One down, three to go? On Monday, the University of Hawaii football program secured a 2020 home game against Robert Morris University. The Sept. 26 game fills one of four dates that were vacated thanks to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This is certainly positive news for the program and for Rainbow Warrior fans. But what do we know about the Colonials? We know the school is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We know that this will be the first meeting between Hawaii and Robert Morris. Here’s what else we know:
1. Robert Morris University currently competes as an independent Division I FCS team. The Colonials will join the Big South Conference in 2021. The football program was established in 1994.
2. Last season, the Colonials posted a 7-5 record. They had a five-game winning streak in the middle of the season, including a 41-21 victory over former UH foe Duquesne.
3. The Colonials lost their best player to graduation. Last season, tight end Matthew Gonzalez became the program’s only two-time NCAA FCS All-America
4. Robert Morris is led by head coach Bernard Clark, Jr., a former linebacker at a Miami who helped the Hurricanes to win national titles in 1987 and 1989. He was the MVP of the 1988 Orange Bowl after he led Miami to a 20-14 win over Oklahoma.
5. The Colonials play their home games at 3,000-seat Joe Walton Stadium. Walton was the football program’s first head coach and led the school to six Northeast Conference championships, including five straight from 1996 to 2000. Walton and the Colonials captured a sixth conference title in 2010. NFL fans might remember Walton as the New York Jets Head Coach from 1983 to 1989.
6. Among the school’s football alumni is Hank Fraley, who played 10 seasons in the NFL as an offensive lineman with the Philadelphia Eagles, Cleveland Browns and St. Louis Rams. Fraley is currently the offensive line coach for the Detroit Lions.
7. Former Pittsburgh Steelers QB Charlie Batch earned his master’s degree in organizational leadership at Robert Morris.
# # #