Thursday, August 2, 2001

Dobelle interested
in new football
stadium

UH's West Oahu campus
is the possible future site
for a 60,000-seater

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By Dave Reardon and B.J. Reyes
dreardon@starbulletin.com | breyes@starbulletin.com

University of Hawaii president Evan Dobelle said yesterday he is looking at building a 60,000-seat football stadium at a new expansive West Oahu campus.

In doing so, he once again hinted at leaving the Western Athletic Conference at some point.

"You don't want to be a football team that builds a 55,000-seat stadium if you want to get into the Pac-10 and you need 60,000 seats," Dobelle said. "I'm not suggesting the Pac-10 is where you want to be, but I think you should accommodate things in a planning way that allows you to have all the opportunity in the future."

UH head football coach June Jones said Dobelle is thinking along the same lines he is ... big.

"Gov. (Ben) Cayetano and I discussed that a year-and-a-half ago. I'm excited the president has that in his thoughts," Jones said. "I know there are a lot of hoops to go through, but at least the president is thinking the same way.

"He's very aggressive," Jones added. "To me, he's like a CEO. He thinks big and he expects the same from others."

Athletic director Hugh Yoshida also likes the idea of a new venue for UH football.

"We need a stadium for the University of Hawaii," Yoshida said. "I agree with the concept. A newer facility would be in line with our needs."

This will be the 27th year Hawaii plays its home games at 50,000-seat Aloha Stadium.

"I think it was constructed reasonably inexpensive back then if anything can be called reasonable at $29 million almost 30 years ago," Dobelle said. "It's a site that was probably never fully funded (for maintenance) and doesn't have all of the facilities and parking that's appropriate. It's also one that I think would take a huge amount to renovate."

Dobelle, who also wants to build a medical school and biotech park on the West Oahu campus, said the cost of a new stadium could be defrayed by the state selling Aloha Stadium and attaining a corporate sponsor for the new stadium.

"How much money could you get for selling Aloha Stadium, plus the naming opportunity for the new stadium to be able to offset that to the taxpayer?" Dobelle said.

Dobelle did not disclose a time frame for construction of a new stadium.

"(It) is contingent on the governor and the legislature allowing enough money to go forward to construct it," Dobelle said.

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http://uhathletics.hawaii.edu