Hawaii welcomes Pro Bowl

College football has had good success with the Hula Bowl, an all-star game played in Honolulu, so now the pros are preparing to invade the islands. On Jan. 27, a week after the Super Bowl, the National Football League will play its own post-season all-star game, the Pro Bowl, in Honolulu's Aloha Stadium.

Despite the lure that sand, sea, and surf hold for the fiftieth state's residents, pro football is also a very popular diversion. It's not unusual for Hawaiian fans to rise early Sunday mornings to watch games beamed to the islands beginning at 7 a.m. And island viewers take special precautions on Mondays not to hear the score of that evening's weekly game, which is retelecast on a delayed basis beginning at 6 p.m. local time (actually several hours after the game's conclusion).

Sportscasters on the local TV stations even warn viewers to turn down the volume if they don't want to hear the Monday night score, thereby enhancing their enjoyment of the game telecast.

Hawaiians have certainly seen their share of NFL players, though not in actual pro action on the islands. Current NFL players Russ Francis, Arnold Morgado, and Mosi Tatupu are among those who played their high school football in Hawaii, while Larry Cole, Golden Richards, and June Jones are among the NFL regulars produced by the University of Hawaii.