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By Kevin Clerici
Arizona Daily Wildcat
August 23, 1996
The Pacific 10 Conference has agreed to be a part of the first-ever international postseason bowl game to be held in Auckland, New Zealand, on Dec. 27.The NCAA-certified Haka Bowl will pit the third-place Pac-10 finisher against an at-large team and will be shown live via the ESPN network.
Riki Ellison, the game's founder and chief executive, announced that the Haka Bowl and ESPN have come to a three-year agreement to televise the game on Thursday, Dec. 26 at 8 p.m. (With time differences it will already be Dec. 27 in Auckland when the game takes place.)
Each team will receive half of the $3 million bowl revenue, which ranks in the top 10 of all bowls.
This marks the first time that an American college football game will be played in New Zealand's most honored sports facility, Eden Park. Capable of seating 50,000 fans, the outdoor stadium has hosted numerous World Cup rugby and cricket events.
Ellison, who won three Super Bowls during his 11-year career with the San Francisco 49ers, was a stand-out linebacker at Southern Cal. A member of the 1978 National Championship team, Ellison is familiar with the Pac-10 Conference. Born in Christchurch, New Zealand, Ellison has supervised the project to get the first international bowl game in his homeland.
"The Haka Bowl is very honored and privileged to receive approval from the Special Events Committee of the NCAA," Ellison said. "This will mark the first overseas bowl game, and we are thrilled to bring the game to my homeland, New Zealand."
The Haka Bowl gets its name from the spirit of the Maori warrior. A haka is an ancient Maori war party's dance performed in preparation for battle. The dance was to evoke the spirits of the forefathers to fill each warrior with a fearsome spirit.
The Haka Bowl will replace the now-defunct Freedom Bowl.
Several freshmen are making bids this fall to gain a starting position at schools around the Pac-10.
Southern Cal head coach John Robinson announced that Travis Claridge will start at right guard, becoming the first freshman offensive lineman to start an opener for USC since Brad Budde in 1979.
Claridge, an 18-year-old from Vancouver, Wash., has had the advantage of going up against All-American defensive lineman Darrell Russell in practice to bring him up to speed.
Oregon coach Mike Bellotti has also worked his freshmen hoping to fill his depleted receiving and running back corps. Standing out has been true freshman wide receiver Tony Hartley, who had presented himself as a serious challenge for the starting spot. Hartley caught 86 passes as a high school senior in Los Alamitos, Calif.
Another highly touted freshman receiver on the roster is 6-3 LaCorey Collins, who has also put in a strong bid to get playing time.
"We're counting on players who have great athleticism, great potential, but very little experience," Bellotti said.
At tailback, Bellotti expects to play as many as three people in a game. Among those battling for playing time are sophomore Kevin Parker, the most experienced returning player, and junior-college transfer Saladin McCullough, who signed with Southern California three years ago and was a late acquisition by the Ducks this fall.
Three highly recruited redshirt freshmen - Derien Latimer, Jerry Brown, Andrew Floor - and sophomore David Crump have made an impression and are currently still in the hunt.
Pete Destefano, a California freshman safety, has impressed new coach Steve Mariucci enough to currently be the top free safety on the depth chart.
Redshirt freshman Sekou Sanyika has taken advantage of an opening at the outside linebacker position, when Josh Trowbridge had to miss the final three weeks of spring practice with a banged-up knee.
With Delon Washington suspended from USC's first game with Penn State because of a nonfootball rule violation, the team will have to rely on juniors Rodney Sermons and LaVale Woods at the tailback position.
''These guys are ready to go,'' Robinson said. ''Woods and Sermons have had really good camps. Both were plagued by injuries last year. Both did very well when they weren't hurt.''
Sermons was USC's second-leading rusher last season, gaining 244 yards on 60 carries. He also caught 12 passes for 86 yards. Woods gained 146 yards on 28 carries last season.
This is not the first time that Washington has been forced to sit out a game. In his freshman season, USC decided to withhold him from competition while questions regarding his eligibility, which was certified by the NCAA, were being resolved.
Those questions weren't cleared up until late in the season, and Washington didn't play again until Southern Cal's 55-14 victory over Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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