Wednesday, April 1, 1998 | 6:34 a.m.
It has been more than four years since a WAC team last appeared in the Aloha Bowl.
But if a proposal for a second bowl game in Honolulu is passed by the NCAA Championship Committee later this month, Christmas in Hawaii could become commonplace for the WAC.
Marcia and Lenny Klompus, executive directors of the Aloha and Hula Bowls, have submitted a proposal to host a bowl game called the Mele Kalikmaka (Hawaiian for Merry Christmas) Classic for late Christmas Day afternoon pitting the WAC's No. 2 team against the fifth pick from the Pac-10.
Here's the kicker: The contest would be the second game of a doubleheader at Aloha Stadium. The Aloha Bowl, pitting the Pac-10's No. 4 team against an at-large school, would kick things off on ABC television at 12:30 PDT followed by the Mele Kalikmaka Classic at 6 p.m. PDT on ESPN.
"We've always looked at the Aloha Bowl as a game the WAC would love to be affiliated with," said WAC commissioner Karl Benson. "If there was to be a second game, we would definitely be interested."
Fresno State in 1993 was the last WAC team to play in Hawaii.
"(The Mele Kalikmaka Classic) would guarantee a spot for the loser of our WAC championship game (annually played in Las Vegas)," Benson said. "One of our goals has always been to find a bowl that makes sense for that team."
Pac-10 commissioner Tom Hansen said his conference is very interested in the proposal.
"We have not made a commitment to send our fifth place team to it, but we're studying it as a possible option," Hansen said. "We're very pleased at the prospect of having more West Coast-based bowl games like the Las Vegas Bowl and the Humanitarian Bowl (in Boise)."
But Hansen said that the Pac-10 would rather have a firm commitment to send its fifth place team instead of taking a chance each year at garnering at-large bowl berths for its middle-of-the-pack squads.
Like the Aloha Bowl, the Mele Kalikmaka Classic would pay each team $750,000 for competing. That's usually barely enough to cover expenses in most cases. Michigan State, which played in this year's Aloha Bowl, lost substantial dollars on the trip.
The NCAA Championship Committee also will entertain bowl game proposals from Nashville (Music City Bowl) and that garden spot of America, Mobile, Ala.
"I have a good feeling that the Hawaii game will be approved because they already have a site, a television package and strong backing from the WAC and the Pac-10," Benson said. "To think that no one has ever attempted a bowl doubleheader like this makes it even more special."
Fans would be required to pay for one ticket for two games, although the price has yet to be determined.
"We will be making bowl history if we get approved," Lenny Klompus said. "No one has ever tried to host two games in one day at the same stadium. We think it can be done, or we wouldn't be making the bid."
Television could ultimately play a pivotal role in whether the Mele Kalikmaka Classic gets off the ground.
"We already have Christmas Day locked down as part of our contractual arrangement with ABC," Klompus said. "They have no problem with the second game because ESPN, which is owned by ABC, would be handling the broadcast. The only thing that would switch would be the directors, producers and people who handle the cameras."
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