VIDEO: Fab 50: 2007 Sugar Bowl team

It does not matter that the regular season was reduced to 12 games because the athletic director, after months of broken promises, could not fill the schedule.

Or that a warts-and-all book, "Once A Warrior," by former UH wideout Ian Sample, was released during training camp.

Or that the season ended with a blowout loss in the Sugar Bowl, which actually was played on New Year's Day 2008, and that a week after that, head coach June Jones would bolt to Southern Methodist and the athletic director would be fired.

No, only fond memories were buried in the time capsule:

• The 12-0 regular season.

• Quarterback Colt Brennan's third-place finish in the Heisman Trophy voting.

• The pulsating victories against Nevada, when Dan Kelly nailed the decisive field goal, and San Jose State, when Brennan rallied the Warriors from a 14-point deficit with six minutes left in regulation.

• The final stretch, in which the Warriors beat Boise State for the Western Athletic Conference title, and the ensuing comeback victory over Washington.

• And the Warriors' first invitation to a BCS game.

"It was a memorable year," Brennan said.

One of the ways to gain perspective is to view that season from different perspectives. Here are a few:

THE PUBLICIST

The craziness actually started in January 2007, when Brennan announced he would forgo applying for the NFL draft and return to UH for his senior season.

The interest in the Warriors began to grow, eventually achieving national attention.

Derek Inouchi, UH's sports media relations director, was kept busy by the unbeaten regular season and Brennan's Heisman campaign.

"There were many sleepless nights," said Inouchi, who coordinated all of the media requests. "But it was fun. I'd do it again."

THE COACH

"To be quite honest, I thought we might have had a better team (in 2006)," Jones said. "I look at (2006 and 2007) as one long run."

From the fourth week of 2006 through the 2007 regular season, the Warriors won 22 of 23 games.

Jones recalled telling the players during the 2007 training camp: "Enjoy the journey and the camaraderie. When you look back, you're going to remember the friendships and what it took to become a team. Those are the most important memories."The hero

"The whole experience was kind of surreal," said Kelly, the kicker. "It was the most closeness I've ever had with a team. There was a bond among the players."

That was apparent on a chilly Reno night when Kelly kicked the winning 45-yard field goal with 11.7 seconds left — twice. On the first attempt, Nevada coach Chris Ault called timeout a nano-second before Kelly's right shoe struck the football. He easily made the do-over.

"I was stressless," Kelly said. "I knew if I missed, everyone would have my back. If I made it, we would all celebrate together. In that game, we had the lead and then we lost the lead. But we didn't worry. When I had to make that kick, I knew I would make it. No doubt in my mind."

Kelly said he often is asked about that season.

"I don't remember the details of the games," he said. "But I can tell you story after story about things that happened on the bus or the plane or in the hotel. We had so much fun. I got to hang out with Colt and (defensive back) Ryan Mouton. A kicker usually doesn't get to hang out with the stars. But that wasn't the case with the team. Everyone was looked at as a peer. There was no segregation on the team by position or playing time. We were one team with one dream."

THE BODYGUARD

It almost ended before it started.

The Warriors narrowly defeated host Louisiana Tech in the season's second game.

"After the game," said Manny Rezentes, UH's director of security, "the coaches said: 'This is going to be a miracle season.' "

Each week, the number of followers grew.

"It kept getting bigger and bigger," Rezentes said.

During a road trip, an autograph seller filled his room with dozens of UH replica helmets. He waited in the lobby, begging for autographs. He did not want them personalized.

After Brennan signed his 10th helmet, Rezentes stepped in, closing down the rags-to-eBay-riches scheme.

"We had so many people trying to wiggle their way in," Rezentes said.

Rezentes did his best to weed out the speculators. "They said a lot of things," Rezentes recalled, "but I had a stone face."

THE VETERAN

Except for three years coaching at Kamehameha Schools, assistant head coach George Lumpkin has been associated with UH as a player or coach since 1972.

Despite a hip ailment that made it painful to walk or stand, Lumpkin refused to take a sick day during the historic run.

