The Pineapple (Poi) Bowl was a college football bowl classic played from 1936 to 1952 in Hawaii. Primarily inviting teams from the West Coast, the game featured the University of Hawaii. Most of the schools which participated in the game do not list it in their bowl histories. The game was not played from 1942 through 1944 due to Pearl Harbor and WWII in the Pacific. The 1937 game featured the University of Hawaii and the Honolulu All-Stars and the 1945 game matched service teams. The first two seasons, the game was called the Poi Classic. Although it was unsanctioned by the NCAA, it hosted some big name teams such as USC, UCLA, the University of Washington and the University of Utah.
Poi (Pineapple Bowl) Bowl- Game Summaries
Southern California 38-Hawaii 6
USC arrived before Christmas for a match with Kamehameha Alumni to be held on Christmas Day, 1935. USC won this one easily, 33-7. In the days preceeding the Poi Bowl, Hawaii’s Coach Otto Klum relocated his players to the suburbs to get them away from the much favored Southern Cal squad and the media. This was a reaction to USC’s route of the All-Stars who were expected to put up a good fight by the locals. Hawaii was led by small and quick back, Tommy Kaulukukui, who led a razzle dazzle, exciting offense. Coach Howard Jones’ USC Trojans were led by little quarterback Davy Davis. The prediction at game time was for heavy rain. A capacity crowd of 12,000 showed up for the game.
USC had little problem with Hawaii on New Year’s Day. The outcome was actually a surprise to the Los Angeles Times. It had been a frustrating season for the Trojans. They entered the game with a 3-7 record.
A pass from Davy Davis to Jim Sutherland brought U. S. C.'s first score in the opening period. Sutherland converted the extra point. The Trojans, backed to their own fifteen-yard line, tallied again when Bill Gaisford went seventy-four yards with a pass from Davis. The extra point was no good.
Davis marked up the third touchdown with a six-yard run. Max Belko converted on a run. Following a Hawaii fumble, recovered by Gaisford on the Rainbows’ thirty-five, Nick Pappas eluded six tacklers and romped for the touchdown. The extra point was missed.
Passes and trick plays were featured in a fourth period Hawaii touchdown drive, which began on their own six. An eight-yard pass from Furtado to Aki gave the Rainbows their only touchdown. The conversion was missed. Pappas tallied Troy's final margin when he crashed across from the three. The placement was again no good.
U. S. C. made fourteen first downs, 231 yards from scrimmage and completed eleven passes for 275 yards. Hawaii made ten first downs, ninety yards from scrimmage and made 180 yards on fourteen passes completed in thirty eight attempts.
Attendance: 12,000
Hawaii 18-Honolulu All-Stars (HI) 12
Washington 53-Hawaii 13
Washington,
5–2–2 in coach James Phelan’s eighth season, crushed the host University
of Hawaii, rolling to a 53–0 lead before the Husky reserves allowed the
Islanders two meaningless touchdowns late in the final period, in front
of 13,500 spectators at the Pineapple Bowl.
Washington scored four times in the opening quarter, ignited by the open-field running of left halfback Jimmy Johnston. The Huskies’ first score featured Johnston running 15 yards before lateraling to center Bud Ericksen, who carried 32 yards for a touchdown. Tackle Vic Markov kicked the extra point. After stopping Hawaii, Johnston threw a 35-yard pass to end Merle Miller for the second Husky score in as many possessions.
Minutes later, Johnston returned a Hawaii punt 70 yards to the Islander two, and Miller went through the center of the line for the third Dawg touchdown. Johnston rambled for another 30-yard gain, stopped this time on the 1-yard line. Reserve fullback Don Jones notched the score on a plunge through the line. Dick Johnson’s kick gave Washington a 26–0 lead at the end of the first quarter while Hawaii had yet to manage a first down.
The second quarter saw a continuation of the Husky onslaught. Despite having pulled most of its starting players, Washington continued to man-handle the smaller Hawaiian line. Everett Austin, a Husky halfback, rambled 41 yards for a touchdown. Washington kicked off, and held the Islanders, forcing a punt. Washington halfback Joe Dubsky took the punt on the fly and returned it 39 yards before lateraling it to tackle Rich Worthington, who carried it the final 11 yards for a touchdown. Dubsky’s conversion gave the Huskies a 39–0 lead which they took into the half.
The Huskies scored single touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters. In the third, Lloyd Phelps broke loose for a 53-yard touchdown run. The final Husky points were tallied by Jones on a 20-yard run in the fourth quarter.
The Islanders scored on two short plunges by fullback Vernon Akee Choy and added one Joe Kaulukukui PAT kick to avoid the shutout. For the day, Washington outgained Hawaii 370 yards to 95. The Huskies were 3-of-7 passing for 60 yards. Hawaii was 10-of-28 for 160 yards.
