May 02, 2018 | THE HAWAI'I BOWL

2018 Hawai‘i Bowl To Be Played On December 22

HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i Bowl has announced that the 2018 bowl game will be played on Saturday, Dec. 22, outside of its traditional Christmas Eve timeslot for the first time since 2007 and fourth time in bowl history. Kick-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. HT at Aloha Stadium. The 17th edition of the game pits the Mountain West versus Conference USA and will be televised on ESPN. “Playing on the Saturday prior to Christmas Eve is a wonderful opportunity for new fans to be able to experience in person all the Hawai‘i Bowl has to offer,” said Hawai‘i Bowl Executive Director Daryl Garvin. “We are excited to welcome new attendees to the Bowl.” Last year’s game featured an exciting match-up between Fresno State and Houston, which the Bulldogs of the Mountain West won 33-27. The outcome was the sixth in Hawai‘i Bowl history that was decided by a touchdown or less. In addition to promoting the island way of life by sponsoring events intrinsic to Hawai‘i, the bowl supports many non-profit organizations through the Hawai‘i Bowl Foundation. More than $1 million has been awarded to charities since the inception of the Hawai’i Bowl Foundation. The bowl game was created in 2002 after the hometown University of Hawai‘i finished the 2001 season with a 9-3 record and was not invited to a bowl game. The Hawai‘i Bowl provides UH an invitation when bowl eligible. The Rainbow Warriors have participated in the bowl seven times. The Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic, one of ESPN Events’ early-season college basketball tournaments, will also take place during the Christmas holiday (Dec. 22-25). The brackets, to be determined at a later date, will be developed to avoid any conflicts with participating schools and the bowl game. The Hawai‘i Bowl is one of 14 bowl games owned and operated by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN. ESPN Events ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a large portfolio of 31 collegiate sporting events worldwide. The roster includes three Labor Day weekend college football games; FCS opening-weekend game; 14 college bowl games, 12 college basketball events and two college award shows, which accounts for approximately 300-plus hours of programming, reaches almost 64 million viewers and attracts over 700,000 attendees each year. With satellite offices in Albuquerque, Birmingham, Boca Raton, Boise, Dallas-Fort Worth, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Montgomery and St. Petersburg, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans. ESPN Events also manages the Big 12 Corporate Partner Program. Collegiate Football Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl (Houston); AdvoCare Texas Kickoff (Houston); Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl (St. Petersburg, Fla.); Bahamas Bowl (Nassau); Birmingham Bowl (Alabama); Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl (Florida); Camping World Kickoff (Orlando, Fla.); Celebration Bowl (Atlanta); Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise); Frisco Bowl (Texas); Gildan New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque); Guardian Credit Union FCS Kickoff (Montgomery, Ala.); Hawai’i Bowl (Honolulu); Las Vegas Bowl (Nevada); Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth); MEAC/SWAC Challenge (Atlanta); Raycom Media Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.); The Home Depot College Football Awards Presented by Gildan (Atlanta) and Heart of Dallas Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth) Collegiate Basketball AdvoCare Invitational (Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.); Armed Forces Classic (Fort Bliss, Texas); College Basketball Awards Presented by Wendy’s (Los Angeles); Gildan Charleston Classic (South Carolina); Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic (Honolulu); Jimmy V Men’s  Classic presented by Corona (New York City); Jimmy V Women’s Classic presented by Corona (TBD); Myrtle Beach Invitational (Conway, S.C.); NIT Season Tip-Off (Brooklyn, N.Y.); Puerto Rico Tip-Off; State Farm Champions Classic (Indianapolis) and Wooden Legacy (Fullerton, Calif.) For more information, visit the official website, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube pages.   About the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority is responsible for strategically managing the State of Hawai‘i’s marketing initiatives to support tourism, the leading industry for the Hawaiian Islands. HTA’s goal is to optimize tourism’s benefits for Hawai‘i, while being attentive to the interests of travelers, the visitor industry and general public. HTA annually supports a wide range of Hawaiian cultural celebrations, community festivals and sports events to perpetuate Hawai‘i’s legacy and showcase the islands’ natural resources. For more information about HTA, please visit www.hawaiitourismauthority.org. Follow updates about HTA on FacebookTwitter (@HawaiiHTA) and its YouTube Channel.   -30-

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