The Hawaiʻi Bowl is a college football bowl game that has been played in the Honolulu, Hawaii, area since 2002. The game was originally held at Aloha Stadium in Halawa, Hawaii, a suburb of Honolulu, before moving to the Clarence T. C. Ching Athletics Complex in 2022. The bowl is one of the post-season contests run by ESPN Events. Typically played on or near Christmas Eve, the bowl normally features a team from the Mountain West Conference, playing a team from either the American Athletic Conference or Conference USA.

Hawaii Bowl
StadiumClarence T. C. Ching Athletics Complex
LocationHonolulu, Hawaii
Previous locationsAloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii
Operated2002–present
Conference tie-ins
  • MWC (2012–present; Hawaii if bowl-eligible and not in CFP bowl)
  • AAC (2019–present)
Previous conference tie-ins
PayoutUS$1.2 million (2019)[1]
Preceded byAloha Bowl
Sponsors
Former names
  • ConAgra Foods Hawai'i Bowl (2002)
  • Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl (2003–2013)
  • Hawai'i Bowl (2014–2017)
  • SoFi Hawai'i Bowl (2018–2019)
  • EasyPost Hawai'i Bowl (2021–2023)
2023 matchup
Coastal Carolina vs. San Jose State
(Coastal Carolina 24–14)
2024 matchup
(December 24, 2024)

For practical and logistical reasons, the Mountain West Conference's tie-in is automatically allocated to the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors if the team is bowl-eligible, and was not selected to play in a New Year's Six (or previously, BCS) bowl game. This means that the Rainbow Warriors do not have to travel to the mainland for a bowl game unless it is of significant importance. As a result of this practice, the Rainbow Warriors have made the most appearances in the game, at nine.[2]

For the 2021 through 2023 editions, the bowl was sponsored by EasyPost.[3] Previous sponsors include ConAgra Foods (2002) and Sheraton Hotels and Resorts Hawaii (2003–2013), and SoFi (2018–2019).

Bowl games in Hawaii

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The Hawaii Bowl is not affiliated with other bowl games previously staged in Hawaii: the Poi Bowl (1936–1939), Pineapple Bowl (1940–1941, 1947–1952), Aloha Bowl (1982–2000), and Oahu Bowl (1998–2000), or the Hula Bowl all-star game (1960–2008, and resuming in 2020). While the Aloha Bowl tried to move to San Francisco, California, and was decertified by the NCAA, the Oahu Bowl was moved to Seattle, Washington, and was held for two years as the Seattle Bowl before losing certification in 2002.

Game history

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In its first year, the Hawai'i Bowl was sponsored by ConAgra Foods, making it officially the ConAgra Foods Hawai'i Bowl. The following year, Sheraton Hotels and Resorts Hawaii assumed sponsorship; the game's full name was changed to the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl until Sheraton declined to renew sponsorship in 2014.[4] In 2018, SoFi signed on as title sponsor of the game which is officially known as the SoFi Hawai'i Bowl.[5][6]

The current Mountain West tie-in was held by the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) until 2012, when the WAC ceased sponsoring college football, and Hawaii moved to the Mountain West.[7]

The first two editions were played on the Aloha Bowl's traditional Christmas Day date, but ESPN's acquisition of NBA rights came with the league's Christmas Day games, thus the game moved to Christmas Eve after 2004 in most years.

The 2005 appearance of the UCF Knights at the Hawaii Bowl was the first ever bowl game in that school's history. In 2006, the Pac-10 replaced Conference USA (C-USA) as the WAC's opposition, with C-USA as an alternate. Since Christmas Eve fell on a Monday in 2007, the game was scheduled for the night prior (December 23) to avoid a conflict with Monday Night Football (also on ESPN). In 2008, the bowl organizers selected Notre Dame as an at-large bid, marking the first time an independent played in the contest. C-USA again became a primary tie-in starting in 2009. The 2011 game featured the C-USA champion for the first time, as Southern Mississippi played instead of going to the Liberty Bowl, where the C-USA champion typically played at the time. The bowl featured the Mountain West champion for the first time in 2015, as San Diego State played instead of going to the Las Vegas Bowl, where the Mountain West champion typically plays.

Between 2002 and 2018, C-USA sent a team to the bowl 12 times, registering an 8–4 record. In 2019, the American Athletic Conference (The American) superseded C-USA as the primary tie-in to face a Mountain West team (or independent BYU).[8]

On October 2, ESPN Events announced that the 2020 edition of the bowl game had been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9]

On August 10, 2021, EasyPost was announced as the new sponsor of the bowl, making it the EasyPost Hawai'i Bowl.[10] EasyPost remained the sponsor through the 2023 edition.

