ON THIS DATE IN 1955: Ed Kawawaki helps break UH’s jinx

The Hawaii football team began the 1955 season with its biggest upset ever, a 6-0 victory at Nebraska in Lincoln, but a later victory might have been more important for some of the players.

On this date in 1955, the Rainbows rallied for a 26-12 victory over the Hawaiian Rams in front of a crowd of about 5,500 at Honolulu Stadium. What made it special for Hawaii was the fact that the school beat the Rams for the first time in five tries.

The contest was tight, with a 13-12 margin for the Rainbows, until left half Ed Kawawaki found a hole in the line and streaked 82 yards for a touchdown. Kawawaki then started UH’s next drive with a first down and the ‘Bows were on their way.

Kawawaki ended up with 124 yards on 16 carries, while Skippy Dyer earned 84 on 11 totes and Hartwell Freitas was 12 for 75. Hawaii didn’t complete any of its six pass attempts.

The game was rescheduled from Saturday in hopes of a bigger gate, but a storm hit the field anyway.