Hell yeah they are!
According to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Hawaii athletic director Ben Jay has reversed field from a previous decision and all men’s athletic teams will be renamed the Rainbow Warriors. This decision comes just months after Jay decided all men’s sports would simply be named the Warriors. From 2000 to 2012, some teams were named the Warriors and others the Rainbow Warriors. This occurred after former UH football coach June Jones requested the football team be known strictly as the Warriors. Prior to 2000, the football team was known as the Rainbow Warriors.
Jay said continuity and a push to re-add the “Rainbow” portion of the name were the reasons behind the decision
“The decision on February 13 to change the nickname of the men’s teams to Warriors has generated a lot of discussion and we have received both positive and negative feedback,” Jay said. “We listened to the public discussion and we went back to the original two questions we asked ourselves - who are we and what is representative of the islands?
“We initially decided to adopt Warriors as the nickname of our men’s teams, since it was used by the majority of our men’s programs, including the one with the largest fan following (football). This is a very subjective and emotional issue and the only clear consensus on this topic over the last 13 years has been that a decision needed to be made to unify our men’s teams under one nickname. That goal will still be accomplished as we retain the Rainbow and Warriors names, both of which are near and dear to the hearts of our fans, whom we represent.”
Now, to update UH’s helmets and uniforms...