On December 23, 2021, the game was cancelled for the second consecutive season, after the Rainbow Warriors withdrew due to injuries and COVID-19 issues within the team.[11]

Tenth anniversary team (2011)

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To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Hawai'i Bowl, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, in conjunction with the bowl game, allowed fans to vote on a tenth anniversary team. Nine players were selected by a public vote, and an additional seven players were picked by a panel of sportswriters and organizers. The team was announced on December 16, 2011.

Ten Year Anniversary Team 
Year Player College Performance
2002 Justin Colbert Hawaii 9 catches for 158 yards and 2 TD's.
2003 Timmy Chang
Jackie Battle
Hawaii
Houston
26 for 42, 475 yards, 5 TD's passing.
19 carries for 124 yards and 3 TD's.
2004 Chad Owens Hawaii 8 catches for 114 yards, 2 TD's.
5 punt returns for 90 yards and a TD.
2005 Caleb Spencer
Brandon Marshall
Nevada
UCF
11 receptions for 114 yards.
11 receptions for 210 yards and 3 TD's.
2006 Colt Brennan
Jason Rivers
Hawaii
Hawaii
33 for 42, 559 yards and 5 TD's.
14 receptions for 308 yards and 2 TD's.
2007 Chris Johnson East Carolina 408 all purpose yards, 2 TD's.
2008 Golden Tate
Jimmy Clausen
Aaron Bain
Notre Dame
Notre Dame
Hawaii
6 receptions for 177 yards and 3 TD's.
22 for 26, 401 yards and 5TD's
8 receptions for 109 yards and 2 TD's.
2009 Kyle Padron SMU 32 of 41 passing for 460 yards and 2 TD's.
2010 Damaris Johnson
Curnelius Arnick
Greg Salas
Tulsa
Tulsa
Hawaii
5 carries for 98 yards and 1 TD, 4 receptions for 101 yards and 1 TD, 6 returns for 127 yards.
2 sacks, 8 UA Tackles, 2 Asst. Tackles, 2.5 TFL, 2 Int's for 106 yards and 1 TD
13 receptions for 214 yards and 2 TD's.

Game results

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Date Winning team Losing team Attendance notes
December 25, 2002 Tulane 36 Hawai'i 28 35,513 notes
December 25, 2003 Hawai'i 54 Houston 48 (3OT) 29,005 notes
December 24, 2004 Hawai'i 59 UAB 40 39,754 notes
December 24, 2005 Nevada 49 UCF 48 (OT) 16,134 notes
December 24, 2006 Hawai'i 41 Arizona State 24 43,435 notes
December 23, 2007 East Carolina 41 Boise State 38 30,467 notes
December 24, 2008 Notre Dame 49 Hawai'i 21 43,487 notes
December 24, 2009 SMU 45 Nevada 10 32,650 notes
December 24, 2010 Tulsa 62 Hawai'i 35 43,673 notes
December 24, 2011 Southern Miss 24 Nevada 17 32,630 notes
December 24, 2012 SMU 43 Fresno State 10 30,024 notes
December 24, 2013 Oregon State 38 Boise State 23 29,106 notes
December 24, 2014 Rice 30 Fresno State 6 25,365 notes
December 24, 2015 San Diego State 42 Cincinnati 7 22,793 notes
December 24, 2016 Hawai'i 52 Middle Tennessee 35 23,175 notes
December 24, 2017 Fresno State 33 Houston 27 20,546 notes
December 22, 2018 Louisiana Tech 31 Hawai'i 14 30,911 notes
December 24, 2019 Hawai'i 38 BYU 34 21,582 notes
December 24, 2020 Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[12]
December 24, 2021 Canceled[13][a]
December 24, 2022 Middle Tennessee 25 San Diego State 23  6,605 notes
December 23, 2023 Coastal Carolina 24 San Jose State 14  7,089 notes

Source:[14]

MVPs

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The bowl named an MVP from each team from inception through the 2019 edition.

