What's your favorite University of Hawai'i football helmet? You'll get the chance to vote for it in UH Athletics' Football Helmet Bracket challenge presented by Hawaiian Telcom, which begins Monday, April 27. The tournament-style bracket features 16 different helmet designs dating back to the 1940s through the current black Hawaiian Islands helmet.
Voting will be conducted on the
@HawaiiFootball Twitter account.
Tournament Schedule
- First Round: Monday, April 27 through Thursday, April 30
- Two polls posted each day at 8:00 a.m. HT and closes at 8:00 p.m. HT
- Elite Eight: Monday, May 4 and Tuesday, May 5
- Two polls posted each day at 8:00 a.m. HT and closes at 8:00 p.m. HT
- Semifinal #1: Wednesday, May 6
- Poll posted at 8:00 a.m. HT and closes at 8:00 p.m. HT
- Semifinal #2: Thursday, May 7
- Poll posted at 8:00 a.m. HT and closes at 8:00 p.m. HT
- Championship: Friday, May 8
- Poll posted at 8:00 a.m. HT on Friday and closes at 8:00 p.m. HT on Saturday
First Round Match-Ups:
1982-98 Rainbow vs. 2016 Military Night
The classic rainbow design was worn by the Rainbows for 17 years and was the throwback design used for select games during the 2014 and 2015 seasons. The logo was once voted No. 1 in the nation and was worn by the program's only Associated Press First Team All-American, Al Noga, the school's first Heisman Trophy candidate in 1986. The helmet was featured in UH's first bowl game, the 1989 Aloha Bowl, and the program's first conference championship season of 1992, which culminated in a victory over Illinois in the Holiday Bowl.
The 2016 Military Night helmet, worn Oct. 29, 2016 versus New Mexico, featured two sides – on one side the shoulder insignia of the 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Infantry Regiment (shown) and on the other the date "12-7-41" which commemorates Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. The helmet coincided in the same year as the 75th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor bombing.
1949 Green vs. 2012 Military Night
UH adorned a solid green helmet with white stripe down the middle during the 1949 season. The next two seasons, the team scrapped the white stripe in favor of an all-green look. Harry "Clown" Kahuanui, an honorable mention All-American, was the standout player during the '49 season and went on to play in the East-West Shrine Game.
For the 2012 Military Night game versus UNLV, Nov. 24, Hawai'i donned a white helmet with American flag-inspired H logo and red, white, and blue tape center stripe. The helmet was accompanied by special red, white, and blue uniforms designed by Under Armour that benefitted the Wounded Warrior Project. The helmet and uniforms served as a good luck charm for the struggling Warriors, who snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 48-10 victory over the Rebels.
1976-81 Menehune vs. 2017 Matte Green "H"
The design featuring a Kupua, a menehune or mythical and sacred dwarf people in Hawaiian folklore who posses great strength, donned in green cape and headdress, while carrying a football with fire emanating from his feet and a rainbow around him. The logo, first introduced in 1975 in a more circular style, was updated to an oval design and was featured on UH's helmet from 1976-81 and made famous by three-time honorable mention All-American tailback Gary Allen. The design served as the Athletics Department official logo until the school adopted the classic rainbow logo in 1982.
For its home games during the 2017 season, UH introduced a matte green helmet with the H logo. The helmet made its debut for the team's home opener against Western Carolina, Sept. 2, 2017 and featured a black facemask and traditional tapa center stripe. The helmet lasted only one season.
1999 Anniversary vs. 1974 Menehune
UH wore a commemorative "25 Years as Rainbow Warriors" decal on black helmets during the 1999 season. The design was similar to the one worn from 1976-81, however, the colors of the rainbow were green, silver, and black, a precursor to the department's new H logo, which was unveiled the following year featuring those same colors. The 1999 squad went on to become the NCAA's all-time turnaround team, winning nine games including the O'ahu Bowl and included future NFL players Jeff Ulbrich and Adrian Klemm.
