Posted at 11:21 a.m., Wednesday, April 14, 2004
Hawai'i Bowl probably moving to Christmas Eve
Advertiser Staff
With the NFL to announce today that it will have a doubleheader on Christmas Day, the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl is expected to move its game to Christmas Eve afternoon, a Friday.A spokesman for ESPN, whose subsidiary, ESPN Regional (ERT), owns and operates the Hawai'i Bowl, said its schedule has yet to be finalized.
Jim Donovan, executive director of the Hawai'i Bowl, said, "The early afternoon of 24th (of December) still looks like the best possibility for us."
The NFL announces its 2004 schedule this afternoon and USA Today said the league will announce its first Dec. 25th doubleheader since 1971.
CBS is expected to have a noon (Hawai'i time) game and ESPN a 3:30 p.m. (Hawai'i time) game, events that, between them, effectively take away what has been the Hawai'i Bowl’s window.
The 2002 and '03 Hawai'i Bowls both had 3 p.m. kickoffs.
USA Today said there will be one NFL game on the 24th, a Fox game at 10 a.m. Hawai'i time.
For most of the past 20 years Christmas has been the date of choice for college bowl gams at Aloha Stadium with both of the Hawai'i Bowl’s predecessors, the Aloha (1982-2000) and O'ahu ( 1998-’00) bowls having been played on that date.