Year Winning team MVP Losing team MVP
Player Team Position Player Team Position
2002 Lynaris Elpheage Tulane CB Justin Colbert Hawai'i WR
2003 Timmy Chang Hawai'i QB Jackie Battle Houston RB
2004 Timmy Chang
Chad Owens
Hawai'i QB
WR
Darrell Hackney UAB QB
2005 B.J. Mitchell Nevada RB Brandon Marshall UCF WR
2006 Colt Brennan
Jason Rivers
Hawai'i QB
WR
Ryan Torain Arizona State RB
2007 Chris Johnson East Carolina RB Jeremy Avery Boise State RB
2008 Jimmy Clausen
Golden Tate
Notre Dame QB
WR
Aaron Bain Hawai'i WR
2009 Kyle Padron SMU QB Kevin Basped Nevada DE
2010 Damaris Johnson Tulsa WR Greg Salas Hawai'i WR
2011 Cordarro Law Southern Miss DL Lampford Mark Nevada RB
2012 Margus Hunt SMU DE Davante Adams Fresno State WR
2013 Rashaad Reynolds Oregon State CB Matt Miller Boise State WR
2014 Driphus Jackson
Brian Nordstrom
Rice QB
DE
Carl Mickelsen Fresno State LB
2015 Dakota Gordon San Diego State FB Zach Edwards Cincinnati S
2016 Dru Brown Hawai'i QB Richie James Middle Tennessee WR
2017 Marcus McMaryion Fresno State QB Steven Dunbar Houston WR
2018 Jaylon Ferguson Louisiana Tech DE Kendall Hune Hawai'i DE
2019 Cole McDonald Hawai'i QB Zach Wilson BYU QB

Source:[15]

Since the 2022 playing, the award—given to a single player—has been known as the Hugh Yoshida Most Valuable Player Award, honoring a former athletic director at the University of Hawai'i.[16]

Year Bowl MVP Ref.
Player Team Position
2022 Jordan Ferguson Middle Tennessee DE [17]
2023 Ethan Vasko Coastal Carolina QB [18]

Most appearances

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Updated through the December 2023 edition (20 games, 40 total appearances).

Teams with multiple appearances
Rank Team Appearances Record Win pct.
1 Hawai'i 9 5–4 0.556
2 Nevada 3 1–2 0.333
Fresno State 3 1–2 0.333
4 SMU 2 2–0 1.000
Middle Tennessee 2 1–1 0.500
San Diego State 2 1–1 0.500
Houston 2 0–2 0.000
Boise State 2 0–2 0.000
Teams with a single appearance

Won (9): Coastal Carolina, East Carolina, Louisiana Tech, Notre Dame, Oregon State, Rice, Southern Miss, Tulane, Tulsa
Lost (6): Arizona State, BYU, Cincinnati, San Jose State, UAB, UCF

Appearances by conference

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Updated through the December 2023 edition (20 games, 40 total appearances).

Conference Record Appearances by season
Games W L Win pct. Won Lost
C-USA 13 9 4 .692 2002, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2022 2003, 2004, 2005, 2016
Mountain West 10 4 6 .400 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2023
WAC 10 4 6 .400 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 2002, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
Pac-12 2 1 1 .500 2013 2006
Independents 2 1 1 .500 2008 2019
The American 2 0 2 .000   2015, 2017
Sun Belt 1 1 0 1.000 2023  
  • The record of the Pac-12 includes appearances when the conference was known as the Pac-10 (before 2011).
  • The WAC no longer sponsors FBS football.
  • Independent appearances: Notre Dame (2008), BYU (2019)

Game records

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Team Record, Team vs. Opponent Year
Most points scored (one team) 62, Tulsa vs. Hawai'i 2010
Most points scored (losing team) 48, shared by:
Houston vs. Hawai'i
UCF vs. Nevada

2003
2005
Most points scored (both teams) 102, Hawai'i vs. Houston 2003
Fewest points allowed 6, Rice vs. Fresno State 2014
Largest margin of victory 35, shared by:
SMU vs. Nevada
San Diego State vs. Cincinnati

2009
2015
Total yards 680, Hawai'i vs. Arizona State 2006
Rushing yards 369, Nevada vs. UCF 2005
Passing yards 559, Hawai'i vs. Arizona State 2006
First downs 32, Hawai'i vs. Arizona State 2006
Fewest yards allowed 170, San Diego State vs. Middle Tennessee 2022
Fewest rushing yards allowed –66, San Diego State vs. Middle Tennessee 2022
Fewest passing yards allowed 93, Rice vs. Fresno State 2014
Individual Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent Year
All-purpose yards 408, Chris Johnson, East Carolina vs. Boise State 2007
Touchdowns (all-purpose) 3, several players—most recent:
Shawnbrey McNeal, SMU vs. Nevada

