Today’s Tidbit… Christmas Football In Hawaii

(1924 Hawaii yearbook)

Los Angeles is closer to New York than Honolulu and, since 1885, has been better connected by railroad, and Hawaii’s isolation significantly affected its football. The University of Hawaii first played football in 1909, and since it was the only football-playing college on the islands, its first intercollegiate game did not come until 1920, and its first game on the mainland did not come until 1923. Instead, the University played local clubs, town teams, and teams from the military bases or ships in port.

The first intercollegiate game occurred when they arranged for Nevada to visit the Islands for games on Christmas Day, 1920, and New Year’s Day, 1921. Nevada’s visit started a trend in which a mainland team from the western states visited Hawaii over Christmas break to play one game versus a top Hawaiian club or all-star team and another game versus the University. Often, the first game came on Christmas Day and the second on New Year’s Day.