, Utah, Miami (Florida) and Texas Tech. He also coached professionally with the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers.
Under McMackin, UH‘s Academic Progress Rate rose significantly and was among the highest in the WAC and other schools in the western U.S.. He was instrumental in establishing the bridge program at UH, allowing new student-athletes to get a head start on earning their degrees. The graduation rate among football student-athletes was the highest in years, and the program received a total of 41 academic all-WAC citations during his first three seasons as head coach.
There is no word yet on plans for a memorial service.