WAIKIKI — Sports fever struck again yesterday, this time, along Kalakaua Avenue, where visitors and residents stood shoulder-to-shoulder to catch a glimpse of their favorite athletes — be their game football, soccer or volleyball.

The Parade of Champions, as it was called, was a celebration of high school and college athletes, who walked or rode on floats from Fort DeRussy to the Sunset on the Beach site, near Kapahulu and Kalakaua avenues. After all, everyone loves a parade.

"I wish they'd do a parade like this in our hometown," said Joe Coats, a visitor from Lake Utah, Utah. "We just heard about it and thought we'd check it out."

Between the beauty queens, the free pineapples, marching bands and Royal Hawaiian band, the crowd of largely green- and black-clad onlookers was whipped into a happy frenzy of support of the University of Hawai'i Warriors' 12-0 regular-season record, which led to to the university's first appearance in the Bowl Championship Series.

More than 15,000 fans traveled to New Orleans to watch the Warriors play in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day, where UH was defeated 41-10 by the Georgia Bulldogs.

Other UH champs honored were the women's volleyball and soccer teams.

Elishia Chun, a 13-year-old Kaimuki Middle School student, dragged her uncle to the parade yesterday so that she could see her favorite player, Jacob Patek, No. 31, a Warrior defensive player. Chun and her uncle arrived at Fort DeRussy early so they could get a good viewing spot. They planned to attend all the events of the Parade of Champions, which included entertainment and a movie at Sunset on the Beach outlining the 2007 UH football season.

"I had to beg my uncle to bring me," Chun said. "No one wanted to come to Waikiki. They figured it was too crowded."

Nearby was Mililani resident Tess Calma and her family. They brought homemade signs supporting new UH football coach Greg McMackin.

"We just can't get enough of them," Calma said.

Ten-year-old Cheven Calma, who is a quarterback for his PAL football team, was craning his neck looking for a chance to meet Vili the Warrior.

"I met him once," Cheven Calma said. "My friend from football team got his autograph. I was close."

Yesterday, his mom arranged for the family to take a picture with Vili right before the parade began.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann said yesterday that the idea for a parade honoring the good work of athletes started in 2005 with the West O'ahu Little League team, which became the toast of the town when it won the Little League World Series.

"It's about recognizing our champions," Hannemann said. "They represent the best in us."

Among the high school football teams marching by were Waipahu, Word of Life, Wai'anae and Kapolei.

Warrior fan Barbara Porter was out on Kalakaua dressed in green to show her Warrior pride. The Waikiki resident, who attends UH volleyball and football games, wanted to catch a glimpse of McMackin.

As McMackin's red convertible Mustang slowly cruised by, Porter said: "I was afraid no one would come out, but look at all these people. In all my years in Hawai'i, I've never seen a parade for the team. This is great."

Reach Suzanne Roig at sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com.