Washington team and staff in Hawaii.
Attendance: 13,500
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
UW- Ericksen 32 run (Markov Kick)
UW- Miller 35 yard pass from Johnston (Kick failed)
UW- Miller 2 run (Kick failed)
UW- Jones 1 run (Johnson kick)
Second Quarter
UW- Austin 41 run (Kick failed)
UW- Worthington 11 yard punt return (following Dubsky 39 yard return and lateral), (Dubsky kick)
Third Quarter
UW- Phelps 53 run (Dubsky kick)
Fourth Quarter
UW- Jones 20 run (Dubsky kick)
UH- Choy 1 run (Kick failed)
UH- Choy 2 yard run (Kaulukukui kick)
Information
taken from: John Weakland Husky Football Page
http://home.avvanta.com/~weakland/husky.htm
UCLA 32-Hawaii 7
On the morning of January 1, 1939, the Cotton
and Sun Bowl staffs received a wireless message from the newest member
of the bowl fraternity, the Pineapple Bowl. The message was a greeting
from Hawaii Governor, Joseph Poindexter to Texas Governor, James Allred.
UCLA and Hawaii were readying to square off in the Pineapple Bowl.
UCLA Coach Bill Spaulding announced he would resign to become athletic director following the 1938 season and the Bruins were determined to give him an appropriate sendoff in the second annual Pineapple Bowl. UCLA had already posted a win Christmas week in Hawaii, defeating the Honolulu Town Team, 46-0 earlier that week.
The weather was warm and 18,000 shirt-sleeved fans turned out on New Year’s Day. The Bruins scored once each in the first second and third periods and once in the fourth to claim a 32-7 victory. UCLA fullback, John Baida scored on a run from one yard out in the first period following a long drive. With two minutes to go in the second period, UCLA drove the length of the field and Charles Fenenbock ran it in from 19 yards. On the day, Baida scored twice, Fennenbock twice and Lester Sutherland once. John Frawley had two PAT’s. Hawaii’s only score came in the fourth quarter.
Attendance: 18,000
Oregon St. 39-Hawaii 6
Until the 2000 squad of
Dennis Erickson became the greatest team in school history, with an 11-1
finish and a No. 4 national ranking, the title of best of all time
belonged to Lon Stiner's 1939 club that finished that year with a
stellar 9-1-1 record. OSU's (known as Oregon State College at the time)
only loss that year came on Nov. 4 in Portland as the No. 11 Beavers
faced off against the No. 7 USC Trojans, with the Men of Troy prevailing
in a hard-fought defensive struggle, 19-7. The tie was turned in against
No. 13-ranked UCLA, 13-13, in a game played in Los Angeles. The season
culminated with an invite to the Pineapple Bowl in Honolulu to face the
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors.
Upon their arrival on the Islands, the Beavers squared off against the
Hawaii All Stars, a Healani town team, in an exhibition contest on
Christmas Day. They won easily, 28-0. The first bowl game in OSU history
took place on New Year’ Day. OSU was anchored by All-Americans Vic Sears
at left tackle and Quentin Greenough at center.
Bob Olson, Morrie Kohler, Ken Dow and George Peters scored a touchdown
by power drives in the first five minutes of play, with Olson passing to
Peters for the final six yards. A few minutes later, Bob Dethman
returned a Hawaii punt 12 yards to the 29-yard line, from where Dethman
cracked center for 18 yards and Jim Kisselburgh ambled 11 yards through
tackle to score. Vic Kohler intercepted one of Roy Strohlin’s passes in
the same period, lateralled to John Tsoutsouvas who was down on the
Oregon State 49. Hackenbruck made 18 on an end-around. Kohler added five
at the line, and then Joe Tomich passed to Hackenbruck in the end zone.
Hawaii drove to Oregon State’s 12-yard line early in the second quarter
before the
Beavers held, but Kisselburg’s kick was short and Hawaii scored on two
plays, with Strohlin passing from Oregon State’s 47 to Cal Campbell on
the 19 and then to Nolle Smith in the end zone. Oregon State battled
down to the Hawaii 1-yard line where Dow fumbled as the half ended.
The second half belonged to the Beavers as they scored a touchdown in
the third period and two more in the fourth. Oregon State chalked up 452
yards in total offense to 177 for the Rainbows. The 39-6 thrashing was
aided by the fact that showers late in the game handicapped Hawaii’s
passing attack. The game was finished under arc lights.
Attendance: 13,000
Fresno St. (CA) 3-Hawaii 0
HONOLULU - The Bulldogs traveled to Honolulu to play before 22,000 wind-blown and rowdy spectators in the Pineapple Bowl. Matching up against the Hawai'i Rainbows, the Bulldogs found the needed three-point difference early in the fourth quarter to seal the Fresno State victory.
