UH keeps own reserve of tickets

The school set aside more than twice as many as Georgia for team and staff use

STORY SUMMARY »

The University of Hawaii has reserved more than double the number of Sugar Bowl tickets for team and university use than the University of Georgia.

And Georgia will tell the public where its 1,370 tickets are going while Hawaii has not said who will be getting its 3,000 tickets because it is still compiling a list.

The University of Georgia said its football team and players were allotted 770 tickets. Also, 600 tickets were allotted to university use that includes tickets for President Michael Adams, his staff and the athletic department staff.

UH officials have been scrambling to find tickets for some 350 season-ticket holders who are on a waiting list -- seeking a total of 1,500 tickets.

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FULL STORY »

The University of Hawaii reserved a little more than twice the number of Allstate Sugar Bowl tickets for its team and university use than the University of Georgia.

Where do the tickets go? A comparison of Allstate Sugar Bowl tickets reserved by the University of Hawaii and University of Georgia: Total For UH: 3,000 tickets Total For UGA: 1,370 tickets BREAKDOWN UH: Unknown UGA: 770 tickets for the team/players 600 for university use, including the president, his staff and athletic department staff CORPORATE SPONSORS UH: 500 tickets set aside UGA: 310 tickets set aside Sources: Universities of Georgia and Hawaii

UH set aside 3,000 tickets compared with Georgia's 1,370 tickets.

A breakdown of who will get the tickets UH slated for the team and university use was not available yesterday. "We're still working on that. We'll be able to confirm those numbers soon," said associate athletic director Carl Clapp yesterday.

The University of Georgia readily disclosed to whom its tickets are going.

UH officials said they are continuing to evaluate the 3,000 tickets on reserve to determine actual need and whether any tickets can be released to fans. The athletic department, Koa Anuenue booster club and UH Foundation will determine who gets any extra tickets.

"I know everyone involved is trying to resolve this as quickly as possible," said UH spokesman Gregg Takayama.

UH President David McClain and UH-Manoa Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw are slated to attend the Sugar Bowl.

In an e-mail sent yesterday, Christopher Lakos, associate sports communication director for UGA, said the team and players are allotted 770 tickets, and another 600 tickets are dedicated for university use, including allocations for university President Michael Adams, his staff and the athletic department staff.

UH also set aside 500 tickets for its corporate sponsors, while UGA set aside 310 tickets for its corporate sponsors.

The remaining 1,500 UH tickets, of the 13,500 UH accepted, went to tour packages.

UH received 500 additional tickets yesterday from the Sugar Bowl after it sold out of the 8,500 tickets it set aside for season-ticket holders.

An additional 25 tickets from 10 season-ticket holders were returned to UH as of yesterday, according to associate athletic director John McNamara.

The 525 extra tickets will be offered to the 352 season-ticket holders placed on the waiting list that was capped Wednesday. Those on the waiting list requested a total of 1,500 tickets.

UH is expected to hear from the Sugar Bowl early next week to see if more tickets are available. Meanwhile, officials are doing everything they can to get more tickets for its season-ticket holders, which includes contacts with brokers. "We want to accommodate as many people as we can," McNamara said.

UH accepted a reduced ticket allotment of 13,500 of the 17,500 allotted to both universities. The remaining 4,000 tickets shifted to Georgia after UH underestimated ticket sales.

UH athletic director Herman Frazier had said that they accepted the amount because they estimated ticket sales at between 12,000 and 13,000. Karl Benson, commissioner of the Western Athletic Conference, said earlier there was also a need for UH to make an early decision before tickets went on sale Sunday.

For those who have extra tickets or were unable to secure travel arrangements to New Orleans, UH is prepared to buy back some or all of their tickets, according to officials. The phone numbers for the UH Ticket Office are 956-4482, 956-4483 and 956-4484.