A month before the University of Hawaii’s football opener, season tickets sales are in danger of sliding to their lowest point in at least 35 years.
As of Wednesday morning, UH said 15,568 season tickets had been sold for the seven-game home season that begins Aug. 30 against Washington.
Not since the late 1970s have the Rainbow Warriors sold fewer than 18,000 season tickets for football.
UH sold 18,354 in 2013 and was at 27,705 in 2008 coming off the Sugar Bowl season. The record is 36,150 in 1986.
Athletic director Ben Jay said it was "too early" to say where sales might come in this year. "I don’t want to peg a number right now because, quite frankly, we normally have a late (summer) push," Jay said.
"I’m realistic that we are coming off a 3-9 and a 1-11 season, but I look at it this way: This team is looking up," Jay said. "I mean, we are a much better team."
Jay said, "I remain optimistic that, although we may not reach last season’s total, I think we will be close." He said sales are "about 800-900" short of the same point in 2013.
Meanwhile, Rainbow Wahine volleyball sales are threatening to surpass a six-year high of 3,799.
As of Wednesday morning, 3,748 had been sold, topping the 3,720 of 2013.
UH is selling mini-packs for both sports with 94 sold for the six-game volleyball package and 73 for a four-game football set, officials said.
Sales of individual game tickets for volleyball begin Aug. 4 while football gets underway Aug. 11.
Oceanic Time Warner Cable begins sales of its eight-game pay-per-view package Friday.