2009
Rushing yards 224, Chris Johnson, East Carolina vs. Boise State 2007
Rushing touchdowns 3, several players—most recent:
Shawnbrey McNeal, SMU vs. Nevada

2009
Passing yards 559, Colt Brennan, Hawai'i vs. Arizona State 2006
Passing touchdowns 6, Colt Brennan, Hawai'i vs. Arizona State 2006
Receptions 14, Jason Rivers, Hawai'i vs. Arizona State 2006
Receiving yards 308, Jason Rivers, Hawai'i vs. Arizona State 2006
Receiving touchdowns 3, several players—most recent:
Golden Tate, Notre Dame vs. Hawai'i

2008
Tackles 16, Roosevelt Cooks, Nevada vs. UCF 2005
Sacks 4, Willie Baker, Louisiana Tech vs. Hawai'i 2018
Interceptions 2, several players—most recent:
Khoury Bethley, Hawai'i vs. BYU

2019
Long Plays Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent Year
Touchdown run 78, Kevin Smith, UCF vs. Nevada 2005
Touchdown pass 85, Matt Miller from Grant Hedrick, Boise State vs. Oregon State 2013
Kickoff return 100, Rashaad Penny, San Diego State vs. Cincinnati 2015
Punt return 60, Chad McCullar, Houston vs. Hawai'i 2003
Interception return 83, Hayden Greenbauer, SMU vs. Fresno State 2012
Fumble return 70, Rashaad Reynolds, Oregon State vs. Boise State 2013
Punt 73, Mat McBriar, Hawai'i vs. Tulane 2002
Field goal 52, Jack Browning, San Diego State vs. Middle Tennessee 2022

Source:[19]

Media coverage

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The bowl has been televised on ESPN since its inception.

Notes

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  1. ^ The 2021 game had been scheduled to feature Memphis vs. Hawai'i.

References

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  1. ^ "2019 Bowl Schedule". collegefootballpoll.com. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  2. ^ Kirshner, Alex (2016-12-24). "Why Hawaii is in the Hawaii Bowl so much". SBNation.com. Retrieved 2018-12-23.
  3. ^ "EasyPost Named New Title Sponsor for Hawai'i Bowl". Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  4. ^ "Sheraton Hotels & Resorts drops title sponsorship of Hawaii Bowl college football game".
  5. ^ "Hawai'i Bowl Names SoFi As New Title Sponsor". Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  6. ^ "Hawaii Bowl lands title sponsor after 4-year vacancy". Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  7. ^ "Mountain West Conference aligns with Sheraton Hawaii Bowl starting in 2012". ESPN.com. 21 December 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  8. ^ "2019 SoFi Hawai'I Bowl to Return to Dec. 24". thehawaiibowl.com (Press release). May 23, 2019. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  9. ^ Chinen, Kyle (October 2, 2020). "2020 Hawaii Bowl canceled over pandemic concerns". Hawaii News Now.
  10. ^ "EASYPOST NAMED NEW TITLE SPONSOR FOR HAWAI'I BOWL". Hawai‘i Bowl. Hawai‘i Bowl. 10 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  11. ^ "Hawai'i Bowl canceled after Hawai'i withdraws". ESPN.com. 2021-12-24. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
  12. ^ Tsai, Stephen (October 2, 2020). "Hawaii Bowl canceled for 2020 but aims to return in 2021". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  13. ^ @usatodaysports (December 23, 2021). "The Hawaii Bowl is off" (Tweet). Retrieved December 23, 2021 – via Twitter.
  14. ^ "SoFi Hawaii Bowl" (PDF). Bowl/All Star Game Records. NCAA. 2020. p. 14. Retrieved January 3, 2021 – via NCAA.org.
  15. ^ "History". thehawaiibowl.com. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
  16. ^ "EasyPost Hawai'i Bowl MVP Award Named in Honor of Hugh Yoshida". thehawaiibowl.com. December 20, 2022. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  17. ^ @MT_FB (December 25, 2022). "Your 2022 @HawaiiBowl Most Valuable Player" (Tweet). Retrieved December 25, 2022 – via Twitter.
  18. ^ Takase, Kalani (December 24, 2023). "Oscar Smith High alum Ethan Vasko throws 3 TD passes in Coastal Carolina's Hawaii Bowl victory". Daily Press. Newport News, Virginia. AP. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  19. ^ "Game-By-Game Recaps & Record Book" (PDF). thehawaiibowl.com. pp. 20–22. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
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