Paradise froze.

Chilled by the news of Thursday's single-car accident that left University of Hawaii football coach June Jones in critical condition, the Aloha State kept a vigil for its most popular citizen.

Hawaii Gov. Ben Cayetano offered his prayers.

Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris said, "We join all of Hawaii's citizens in praying for his full recovery."

At the Queen's Medical Center in downtown Honolulu, where Jones underwent two two-hour surgeries Thursday, the switchboard was flooded with so many telephone messages that hospital officials begged the public to limit calls only to emergencies.

	June Jones' accident left residents of Hawaii saddened and stunned.

Across the Islands, residents watched the hourly updates on the four local news stations. The morning daily newspaper devoted two sections to the accident.

School officials considered canceling Thursday night's men's basketball game against Texas Christian. Instead, a moment of prayer was requested before tipoff.

"June would have wanted the game to go on," said UH athletic director Hugh Yoshida, his voice choked with emotion.

For Islanders, Jones is more than a football coach. He has become the face of optimism for a state that only recently emerged from a decade of economic frustration.

Before Jones returned to the Islands in December 1998 – he was a UH quarterback in the early 1970s and quarterback coach in 1983 – Hawaii was mired in a recession. The yen no longer had a strong reach to Hawaii's shores. Meanwhile, agriculture no longer was counted on to stir the economy.

But the mood shifted almost overnight when Jones spurned a four-year, $3-million offer to remain with the San Diego Chargers and agreed to sign with UH for $320,000 annually.

UH president Kenneth Mortimer said Jones' signing drew more positive coverage than the school's successful mice-cloning experiment.

"He sent a strong message that Hawaii is a great place," Yoshida said. "At the time, the economy was down. But he let people know that this is a special place, that this is the land of aloha. It helped people feel good about the university and the state."

Walter Dods, chairman of First Hawaiian Bank, the state's second-largest financial institution, credited Jones with "changing the community's psyche. We were in a prolonged economic recession. But he was so positive and optimistic. He turned the mindset of the community."

At a reception at Gov. Cayetano's mansion, more than 600 of the state's movers and shakers welcomed Jones in December 1998. Cayetano said, "I haven't seen so many positive faces since my wedding."

Cayetano even enjoyed the "June Jones for Governor" T-shirt that popped up across the state.

Jones helped broker a deal with agent Leigh Steinberg in which UH merchandise and apparel would be marketed nationally and in Asia. The Steinberg group helped the school land shoe and beverage deals, as well as secure title sponsorships for all of the football team's home games.

As a result, the school's athletic department turned a profit in Jones' first year at UH – a year after the department incurred a $1.1 million operating deficit, in large part to an 0-12 football season under head coach Fred vonAppen.

In 1999, the Jones-led Warriors won a conference co-championship, setting the NCAA record for greatest one-season improvement (from zero victories to nine), and defeated Oregon State in the Oahu Bowl.

Jones was named national coach of the year by three groups, and his place as an Island Son was secured.

"Right next to the Duke Kahanamoku state, they should make one for June Jones," said Larry Beil, a former ESPN sports anchor who now works in San Francisco and is a 1982 UH graduate.

Former UH quarterback Dan Robinson said "June Jones is the Hawaii athletic program. That's a fact. Everyone who works around him and works with him knows that."

Last September, Portland State coach Tim Walsh referred to UH as "June Jones University."

Yoshida said Jones' appeal is in his openness. "He's a people's coach," Yoshida said.

Jones does not have a secretary, keeps his own appointment book and answers his own calls, usually on his cellular, which is as much a part of his everyday wear as socks are not.

Jones does his own grocery shopping, and can be found in malls and fast-food joints. He spoke at more than 200 clinics, seminars, lunches and dinners last year. He always drives.

Yoshida said driving is Jones' release, noting with his hectic schedule, his quiet time is found behind the steering wheel.

It is perhaps what makes Thursday's accident so ironic and tragic.

Stephen Tsai covers the Hawaii Warriors for the Honolulu Advertiser.