Notre Dame to the Hawaii Bowl!

----- Quotes from before the Notre Dame announcement was official ----

About how they want Notre Dame in the Hawaii Bowl, Hawaii Bowl executive director David Matlin said:
"No question, we'd love to have Notre Dame here. We hope to have something to announce later today." (HA)

"It looks encouraging, but it's certainly not a done deal. Hopefully we'll know by 3 p.m. today. We were up at 6 a.m. today working on it and we've done all we can do." (HSB)

"It's a definite possibility. It's something we're working very hard at. We've had conversations." (HA)

"They're somebody we'd very much like to have, but there are other bowls also vying for them." (HA)

HA Note: "With Arizona State's 31-10 loss to Arizona last night, the Pac-10 was not able to fulfill its contractual obligation to provide a representative to play in the game."


-----Quotes from after it was official ----

UH = University of Hawaii Press Release

About Notre Dame committing to the Hawaii Bowl, Matlin said:
“We are thrilled to have the University of Notre Dame in the 7th Annual SHERATON HAWAI‘I BOWL. Notre Dame is a storied football tradition and we are honored to have both them and the University of Hawai‘i in our 2008 game.” (UH)

Happy that Notre Dame will be in the Hawaii Bowl, ESPN Regional TV VP and GM Pete Derzis said:
"to be able to attract Notre Dame as an at-large team in only our 7th year is a real testament to Hawai‘i being a world-class destination and the quality of our previous games. In addition the unique experiences we have provided for the student-athletes have played a big part in showcasing ourselves and the game." (UH)

Crediting their sponsors, Matlin said:
"A special thanks to our title sponsor, Sheraton Hotels and Resorts for helping us build this game into something that is attractive to a University of Notre Dame’s caliber. Ernie Nishizaki, Kyo-ya Company, Ltd., Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer, and Keith Vieira, Senior Vice President and Director of Operations for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Hawaii and French Polynesia, stepped up 6 years ago as the title sponsor to continue the game in Honolulu and have put us in a position to have this great match-up." (UH)

Praising JD, Matlin said:
“I would be remiss if I did not mention and thank Jim Donovan for his leadership and mentorship the last six years as the bowl’s Executive Director. The last three weeks have been an intensive process to put the bowl in position to have a chance to get Notre Dame. Our executive committee, chaired by Hugh Yoshida, has stepped up to help to make this a reality. Also, a special mahalo to the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority and David Uchiyama, VP of Marketing, for all of their contributions in making this come to fruition.” (UH)