A Tribute To Coach VonAppen

[NoSpamlchow]

Fred vonAppen is a good man and is very professional in his work.
Unfortunately, things did not work out well for him in Hawaii as the
University of Hawaii did not have the money to attract good playing
talent. Coach vonAppen had losing three seasons. Nevertheless, his
ability and talent will not go unnoticed.

Head Coach Fred vonAppen

Old-fashioned, hard-nosed, and an effort fanatic are three
character traits that leap out at most people when describing Fred
vonAppen, the head coach of the University of Hawai'i football team.
His bulldog-type approach has been making progress both on and off the
field in just two shorts year.

Through his first two seasons, vonAppen-coached teams posted 2-10 and
3-9 marks overall while going 1-7 in Western Athletic Conference play
in each season.

"I didn't think it would be this profoundly difficult to get this
program back on the winning track," vonAppen said. "We've made a lot
of measurable headway, but winning is still the bottom line."
He enters his third season with his nose to the grindstone as he and
his staff try to get the Rainbow Warrior football team back as a
contender in the WAC.

"I expect us to be improved in our level of play from a year ago," he
stated. "I'm not sure how that manifests itself in wins and losses
because our schedule this season is very tough and demanding."
vonAppen spent 21 years as an assistant at the collegiate level, with
jobs at UCLA, Arkansas, and Stanford. vonAppen accepted his first head
coaching position with the Rainbows. During assistant coaching tenure,
he learned from the very best, including legendary coaches, Tommy
Prothro, Frank Broyles, Bill Walsh, and Lou Holtz. He coached on teams
that won four of the six bowl games they participated with the most
recent, the 1996 Cotton Bowl against Colorado.

He progressed from the collegiate ranks to that positions with the
Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers of the National Football
League. vonAppen's resume speaks for itself as he has spent 32 years
as an assistant coach before taking over the reins at UH.

"My mission is to have a developmental impact on young people, that's
one of the reasons why I'm coaching at this level and not in pro
football," vonAppen said. "Clearly the mission is to graduate your
athletes, win football games, and play exciting enough football to get
people through the turnstiles."

He has surrounded himself with an energetic and dedicated group of
young coaches with a great deal of championship experience at both the
collegiate and professional levels. Recruiting classes over the past
three years have demonstrated more athleticism and talent than in
years past.

However, the greatest development under vonAppen regime has been the
academic side of the coin. The Eugene, Ore., native believes in a
stern policy on academics. Since his appointment, vonAppen has made
drastic strides in improving the academic well-being of the
student-athlete. He believes academics is a vital component to being a
football player.

The grade point average of the football team over the past two seasons
has risen substantially since vonAppen took over in the spring of
1996. In the spring of 1998, the UH football team had 46 players who
received at least a 3.00 or better in the classroom. That is an
increase of more than 100 percent prior to vonAppen's arrival. UH had
21 players with at least a 3.00 grade point average in the fall of
1995 and a team 2.20 cumulative average. The team cumulative average
is currently 2.55 heading into this fall.

He is directly responsible for installing weekly academic progress
checks, monitoring class attendance, providing study hall for at-risk
student-athletes, and assigning tutors and advisors for all football
players. This policy had an immediate impact on his players.
"It's as important as just about anything we do here," vonAppen said.
"We're subsidizing their education. If they don't measure up as
serious students, we'll make them serious because that's part of the
deal, that's part of the contractual obligation we have to them and
they have to us."

The 56-year-old began his illustrious coaching career at his alma
mater, Linfield College, in McMinnville, Ore. He served two seasons as
a line coach before moving on to a pair of Oregon high schools,
Centennial and Medford, each for one year. From there, vonAppen got
his first taste of Division I coaching at Arkansas. He served one year
as the Razorback's assistant offensive line coach, helping them to the
Sugar Bowl in 1969.

From there, vonAppen moved on to UCLA to coach the Bruins' outside
linebackers. After the one year stint, he became the offensive line
coach at Virginia Tech in 1971.

He would spend the next five years at Oregon, as the defensive line
coach, then being handed the duties of assistant head coach and
defensive coordinator.

After Oregon, he headed to Stanford for his first of four visits as a
Cardinal assistant. vonAppen spent two years coaching the defensive
line, in which they participated in two bowl games, before leaving the
college ranks for the NFL. In two years at Green Bay, he coached both
the special teams and defensive line for the Packers.

After his stay in Green Bay, vonAppen went back to two former
employers. He coached the defensive lines at Arkansas in 1981, under
the guidance of Lou Holtz, and Stanford the following year.
vonAppen gained national recognition as he began his six-year tenure
with the San Francisco 49ers. He was in charge of the special teams
for the first four years and coached the defensive line the last two.
During his stay, the 49ers won two Super Bowls and five division
titles.

In his third stopover at Stanford, vonAppen became defensive
coordinator for one season. He moved to Pittsburgh in 1990 and took
over the reigns as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator.
After two years with the Panthers, vonAppen returned to Stanford for
the final time, as defensive coordinator until 1994.

In 1995, vonAppen moved to Colorado where he finished his assistant
coaching resume as the defensive ends coach for the Buffaloes.
Included among his many protégés are one All-American, seven
all-conference, and two NFL All-Pro players. Some notable performers
he has coached are Billy Ray Smith, Michael Carter, Pierce Holt, Keith
Hamilton, and Sean Gilbert.

He received his bachelor's degree in physical education and history
from Linfield in 1964. He earned his master's in secondary
administration from Linfield one year later. During his collegiate
playing days, he garnered four letters in football and two in track.
In football, he was an offensive guard and a linebacker. He also
played in the 1961 Camelia Bowl. In football, he was a three-time
all-conference performer and a Little All-Coast selection. In track,
he threw both the shot put and the javelin.

After Linfield, vonAppen signed a free agent contract with the San
Diego Chargers in 1964 and was in camp for two summers. Prior to his
coaching career, he served in the United States Army at both Fort
Lewis in Washington and Fort McClellan in Alabama earning rank of
specialist, fourth class.

He was born March 22, 1942, in Eugene, Ore., and is married to the
former Thea Anderson and is the father of eight children: Mark, Molly,
Joe, Kristan, T.C., Randi, Cody, and most recently Cade born last
spring.

Coaching Experience

1964-65 Linfield College (Offensive/Defensive Line)
1966 Centennial High School (Offensive/Defensive Line)
1967-68 Medford High School (Offensive/Defensive Line)
1969 Arkansas (Offensive Line)
1970 UCLA (Outside Linebackers)
1971 Virginia Tech (Offensive Line)
1972-76 Oregon (Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator)
1977-78 Stanford (Defensive Line)
1979-80 Green Bay Packers (Special Teams/Defensive Line)
1981 Arkansas (Defensive Line)
1982 Stanford (Defensive Line)
1983-88 San Francisco 49ers (Special Teams/Defensive Line)
1989 Stanford (Defensive Coordinator)
1990-91 Pittsburgh (Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator)
1992-94 Stanford (Defensive Coordinator)
1995-96 Colorado (Defensive Line)
1996- Hawai'i (Head Coach)

[albert the panther]

Three cheers for June Jones!!!

May he prosper, and the UH football team with him!

[NoSpamlchow]

Head Coach Fred vonAppen

Old-fashioned, hard-nosed, and an effort fanatic are three
character traits that leap out at most people when describing Fred
vonAppen, the head coach of the University of Hawai'i football team.
His bulldog-type approach has been making progress both on and off the
field in just two shorts year.