Posted on: Friday, August 22, 2003
Sheraton named title sponsor of Hawai'i Bowl
| • | QB Chang to sit out opener |
| • | Hawai'i will break fall training camp Sunday |
By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Writer
The newly renamed Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl will seek the best Christmas Day matchup for the University of Hawai'i even if that means taking something other than the third-place Conference USA team with its selection, officials said yesterday.
"If UH has the type of year everybody collectively expects them to have, then we'll do everything we can to get them a match that will excite the TV audience and the fan base," said Pete Derzis of ESPN Regional Television, the game's operator.
Sheraton, which has signed a three-year contract at what was described as annual "mid-six figure" terms to replace ConAgra, was formally introduced yesterday as title sponsor of the year-old game matching representatives from the Western Athletic Conference and CUSA. Aloha Airlines was also announced as a presenting sponsor.
UH earns the WAC berth if the Warriors win at least seven of their 13 games.
"If Hawai'i wins seven (games), we will be elated and excited to have them appear," Derzis said.
Jim Donovan, the game's executive director, said: "I know they're gonna do that (win at least seven) — June (Jones) has assured us of that when we met with him, so we feel comfortable about that."
CUSA will have 11 football-playing members this year and is contracted to send five of them to bowls. The Liberty Bowl gets the first choice of CUSA teams, followed by the GMAC Bowl, Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl, Houston and Fort Worth bowls with games allowed to trade picks in conjunction with the conference office.
"Whatever the best fit is — if it is a team with an exceptional player, a team that compares favorably with UH or one that makes an interesting contrast — that's what we'll look for," Derzis said. "I think we'll find a capable, quality opponent.
"Already several people have told me they'd like for it to be Cincinnati after what happened last year" when a brawl followed their non-conference regular season game.
And, if UH were to have an unbeaten regular-season run? "If UH were to run the table (13-0) and be a top six team (in the BCS rankings), then we would share the excitement of everybody in the state if they had an opportunity to place in the BCS," Derzis said.
Bowl officials said the game is running a ticket renewal drive and will begin new sales in October. Under new NCAA rules, bowls must sell a minimum of 25,000 tickets annually or risk losing their certification.
The bowl announced an attendance of 31,535 for last year's inaugural game in which Tulane defeated UH, 36-28.
