UH awaits NCAA ruling on 13th game

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

University of Hawai'i president Evan Dobelle said he will learn by tomorrow whether the Warrior football team will be allowed to play a 13th game this season.

Monday, Dobelle petitioned the NCAA for an extra game. In a conference call to the NCAA yesterday, Western Athletic Conference commissioner Karl Benson, who is attending business in New York, also made a plea on UH's behalf.

"It's a long shot," UH athletic director Hugh Yoshida said, "but it's worth a shot."

If the NCAA grants the extraordinary request, the game would be played at 4 p.m. Christmas Day at Aloha Stadium.

Benson already has secured a commitment from ESPN to televise the game. Dobelle said he has received $500,000 in sponsorship pledges from local companies. UH associate athletic director Jim Donovan said UH has worked out arrangements with a hotel and airline to accommodate an opposing team.

But at the moment, what UH does not have is an opponent. Dobelle said Mississippi and UCLA have turned down invitations. He said Wake Forest, Bowling Green and Alabama-Birmingham are next on the invitation list.

"In a way, you have to ask: What do you do first?" Dobelle said. "Do you ask to go to the dance or do you get a partner? I think we should do both at the same time. If the NCAA agrees, we need to find a partner, anyway."

According to the proposal sent to the NCAA, after expenses, UH would donate proceeds to a charity. Dobelle suggested a donation to families of the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Yoshida said the clock is running, and UH would need to receive approval no later than Friday.

NCAA Division I-A schools are limited to 11 regular-season games. A 12th game is allowed for UH, and for a team that plays in Hawai'i or an NCAA-exempted game.

UH (9-3) ended its regular season with a 72-45 victory over previously undefeated Brigham Young Saturday. The Warriors did not receive either of the WAC's two berths in postseason bowls.

"This is something we have to try," Dobelle said. "If we can, we will. If we can't, at least we need to set an example that we will do everything we can to promote excellence. Besides, what do we have to lose?"

UH-BYU replay: Saturday's UH-BYU game will be replayed on ESPN tomorrow at 9 a.m. The game took 4 hours, 24 minutes to play, but the rebroadcast will be edited to three hours.