Posted at 4:19 p.m., Thursday, October 27, 2005
Hula Bowl moves back to Oahu
By Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writer
The approval means the Hula Bowl will leave Maui after eight years and return to Honolulu for its 60th anniversary game.
The college football all-star game — Hawai'i's longest-running sports attraction — will be played Jan. 21 at Aloha Stadium.
Kickoff is tentatively scheduled for 2 p.m.
State officials received a deposit check and a signed contract from the Hula Bowl last week that reserved the rental of the stadium, Leonard said.
"We committed that date (Jan. 21) to the Hula Bowl," Leonard said.
In addition, Hula Bowl officials wanted to schedule a press conference in Honolulu sometime in the second week of November, Leonard said.
Dwindling attendance has dogged the contest in recent years.
Last year's game drew about 12,000 in Maui's War Memorial Stadium.
In its last game on O'ahu in 1997, the game drew about 24,725. During its heyday, the game drew as many as 49,000 fans.
