The Allstate Sugar Bowl is sending the University of Hawai'i an additional 1,000 tickets, bringing the total return to 1,500 tickets to help accommodate UH season-ticket holders on a waiting list for the Jan. 1 Sugar Bowl against Georgia in the Superdome in New Orleans.

"The demand for tickets has been incredible and we thank our season-ticket holders for their patience and the Allstate Sugar Bowl for working with us to acquire additional seats," UH athletics director Herman Frazier said in a press release.

UH officials closed the waiting list Wednesday for Sugar Bowl tickets, which had 352 season-ticket holders requesting a total of 1,500 tickets. Friday, the Allstate Sugar Bowl sent back 500 tickets.

"The additional tickets should accommodate most or all of the season-ticket holders currently on the waiting list," Frazier said.

UH, which finished the season as the nation's only unbeaten team at 12-0, was originally contractually obligated to sell 17,500 tickets for its first Bowl Championship Series appearance.

But Frazier said that Sugar Bowl officials pressured him to take only 13,500 tickets on the Saturday of UH's final regular-season game against Washington Dec. 1. The extra 4,000 Sugar Bowl tickets were allocated to Georgia fans. UH then defeated Washington and the next day, the Warriors received their first-ever BCS bowl invitation.

Furthermore, since 5,000 tickets already were committed to various entities, that left 8,500 for sale to season-ticket holders.

But the demand was so overwhelming that by Tuesday, UH's allotment of tickets was gone.

"It really demonstrated the loyalty of the Hawai'i fans when you see the lengths at which they've gone to get to New Orleans," said John McNamara, UH's associate athletic director of external affairs.

McNamara said the returned tickets "are in different sections" than the original allotment, which were located in all levels of the east and southeast corners of the stadium, closest to the UH bench.

He also was uncertain who or what groups previously held those tickets. The previous 500 tickets were set aside for corporate sponsors, community groups and others "that support their game annually," said McNamara earlier.

"I don't know where the tickets came from, our primary concern was getting our fans in the building," he said of the 72,000-seat Superdome.

McNamara said he was uncertain if there continues to be a demand for tickets.

"We've let the bowl office know if they're able to secure additional ones we'd be interested," he said.

The UH ticket office staff will begin contacting those on the waiting list immediately.

Season-ticket holders will be called in the order in which their request was received. The ticket office asks that those on the waiting list not call the ticket office regarding their status.

UH added season-ticket holders' names to the waiting list through the close of business last Wednesday.

The sale to the general public was scheduled only if extra tickets were available following the sale to season-ticket holders.

After all season-ticket holders on the waiting list have been contacted, UH may begin another waiting list exclusively for season-ticket holders who have not had the chance to purchase tickets, if extra tickets are available. Those extra tickets would be allocated on a lottery basis, not based on first come, first served.

If a second waiting list is established, UH will post an announcement on www.HawaiiAthletics.com and issue a press release to the media.

"Our goal is to provide tickets for as many of our season-ticket holders as possible," Frazier said. "The Allstate Sugar Bowl has been wonderful in helping us respond to the demand for tickets."