SYDNEY >> The Cal Golden Bears have enlisted Marshawn Lynch, their former star running back who recently retired from the Seattle Seahawks, as an honorary captain for the Sydney Cup game at ANZ Stadium against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors on Saturday (Friday in Hawaii).

At last check, UH didn’t have an honorary captain. You don’t really need one to play a college football game. But it’s one of those nice little extras. It was one of the few things Norm Chow did that no one seemed to have a problem with. And it fits the style of new coach Nick Rolovich, who thoroughly understands the importance of honoring the program’s past and how that can inspire current players.

My first thought was you match Lynch with someone who means as much or more to UH’s history. Someone like Colt Brennan. But it would be problematic to get the record-setting quarterback who was third in the 2007 Heisman Trophy voting to Australia on short notice.

There’s actually a doable option, and one that makes much more sense. Also, what would be better than one honorary captain? A whole bunch of ’em, that’s what.

Colin Scotts, Paul Manera and Scott Harding — three of the six former Rainbow Warrior football players from Australia — are planning to be at the game. There’s three potential captains right there.

Why stop with football players? Part of UH’s stated reason for this long voyage is recruiting for other sports, too.

Soccer alumna Amanda Paterson (now a UH assistant athletic director) and softball pitchers Kelly Gentle and Kaia Parnaby from Australia are also here and likely to attend.

Technically, and logistically, Cal is the home team. But Hawaii is about 3,000 miles closer, and UH’s sports history is full of stars from Australia.

Scotts was the first Aussie to get a full scholarship to play college football in the U.S. He was a defensive end who played next to defensive tackle Al Noga in 1986, and that helped free up Noga to wreak enough havoc to become UH’s first Associated Press first-team All-American. Scotts played a season in the NFL, becoming the second Australian to do so.

Mat McBriar arrived about 15 years later with a powerful leg that boomed punts out of the end zone. In his time at UH he developed some touch which he further honed in the NFL, good enough to make the Pro Bowl twice.

Punter Alex Dunnachie, offensive linemen Adrian Thomas and Blake Muir and defensive lineman Paul Sironen have also suited up for the UH football team. Currently, defensive lineman Max Hendrie of Sydney is a Warriors freshman.

Mark Nua is from New Zealand and now lives in Sydney. He developed into an outstanding offensive lineman at UH, finishing his college career in 1988.

“These guys were all born after that,” Nua said, prior to addressing the current Warriors after Thursday’s practice.

Brooke Wilkins and Stacey Porter were huge stars in softball at Hawaii, and went on to become Australian national team standouts and Olympians. They helped start a pipeline for Wahine coach Bob Coolen, who is also here this week.

Then there’s Raylene Howard, who then-women’s basketball coach Vince Goo recruited in 1995. Howard made an immediate impact and was one of the Western Athletic Conference’s best players from her freshman year all the way through her senior season. Tanya Smith and Kylie Page also came from Australia, and more recently, Ashleigh Karaitiana from Sydney just finished her UH career.

Rainbows baseball has featured Aussie pitchers Andrew McNally and Andrew Jones in the past, plus Jacob Sheldon-Collins who started at shortstop the past two seasons.

They all won’t be at ANZ Stadium on Saturday. But there will be enough of them to make an impressive lineup of honorary captains. Enough to help the Rainbow Warriors show who is really Australia’s home team of U.S. college sports.

Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. His blog is at Hawaiiwarriorworld.com/quick-reads.