Flashing Back: Arizona vs. Hawaii

The next win came in 1998 in Honolulu, where Arizona won 27-7.

That one was significant, as it was the return of Tomey after being hired by Arizona. Chris McAlister's 'kickoff return for a touchdown set the tempo for the entirety of that game.

Arizona won 47-28 at home once again in 2016. Quarterback Brandon Dawkins dominated in the first half of that game, running for two touchdowns and throwing for one en route to a commanding 34-7 lead by halftime. Hawaii attempted a comeback in the second half, but the damage had already been done.

The Rainbow Warriors got the best of the Wildcats in the last meeting, which was in 2019. Hawaii narrowly beat Arizona 45-38 at Honolulu Stadium in a thrilling game to start out both teams' seasons.

Quarterback Khalil Tate had a chance to send the game into overtime in the final seconds, scrambling down to the 2-yard line until he was stopped, solidifying the upset win.

Arizona and Hawaii are forever linked with the coaching of the legendary Dick Tomey, who led the Rainbow Warriors from 1977 to 1986 and Arizona from 1987-2000. He made both programs renowned in those times.

Tomey was instrumental in helping the football program from an overlooked and underfunded team to a competitive when it joined the WAC in 1979.

By 1981, Hawaii was 9-2 and ranked just outside the top 25 nationally. His philosophy in recruiting local talent, in-house visits and respecting the family made him a very respected person in the Islands.

Tomey left Hawaii for Arizona, which was in the Pac 10 at the time, in 1987 and saw a lot of success there a well, becoming the winningest coach in the program's history.

In 14 seasons, Tomey led the Wildcats to seven bowl appearances and went 4-3 over that time. His biggest wins include a 29-0 Fiesta Bowl victory over Miami in 1994 and a 23-20 Holiday Bowl victory over Nebraska in 1998.

Tomey's "Desert Swarm" defense in the mid-90s brought Arizona to an even bigger national recognition than it already was. It saw Arizona's only two 10-win seasons over that time frame, which included a 12-1 season in 1998 that got it to a No. 4 national ranking and the previously mentioned bowl game victory..

Rich Polynesian traditions were carried over from Tomey's time at Hawaii, such as 'ohana (family), fa'aaloalo (respect) and tuatua (service). He was well respected by the players he recruited who were of Polynesian descent, such as Defensive tackle Joe Salave'a Samoan), quarterback George Malauulu (Samoan), offensive lineman Keoni Fraser (Hawaiian), and so on.

Tomey's recruitment of Polynesian players to Arizona was something that was seen as unusual at the time, but he did it anyway. It is something that is now embedded in the tradition of Arizona, largely due to him making it feel like a second home to many of the players.

"As a coach, having been fortunate enough to have the experience to be around a lot of Polynesian players, I think there's a couple things," Seond year head coach Brent Brennan said on the Polynesian influence. "There's a natural physicality that comes with those young people that is important for football. There's a natural physicality there. But the biggest thing they bring is they bring this incredible sense of honor and ohana, honor and family, and that part of it is felt the moment you're around any of those families. "

"Bringing that into your team, I think, gives you a good chance to increase the physicality of your team, but it also does a great job of connecting your team on a more kind of more spiritual level, on a more personal level, which I think is really important for teams to be connected like that."

To this day, Tomey's legacy lives on through both football programs. Malauulu's AIGA foundation has strong ties to Arizona and has helped Anu Solomon get noticed in the Rich Rodriguez era. Many other players have been recognized through the influence of the foundation, such as Marcus Mariota and others.

Arizona and Hawaii will add another game to the series this weekend, when the Rainbow Warriors visit Arizona Stadium on Aug, 30. The kick-off for that game is set for 7:30 p.m. and it will be televised on TNT.

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