Hawaii Pacific University Athletics

The University has three outstanding campuses, one in the heart of downtown Honolulu–the nerve center of Hawai‘i–another on the Hawai‘i Loa campus on the windward side of O‘ahu, and a third at the Oceanic Institute. The downtown campus occupies six buildings with the surroundings including government, business, and tourist-related industries. The attractions and challenges of urban life provide friendships and social activities. 

HPU’s windward Hawai‘i Loa campus sits on a 135-acre lush Kaneohe site and offers students all the amenities of university life. The Oceanic Institute, located at Makapu’u on the east side of Oahu, has opened vast new research and educational opportunities for HPU students and faculty. 

The history of HPU is as diverse as its surroundings. In 1965 HPU was granted a charter as an independent, nonsectarian liberal arts college, later merging with Honolulu Christian College into a single institution, under the leadership of its first president, Dr. James Laurence Meader. 

In 1968, Dr. George A. Warmer succeeded the retiring Dr. Meader as president. Shortly thereafter, HPU relocated to downtown Honolulu. Four years later, in response to the state’s increasing need for professionally trained business leaders, HPU established its School of Business Administration and current president, Chatt G. Wright, was appointed dean of the Business School. 

Accomplished academically and increasing in size, HPU was granted full accreditation in 1973. HPU’s first Associate of Science degrees in Management were granted in 1976. That same year, Dr. Warmer retired and Chatt Wright became HPU’s third president. His 35 years at HPU have been a tremendous success. HPU has expanded into a dynamic educational institution offering diverse programs serving the general public, the business community, government agencies, educators, and the military. HPU University’s logo reads “Holomua Me Ka ‘Oia‘i‘o,” which means “Go Forward with Truth.” 

HPU’s first venture into intercollegiate athletics came in 1978 with the formation of the men’s basketball team. Now competing in the Pacific West Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, Sea Warrior athletic teams are recognized as some of the finest in the nation. In 1993, HPU captured Hawai‘i’s first and only NAIA national championship in men’s basketball, and in 2010, women's softball captured the program's first NCAA Division II National Title. 

In just 45 years, HPU has grown from a small liberal arts college into a vigorous educational institution in downtown Honolulu and windward Oahu. The entire HPU community is proud of the University and its many accomplishments.