The Hula Bowl, one of the most tradition-rich college football all-star games, is headed to the Bounce House, UCF's home football facility.
The game is scheduled to be played Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022, on the UCF campus, pending approval by the UCF Board of Trustees.
The game's historic venue, Aloha Stadium on the outskirts of Honolulu, is currently closed for repairs and upgrades.
"We're going to be aggressive about doing everything we can to make this the preeminent college all-star game in the country," says Terry Mohajir, vice president and director of athletics at UCF.
"This will be a great event for our community, and it's another indication that our location and UCF are the future of college football."
At one point the Hula Bowl--first played in 1946--qualified as the longest-running sporting event in Hawaii. From 1976-80 the game each year drew more than 45,000 spectators, including a record 49,132 in 1979.
Among MVPs of the Hula Bowl are Heisman Trophy winners Vic Janowicz (Ohio State) in 1952, Paul Hornung (Notre Dame) in 1957, John David Crow (Texas A&M) in 1958, Tony Dorsett (Pittsburgh) in 1977, Billy Sims (Oklahoma) in 1980 and Ricky Williams (Texas) in 1999.
"The Hula Bowl has enjoyed a long history in the state of Hawaii. We have been blessed by the amazing support of the local community. I would like to especially thank executive director Rich Miano, Lori Miano and Mufi Hannemann, president and CEO of the Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association, for their tireless work and support of the game," says Jennifer Logan, executive vice president of the Hula Bowl.
"Aloha Stadium graciously allowed our 2021 game to be the final event at this storied location. Following our game the stadium began undergoing upgrade planning that will make the facility unavailable for our 2022 game.
"The Hula Bowl management team is pleased to be moving the 2022 Hula Bowl to the state of Florida, Orlando and UCF. The university has been extremely welcoming in receiving the game. We look forward to working together to deliver a world-class event at their first-class venue."
Ticket information will be available at a later date.