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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted 9: 25 a.m., Friday, April 27, 2001



O'ahu, Aloha Bowl games leaving state

By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawai'i lost both its holiday college football bowl games today when the NCAA Football Certification Subcommittee approved the transfer of what had been the Jeep O'ahu and Aloha Bowl to the Mainland.

The Aloha Bowl, a Christmas Day staple at Aloha Stadium since 1982, will move to San Francisco. It will be played at Pacific Bell Park as the Jeep San Francisco Bowl.

The O'ahu Bowl, which began in 1998, will relocate to Seattle where it will debut on Jan. 2 as the Jeep Seattle Bowl.

Fritz Rohlfing, chief executive officer of Aloha Sports Inc., which operates the bowl games, said economics dictated the move. The two games drew less than 25,000 combined this past season.

The departure of the bowls deals a heavy blow to the post-season hopes of the University of Hawai'i, which had a handshake agreement with the operators of the games to invite the Warriors if they won seven games or more.

It was that provision that helped earn the Warriors a place in the 1999 O'ahu Bowl where UH upset Oregon State.

Without the agreement, the Warriors would likely have to either win at least a share of the Western Athletic Conference title or win nine of their 12 games to earn a place in the post season.

Jim Donovan, UH associate athletic director, said the relocation of the bowls "is an obvious disappointment having in the past had the opportunity to play our way into a local bowl game on national TV on Christmas.

"We'll continue to look at our options for the future and see if something can be done to create a new bowl situation in Hawai'i in the future."

Mike Parent, chairman of the NCAA subcommittee said, "The subcommittee believes the change of venues is in the best interest of student-athletes and schools that participate in the Jeep Bowls. We believe there will be an excellent bowl experience for student-athletes, universities and their fans in the new locations. There has been a fine tradition over the years in Hawai'i."

Rohlfing said, "As a lifetime resident of Hawai'i, I'm saddened to see the bowl games move, but the NCAA simply would not have allowed the games to continue under the present circumstances. For us, the economics of the games meant it was either a case of move them or lose them."