Aloha Stadium deemed ‘unsafe,’ condemned

Historic Aloha Stadium will soon be no longer of this world. The stadium has seen its last college football game, and Hawaii football is in jeopardy.

A report from KHON-TV, Honolulu’s news channel, says Aloha Stadium has been “deemed unsafe ” to hold any crowds. The stadium will reportedly be condemned as a result.

“Sources tell KHON2 that Aloha Stadium has been deemed unsafe to hold crowds of any manner and is expected to be condemned,” per Christian Shimabuku of KHON2. “The stadium, which was built in 1975, has been home to the UH football team and HHSAA championship games for the past 45 years. Additionally, it also hosted the Pro Bowl, the NFL’s annual All-Star game, for almost four decades.”

The Rainbow Warriors’ home stadium was built in 1975 and has long-passed the point of being a fixer-upper.

The stadium has hosted concerts by Frank Sinatra, the Rolling Stones, Chicago, Santana, Michael Jackson, Boston, The Beach Boys, Heart, the Eagles, Whitney Houston and more.

Hawaii football may lose D-1 status

The NCAA requires programs to maintain an average fan attendance of 15,000 once every two years to keep their Division-I status. Hawaii had no problems doing so thanks to Aloha Stadium, which seats 50,000. Now the Rainbow Warriors have to relocate, but there aren’t any suitable venues in Oahu. No other Oahu-area stadium seats anywhere close to 15,000 fans.

A new Aloha Stadium is under construction, but won’t be completed until 2023 at the earliest. Hawaii football will be homeless until then, and it remains unclear how the NCAA will handle the situation.