The University of Hawai'i football program under first-year head coach Larry Price earned Division I status in 1974.
Price — a former Hawai'i all-star offensive lineman (1961-64) — won his first four games as UH coach, including a 15-13 season-opening victory over Brigham Young en route to a 6-5 record in 1974.
On Sept. 13, 1975, the UH football team debuted at Aloha Stadium against Texas A&I. In that game, quarterback Alex Kaloi became the first UH player to score a touchdown at the stadium, running for a 2-yard score in the third quarter in a 43-9 loss.
"It was basically just a rollout," Kaloi said of his historic touchdown. "At the time, we just wanted to score."
In 1979, Hawai'i joined the Western Athletic Conference in Dick Tomey's third year as coach. The 1979 Rainbows finished 6-5 overall, and tied for fourth place in the WAC at 3-4.
In 1992, Hawai'i went 11-2 overall and 6-2 in the WAC, and won a share of its first WAC title. The Rainbows earned a trip to the Holiday Bowl at San Diego's Jack Murphy Stadium where they defeated Illinois, 27-17.
In that game, Hawai'i quarterback Michael Carter passed for 115 yards with one touchdown and rushed for 105 yards to win offensive MVP honors. Defensive tackle Junior Tagoai collected four tackles with a sack and was named defensive MVP.
