49-Member Pro Bowl Committee Announced

Aloha Stadium, site of the 2013 NFL Pro Bowl. Photo courtesy of Hawaii News Now.

By Sonia Isotov

The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA) in partnership with the National Football League (NFL) today announced the 49 business and community members of the Pro Bowl Committee 2013.

The 49-member Committee will play a key role in developing and implementing programs to increase Pro Bowl Week and Game Day attendance, generate broad media exposure, increase community engagement and support, raise military involvement, create business partnerships and opportunities, enhance player and family experiences, and develop inbound travel packages for domestic and international visitors.

The Committee is chaired by Dr. Edison Miyawaki, a local business leader and limited partner of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Committee chair Dr. Miyawaki’s experience with the NFL dates back to the 1970s when he established an NFL training camp for local athletes aspiring to play professional football. In 1994, he became the first Japanese-American to purchase minority ownership of an NFL franchise. For the past two decades, Dr. Miyawaki has played an instrumental role in securing the Pro Bowl in Hawai‘i.

“We are pleased to welcome the Pro Bowl back to Hawai‘i in 2013 and look forward to working with the Pro Bowl Committee to enhance overall resident and visitor experiences during the week,” said Mike McCartney, president and chief executive officer of the Hawaii Tourism Authority, in a written statement.

According to a statistics from the Hawaii Tourism Authority, the 2012 Pro Bowl attracted 48,423 attendees (18,873 of which were visitors), contributing $25.3 million in visitor spending and $2.8 million in tax revenues. Pro Bowl Week events generated an additional estimated $4 million in local economic activity, while annual NFL charitable donations exceeded $100,000 in 2012. The Pro Bowl broadcast also reached 12.5 million viewers nationwide.

Pro Bowl festivities. Photo courtesy of Hawaii News Now.

Pro Bowl Committee Members are:

1. Vince Baldemor
2. Bob Barlow
3. Rick Blagiardi
4. Scott Chan
5. Al Chee
6. Chris Chun
7. Bruce Coppa
8. Lee Donahue
9. Nola Donahue-Lewis
10. Jim Donovan
11. Rick Egged
12. John Fink
13. Raymond Fujino
14. Jim Fulton
15. Jerry Gibson
16. Kerry Hadaway
17. Bob Harrison
18. Percy Higashi
19. Peter Ho
20. Paulette Kaleikini
21. George Kam
22. Alvin Katahara
23. Victor Kimura
24. Chris Kobayashi
25. Duane Kurisu
26. Russell Lau
27. David Matlin
28. Mike McCartney
29. Lynn McCrory
30. Chuck Mills
31. Edison Miyawaki
32. Sam Moku
33. Randy Perreira
34. Mark Polivka
35. Carol Pregill
36. Michael Story
37. George Szigeti
38. Tony Takitani
39. Barry Taniguchi
40. Chris Tatum
41. David Uchiyama
42. Art Ushijima
43. Bill Villa
44. Ron Williams
45. Alan Wong
46. Roy Yamaguchi
47. Gary Yoshida
48. Hugh Yoshida
49. Sanford Yuen