Hawai'i Bowl gains sponsor

By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer

Starwood Hotels' Keith Vieira, from left, UH's June Jones, ConAgra's Tim McMahon, Gov. Ben Cayetano and ESPN's Pete Derzis (back) announce the ConAgra Foods Hawai'i Bowl. Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser

ConAgra Foods, an industry giant that does more than $27 billion in annual sales, was introduced as the title sponsor yesterday for the inaugural Hawai'i Bowl set for 3 p.m. Christmas Day at Aloha Stadium. The game will match teams from Conference USA and the Western Athletic Conference.

ESPN Regional Television, a subsidiary of ESPN, Inc., owns and operates the bowl game, which was certified by the NCAA in May. The three-year deal with ConAgra includes a sponsorship fee "in the six-figures range," in addition to other financial and promotional support, ESPN Regional Television senior vice president Pete Derzis said.

In addition to naming rights — the game will officially be called the ConAgra Foods Hawai'i Bowl — Con-Agra will receive extensive on-air advertising during ESPN's live coverage of the game plus exposure through ESPN Regional Television, ESPNEWS, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine.

"As soon as we became involved in this, we knew it was critical to find the right partner, and we did," Derzis said. "This is a Fortune 100 company."

ConAgra, based in Omaha, Neb., is one of North America's largest foodservice manufacturers and retail food suppliers. Its consumer brands include Libby's Vienna Sausage, Van Camp's Pork and Beans, Butterball Turkeys, Chef Boyardee Ravioli, Bumble Bee Tuna, Peter Pan Peanut Butter, Armour Hot Dogs, Hunt's Ketchup and David Sunflower Seeds.

ConAgra was a title sponsor for the Big East Conference men's basketball tournament in March and sees the Hawai'i Bowl as an opportunity to help make its name as popular as its brands.

"As large as we are, a lot of people don't know about us," said Tim McMahon, ConAgra's senior vice president of corporate communications and marketing. "We're moving into a direction where we want one identity, and (the Hawai'i Bowl sponsorship) is a smart move. There's no question Hawai'i is attractive as America's paradise, and Christmas is a day that's critical to eating and enjoying food and football."

Derzis said ConAgra is "a perfect fit" as a Christmas Day sponsor.

"There's a lot of promotional upside," Derzis said. "With the number of product lines they have, we can reach a lot of people. There's a lot of opportunity — like sweepstakes — to promote this game to a higher level."

The ConAgra Foods Hawai'i Bowl fills a void left by the departure of the Aloha Bowl, which was held annually near Christmas from 1982-2000, and the accompanying O'ahu Bowl (1998-2000). The O'ahu Bowl last year became the Seattle Bowl and the Aloha Bowl ceased operation after it was not recertified by the NCAA.

Under terms of the ConAgra Foods Hawai'i Bowl, the University of Hawai'i would be eligible if it wins at least seven games. UH finished 9-3 last season but did not receive a bowl invitation.

"That was one of the painful things last year," UH athletic director Hugh Yoshida said. "We needed to get that fixed."