With the Athletic Department's move to Division I status in 1974 came a new look and a logo that depicted a Kupua, a menehune or mythical and sacred dwarf people in Hawaiian folklore who posses great strength. The decal also featured a rainbow, elongated by the menehune's spear point and was adorned on a white helmet with gray facemask. Despite lasting only one year, the helmet design was worn by honorable mention All-Americans Cliff Laboy and John Woodcock.
2018-19 Hawaiian Islands vs. 2015 Pink H
UH's most recent helmet debuted in the 2018 season-opener at Colorado State and features a black helmet with the iconic H logo on one side and a decal of the Hawaiian Islands on the other – both in green with traditional green tapa center stripe. With Hurricane Lane threatening their home state, UH swapped the H with the island chain and went on to defeat the Rams which kick-started an eight-win season and SoFi Hawai'i Bowl appearance.
In commemoration of Breast Cancer Awareness month, UH wore pink H decals on its metallic green lids for its 2015 Homecoming Game against San Diego State, Oct. 10. Falling behind 14-0 early on in the game, the Warriors rallied to within a touchdown twice but eventually fell 28-14 to the Aztecs.
1947 Rainbow vs. 2005-07 Road Silver
The 1947 squad replaced the green center stripe on its white shell worn in 1946 with a four-color rainbow adorned on the front of the helmet. The team went on to win eight games that season including a 33-32 victory over Redlands in the Pineapple Bowl. The unique design lasted only one season as UH went back to its white helmet with green stripe look the following year.
UH's "Oakland Raiders" uniform design of the mid-2000s featured a silver helmet with green H decal and traditional black tapa helmet stripe. The team primarily wore this helmet for road games, accompanied by white jerseys and silver pants. The helmet was featured during the 2008 Sugar Bowl, UH's only appearance in a BCS game following a historic undefeated regular season in 2007.
2000-15 Green H vs. 1952-69 White
The team unveiled a new metallic dark green helmet with green H decal in 2000. A black tapa center stripe was added in 2001. The helmet was introduced during the football program's resurgence as the Warriors made seven bowl appearances through the first decade of its use and set numerous NCAA records with a high-powered offense. During this era, a total of 22 players were taken in the NFL Draft including the program's highest-ever pick, 19th overall selection Ashley Lelie by the Denver Broncos in 2002. Other notable alums included Vince Manuwai, Pisa Tinoisamoa, Isaac Sopoaga, Chad Owens, and Samson Satele, all of whom enjoyed professional careers, as well as NCAA passing leaders Timmy Chang and Colt Brennan.
UH's most used helmet was the classic white lid with green center stripe adorned by the 1946 and '48 squads and worn predominantly from 1952-69. The highlight of this era included the program's biggest upset, a 6-0 victory over Nebraska in Lincoln, Neb., led by tailback Skippy Dyer, one of UH's all-time greats. The Cornhuskers were 50-point favorites and had walloped UH 50-0 in Honolulu the year prior. The lowlight was the demise of the varsity football program in 1961 as the University voted to abolish the program due to a lack of financing.
2015-17 White H vs. 1970-73 Gold
UH busted out new white helmets with green H decal and black tapa center stripe for its final game of the 2015 season, a 28-26 victory over Louisiana-Monroe, Nov. 28 at Aloha Stadium. The win snapped a nine-game losing streak in a tumultuous 3-10 season. Subsequently, the team wore these lids for the entire 2016 season (a season in which UH returned to the postseason for the first time in seven years) and for road games during the 2017 campaign.
With a new decade came a new look for the Rainbows as a solid bright gold helmet was introduced, matching its old gold pants and green home jerseys and white road shirts. The team wore this helmet for four seasons from 1970-73 and during the program's biggest win, a 10-7 victory over Washington in Seattle to open the 1973 season. The "Green Machine" was led by defensive standout Jeris White, a first-team All-American in 1973, while other standouts included Larry Sherrer, Levi Stanley, and Randy Ingraham.
