The Hawaiians (WFL)

The Hawaiians were a professional American football team based in Honolulu that played in the World Football League. They played two seasons, 1974 and 1975. Their records were 9–11 in 1974 and 4–7–1 in 1975. Their home stadium was Honolulu Stadium in 1974 and Aloha Stadium in 1975. The best known player to play for the Hawaiians was former Dallas Cowboys running back Calvin Hill, though quarterback Jim Fassel became better known as a head coach decades later. The Hawaiians head coach was Michael Giddings[1] who guided the Hawaiians through both the 1974 and 1975 World Football League seasons.

For the 1970 film of the same name, see The Hawaiians (film).
The Hawaiians
Established1974
FoldedOctober 1975
Based inHonolulu, Hawaii
Home fieldHonolulu Stadium (1974)
Aloha Stadium (1975)
Head coachMike Giddings
General managerDanny Rodgers
Owner(s)Christopher Hemmeter and Sam Battisone (1974)
Edward Sultan, Jr. (1975)
LeagueWorld Football League
DivisionWestern
ColoursBrown, Gold, Scarlet               

The franchise was originally going to be called the Honolulu Warriors, but a local team had trademarked that name. As a result, the team was known simply as "The Hawaiians", although the press frequently mistakenly called them the "Honolulu Hawaiians" or the "Hawaii Hawaiians." They were owned by real estate developer Christopher Hemmeter for the first season. He was named league president in 1975, and sold the Hawaiians to jewel merchant Edward Sultan, Jr.

To keep the NFL out of Hawaii, the WFL had the Hawaiians play their games on Sundays, while the rest of the league played (mostly) on Wednesday nights. This resulted in confusion, since one team played a different schedule from the rest of the league, and teams had to fly back to the mainland Sunday night to play again on Wednesday night. The franchise also made the mistake of allowing a same-day tape delay of their home games, meaning many Hawaiians' fans would watch the game on TV later on that day. (As a result, the Hawaiians drew just 13,031 fans per game, ahead of only New York and Detroit, neither of which finished the season.) Eventually, the Hawaiians switched to playing on Wednesday nights.

Even with these missteps, the Hawaiians represented a serious attempt to form a viable professional football organization, one that at least had the potential for success had the WFL been better run. They were one of only three teams that did not miss a payroll during the league's first season. (False accounts had said some players released from the team could not afford to get to the mainland.) Hemmeter and his original partner, Sam Battisone (who also owned the NBA's New Orleans Jazz) were among the few owners thought to be capable of fielding a team in 1975.[2]

It was the first and, to date, only major professional American football team to establish its home base outside the contiguous 48 states.

Schedule and results
Key:WinLossBye

1974 regular season
Source[3]
Week Day Date Opponent Result Attendance
1 Wednesday July 10, 1974 at Florida Blazers L 7–8 18,625
2 Wednesday July 17, 1974 at Southern California Sun L 31–38 32,018
3 Sunday July 21, 1974 Detroit Wheels W 36–16 10,080
4 Sunday July 28, 1974 Chicago Fire L 29–53 12,608
5 Thursday August 8, 1974 at Jacksonville Sharks L 14–21 43,869
6 Wednesday August 14, 1974 at Birmingham Americans L 0–39 43,297
7 Wednesday August 21, 1974 at Memphis Southmen L 8–60 25,123
8 Sunday August 25, 1974 Jacksonville Sharks L 8–14 10,099
9 Sunday September 1, 1974 Houston Texans W 33–15 10,248
10 Friday September 6, 1974 at Portland Storm L 6–15 15,551
11 Wednesday September 11, 1974 at Houston Texans W 24–17 9,061
12 Wednesday September 18, 1974 New York Stars W 17–14 12,169
13 Wednesday September 25, 1974 Philadelphia Bell L 16–21 14,497
14 Wednesday October 2, 1974 Birmingham Americans W 14–8 12,039
15 Wednesday October 9, 1974 at Philadelphia Bell W 25–22 4,900
16 Wednesday October 16, 1974 at Portland Storm L 0–3 N/A
17 Wednesday October 23, 1974 at Chicago Fire W 60–17 20,203
18 Wednesday October 30, 1974 Memphis Southmen L 31–33 20,544
19 Wednesday November 6, 1974 Southern California Sun W 29–8 13,780
20 Wednesday November 13, 1974 Portland Storm W 23–0 14,245

Playoffs
Game Day Date Opponent Result Attendance
Quarter-finals Wednesday November 20, 1974 at Southern California Sun W 32–14 11,430
Semi-finals Wednesday November 27, 1974 at Birmingham Americans L 19–22 15,379

1975 regular season
Source[4]
Week Day Date Opponent Result Attendance
1 Sunday August 2, 1975 at Philadelphia Bell L 15–21 3,266
2 Sunday August 9, 1975 at Portland Thunder W 25–24 7,709
3 Sunday August 16, 1975 Southern California Sun L 19–37 15,862
4 Sunday August 23, 1975 Chicago Winds W 28–17 10,313
5 Sunday September 7, 1975 at Memphis Grizzlies L 17–37 15,132
6 Sunday September 14, 1975 Jacksonville Express W 33–15 18,479
7 Sunday September 21, 1975 at San Antonio Wings L 11–30 10,871
8 Sunday September 28, 1975 at Shreveport Steamer L 25–32 21,348
9 Saturday October 4, 1975 Birmingham Vulcans L 16–29 18,894
10 Saturday October 11, 1975 Philadelphia Bell W 14–13 10,789
11 Sunday October 19, 1975 Southern California Sun L 7–26 15,905
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See also

References
  1. "Head football coach". Football Digest. August 1974.
  2. Marshall, Joe. World Bowl in crisis. Sports Illustrated, 1974-12-16.
  3. "1974 World Football League Game Results". Retrieved 2015-11-11.
  4. "1975 World Football League Results". Retrieved 2015-11-11.
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