The 'Dogs produced the three-point game spread off a Dale Mickelwait 18-yard field goal held by Lloyd Leest. The Pineapple Bowl game-winner marked the second time Micklewait booted the Bulldogs to victory this season. He secured the extra point conversion against Nevada to push the Bulldogs to a 7-6 triumph.
The 3-0 score is a misleading summary of the game considering both teams had several empty scoring attempts and the Bulldogs and Rainbows gained at least 200 yards apiece. Both teams found themselves with penalty problems - Hawai'i lost 40 yards and the Bulldogs dropped 55, but fumble action was fairly clean as Hawai'i created the game's one and only loose ball. Hawai'i held the Bulldogs twice within their five-yard line before Fresno State broke the three-quarter scoreless streak.
Attendance: 22,000
Scoring Summary
Fourth Quarter
FS - Dale Mickelwait, 18 FG
In 1941, Utah was slated to play Hawaii in the Pineapple Bowl, but the game was canceled after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Hawaii had no team during these years.
Navy Team 14-Army Air Force 0
(Poi Classic)
This
game was called the Poi Classic. The 1945 game was allowed
as a military game between service teams. The game was dubbed as the
Pacific Ocean Area Football Championship between the Navy and the Army
Air Force. It was held on Sunday, January 7, 1945. The following quote
was taken from the game program and reflects the attitude of the era
toward holding the the 1945 classic:
King football graciously bows his head today amid pageantry and color. Into Furlong Field he leads a galaxy of All-America stars, now members of our Armed Forces in the greatest competition in world’s history….That spirit which has shown itself so conclusively in the past on the American football fields will prevail over the enemy….let us make certain that our next generation will be cavorting in the colorful uniforms of the cheerleaders and musicians and the shoulder pads of the football players – not in the war togs stained by the blood and grime of the battle field – ON WITH THE GAME!
Among the notables in this game was Harold Newman, the former Alabama player and Randolph Field co-captain from their undefeated and 3rd ranked season of 1944. The Navy downed the Army Air Force, 14-0.
Hawaii 19-Utah 16
The Utah Utes closed the 1946 season with January 1, 1947 bowl loss to Hawaii on the Islands. Utah drew first blood, when quarterback Cannon Parkinson found Ralph Olsen for a 24-yard touchdown play in the first quarter. But Hawaii bounced back in the final three stanzas to claim a 19-16 win in the Pineapple Bowl.
Utah entered the game as the nation’s top rushing team, but the game soon shaped up as a passing duel between Hawaii’s Sol Kaulukukui and Utah’s quarterback combo of Milton Smith and Parkinson.
After falling behind 19-6, late in the fourth quarter, the “Redskins” closed the gap with a TD run by Smith and an extra point kick. Hawaii, holding a slim 19-14 lead and backed up against its own goal line, then opted for a safety, narrowing the gap to 19-16. But, Utah would come no closer, with Melvin Abreu knocking a pass away from Utah’s Morris Ficklin in the end zone as the gun sounded.
Utah's all-time bowl record of 9-3 (according to official NCAA records that do not count the 1947 Pineapple Bowl loss). Utah's official bowl record will changed from 9-4 to 9-3 to reflect the official NCAA records in 2006. Hawaii had never included the victory in their bowl record.
Attendance: 22,000
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
UU–Olsen 24 yard pass from Parkinson (Peterson kick)
Second Quarter
UH- Bessette 14 yard pass from Kaulukukui (Kick failed)
Third Quarter
UH- Abreau 3 run (Kick failed)
Fourth Quarter
UH Bessette pass from Kaulukukui (Abreau kick)
UU Smith run (Peterson kick)
UU- Safety (Abreau tackled by Jones)
Attendance: 22,000
Hawaii 33-Redlands (CA) 32
Click on link at top of page
Oregon St. 47-Hawaii 27
The Oregon State Beavers were once again the opposing team for the Rainbows in 1949. The fans showed up for the 1949 version of the Pineapple Bowl to the tune of 15,000. OSU had compiled a 5-4-3 overall record in Coach Lon Stiner’s final season.
Oregon State started early behind strong line blocking to grab a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Substitute center, Bob Krell, recovered a Hawaii fumble on the Hawaii 46 yard line. It took the Beavers only six plays to score. Fullback Any Knuden cracked over on a one yard carry for a 7-0 lead. Later in the quarter, Krell leaped high to intercept a Rainbow pass at midfield and return it to the Hawaii two. OSU Coach Lon Stiner then shifted Krell to the offensive backfield and gave him a shot at scoring, but he was stopped just short. Halfback Ken Carpenter then tossed a pass to fullback Dick Twenge for the touchdown.