"It was bad," said Lumpkin, who underwent hip-replacement surgery in March 2008. "It was two years of pain. It got increasingly worse as the days went by. But (that season) made it all worth it. ... In the sports world, or any situation where you win or lose, you understand what it means to be rewarded for hard work. Those kids worked hard. They earned the reward."

THE PARENT

Colt Brennan's father had a dilemma.

The NCAA limits a school to offering four tickets to each player. Terry Brennan's guest list was 40 for the Boise State game between unbeaten WAC teams.

With the help of ticket manager Walter Watanabe, Terry Brennan bought 36 tickets — at full price — in the blue section of Aloha Stadium's South end zone.

"Those are good seats because they face the (JumboTron)," Terry said.

The Warriors won, earning their first unshared WAC football title.

"After the game, some of the police officers were nice enough to get (Colt) out of the stadium and take him to where we were tucked away in the parking lot."

For the Brennan family, Terry said, the 2007 season was a culmination of Colt's three years at UH.

"We made a lot of friends, and we had a lot of fun," Terry said. "It was a great year, but it was sad, too, because we knew it would be coming to an end. But, no, we had no tears. We were really excited for all of the players, not just Colt. We weren't just cheering for Colt. We cheered for Davone (Bess) and Ryan (Grice-Mullins) and all of the offensive linemen. And all of those coaches. We cheered for everyone."

He added: "It was a great experience. How many times are you going to go to Moscow, Idaho, or Monroe?"

THE OPPONENT

Boise State had won five WAC titles in a row before losing that game to UH.

"Everybody remembered when we walked off the field," Boise State defensive back Kyle Wilson said. "The confetti, and the cheering, and the way they were holding up the trophy. That picture was ingrained in everybody's head. That's why we all worked so hard. Nobody wanted to experience that feeling again."

THE STAR

"I had a lot of great memories," said Colt Brennan, who also earned a bachelor's degree that December. "The best moments were the last two weeks, the games against Boise and Washington. I had a lot of family and friends come over (from the Mainland). We had an absolute blast. And we won both games."

Brennan, now with the Washington Redskins, has several boxes of videos and memorabilia from that season.

"Right now I'm trying to focus on the NFL," he said. "When I walk away from the game, hopefully a long time from now, that's when I'll go back and watch all of that and think about all of the fun times."

THE HEIR

The day after beating Washington to complete a perfect regular season, UH officials decided to invite the fans to the Stan Sheriff Center to watch the bowl-selection show on the giant screens.

"I was thinking, maybe, 5,000 or 8,000 people," said Rich Sheriff center, manager of the 10,000-seat arena. "To get a sellout was amazing support from the entire state."

It was fitting the Warriors' invitation to the Sugar Bowl would be celebrated in the arena named after the late UH athletic director.

"My dad would have loved it," Rich Sheriff said. "My dad loved the school, and he loved football. I don't know if he thought we could get into a big game like the Sugar Bowl. But he would have been absolutely thrilled and amazed by the accomplishment."

THE GOOD SPORT

Jim Donovan understood that true love sometimes means letting go.

In 2007, Donovan was executive director of the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl, which was created in 2003 to ensure a postseason berth for a bowl-eligible UH football team.

Donovan rooted for the 2007 Warriors, even though an undefeated regular season meant the home team would not be in the Hawai'i Bowl.

"I was very happy they made it to a BCS bowl," Donovan said. "It meant a lot for the school and the state."

Donovan, his wife and their two children attended the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.

"It was one of the best experiences all around, with all of the excitement and electricity," Donovan said.

THE RING BEARER

Greg McMackin was hired in 2007 for his second stint as UH defensive coordinator. In 1999, Jones' first season as UH head coach, McMackin helped the Warriors set an NCAA turnaround record by going from 0-12 in 1998 to 9-5.

Jones told McMackin to design the commemorative ring. McMackin crafted a ring with the words "Ohana" and "WAC Champs" that capsulized the rewards.

But McMackin said one word described the journey: Believe.

"Every team has its own personality," McMackin said. "That team believed as much as any I've been associated with. They believed they would win games. They believed in each other. They believed their dream would come true."