Plot Synopsis

The Hula Bowl was established in 1946 as the Hula Bowl All-Star Football Classic game. When the inaugural game was played on January 5, 1947, the teams were composed of mainland college players versus a local Hawaiian Islands team, primarily made up of graduates of Leilehua High School in Wahiawa, Hawaii. The teams played a two-game series every January until 1951. It was then, that the format was changed to allow NFL Players to join the Hawaiian All-Stars in an effort to create a more competitive game.

Starting in 1960, the Hula Bowl game was established as an All-Star game that would only invite NCAA college players from schools across the US. The teams were divided into two teams, one team from those colleges located in the Eastern and Western United States (and sometimes a North vs. South format). The teams were then split into Aina and Kai teams, the Hawaiian words for Land and Water.

The game was played annually through 2008 until taking a decade-long break, returning in 2020 on CBS Sports Network. After two years at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, the 76th annual Hula Bowl was played at the UCF Bounce House in Florida, featuring NCAA college football players from all divisions, along with international players from Japan, Canada, Australia, and the UK. In addition, the game will always include Polynesian players with historic ties to the Islands.