The Beavers kept it on the ground and wore Hawaii down. Carpenter and Knudsen led the way with two touchdowns a piece and the team completed only five passes, but for 112 yards. They had less fist downs and passing yards than the Warriors. Hawaii running back Jyan Hirota scored three touchdowns against OSU to lead all scorers.
Attendance: 14,000
Stanford (CA) 74-Hawaii 20
HONOLULU,
Jan. 2 (AP) Stanford's Indians slammed across six touchdowns in the
fourth period today to overwhelm the University of Hawaii, 74-20, in the
Pineapple Bowl football game.
The visiting Pacific Coast Conference team spurted to a 20-0 lead in the first period and then eased off until the final quarter. The Rainbows scored twice in the second period and again in the third. Stanford led at halftime, 28-13.
Hawaii's best showing was made early in the third period. Halfback Jimmie Asato broke through right guard for 42 yards and a touchdown. Sol Kaulukukui kicked the extra point and the Stanford lead was whittled to 26-20.
The Indians went back to work then, quickly rolled over with a retaliatory touchdown and launched their thunderous last-period attack before 18,000 fans who sat under cloudy skies shivering in a 30-mlle-an-hour wind. The Indians topped off this splurge with End Bill McColl passing 50 yards to Holbrook Boruck for a touchdown.
Hawaii 28-Denver (CO) 27
The Denver Pioneers were chosen to play in the Pineapple Bowl in 1951 in spite of a 2-7-1 record. Denver nad Hawaii were no strangers to each other as they had played 9 times since 1928. After the initial shock of have been selected wore off, the Pioneers began to prepare for their two games on the island, the Christmas Day game against the Hawaiian All-Stars and the New Years Day game with the Roaring Rainbows. Denver crushed the All-Stars 76-7 before 4000 fans as a prelude to the big game.
The game was played on a mud-soaked field in Honolulu before 12,000 fans. The Rainbows marched off to a twenty point lead and then spent the rest of the afternoon trying to fend off the oncoming Pioneers. Hawaii opened with a huge thrust early as they scored three times in the opening period, twice on interception returns. Following an interception, Quarterback Jimmy Asato passed three yards to Bim Wilson for the Rainbow’s first score. With only seven minutes gone, Sadao Matsukawa hit Wilson for another touchdown on a 45 yard pass play. Three minutes later, following another interception, Asato hit Pete Wilson from eight yards out and the score was 21-0.
Denver seemed to come to life after that and held the Rainbows in check until late in the second quarter when Asato took a pass from Matsukawa and raced 77 yards for a touchdown. Denver finally responded when Hal Pfeifer broke loose down the sidelines and raced 30 yards to make the score at half, 28-7.
In the third period, Sam Etcheverry tried to bring Denver back. First, he hit Chuck Spagnoli with a 30 yard scoring toss. Moments later, Andres carried it over from six yards out to close the score to 28-19. Early in the fourth quarter, Spagnoli scored again, this time on a 34 yard touchdown run. That was Denver’s last scoring threat. The final score of the day came on a safety, the result of an intentional grounding call in the endzone against Hawaii. The final score was 28-27. Denver fell victim to poor kicking as two missed PAT’s cost them the game.
Attendance: 10,000
First Quarter
UH- B. Wilson 3 yard touchdown pass from Asato (Asato kick)
UH- B. Wilson 45 yard pass from Matsukawa (Asato kick)
UH- P. Wilson 8 yard pass from Asato (Asato kick)
Second Quarter
UH- Asato 77 yard pass from Matsukawa (Asato kick)
DU- Pfeifer 30 run (Andres kick)
Third Quarter
DU- Spagnoli 30 yard pass from Etcheverry (kick failed)
DU- Andres 6 run (kick failed)
Fourth Quarter
DU- Spagnoli 34 run (PAT failed)
Attendance: 10,000
San Diego State 34-Hawaii 13
HONOLULU-
Despite the heat and humidity that slowed down a potent San Diego State
offense in the first half of the 1952 Pineapple Bowl in Honolulu, the
Aztecs pulled away in the second half to take a 34-13 victory over
Hawai'i.
After a 14-6 SDSU lead at intermission, the Aztecs took advantage of cooler temperatures in the second half with three quick touchdowns by Art Preston, Preston Robinson and Don Jurk.
It would be all the offense they would need as the SDSU defense stopped the Rainbows' running back Jimmy Asato and their dangerous single-wing attack. Most of the Aztec squad suffered from a bout of food poisoning following the game, but completely recovered in time for the flight back to the mainland.
Attendance: 10,000
