A hurricane hit the state in September 1992.

Three months later, the University of Hawaii football team took the college football world by storm.

Spurred by a triple-option offense, menacing defense and cool-as-Freon kicker, the Rainbow Warriors stunned Illinois, 27-17, in the Holiday Bowl in San Diego on Dec. 27, 1992. The Warriors’ first mainland bowl capped an 11-2 season in which they earned a share of the program’s first Western Athletic Conference football title.

The 1992 Rainbow Warriors, legendary Rainbow Wahine volleyball coach Dave Shoji, late Congressman K. Mark Takai, restaurateurs Don and Marion Murphy, and recently retired athletic administrator Marilyn Moniz-Kaho‘ohanohano are this year’s inductees into UH’s Circle of Honor. They will be feted in a banquet in October. Plaques honoring their inductions will hang on the Stan Sheriff Center concourse walls.

“I’m happy for the players and the coaches,” said Bob Wagner, head coach of the 1992 Rainbow Warriors, adding the honor reflects the players from that era. “In ’88, ’89, those were really good football teams, as well. And Dick (Tomey, his predecessor) had some good teams, as well. Back then, it was harder to get into a bowl game.”

The expectations were low for the Rainbow Warriors entering the 1992 season. They were predicted to finish seventh in the WAC. But the Rainbow Warriors opened with consecutive road victories against Oregon and Air Force, rallied to defeat Brigham Young thanks to a long pass from Ivin Jasper to Matt Harding, held off Trent Dilfer — guided Fresno State and closed the regular season with a comeback against Pittsburgh. Many pollsters submitted their votes before the Pitt game had ended, probably hurting the Rainbow Warriors’ poll position entering the Holiday Bowl.

Illinois had finished third in the Big Ten, defeating Ohio State in The Horseshoe and tying Michigan. The Illini’s linebackers were future NFL players Simeon Rice, Kevin Hardy and John Holecek. But with Michael Carter conducting the triple-option offense, Maa Tanuvasa, Taase Faumui, Junior Togiai and Doe Henderson leading the defense, and kicker Jason Elam a scoring threat from half the field, the Rainbow Warriors delivered an astonishing upset. Answering the chirpy banter between the teams, Harding said: “Their mouths wrote a check their (butts) couldn’t cash.”

After the game, Sheriff, the athletic director, and Wagner embraced. It was the last time Wagner would see Sheriff. Sheriff died three weeks later returning from a business trip on the mainland.

The Rainbow Warriors finished No. 20 in the final poll. It was the program’s first top-20 finish.

High finishes were standard for Shoji, who retired this past year after 42 seasons as the Rainbow Wahine volleyball coach. He led the team to four national championships and 25 conference titles. He is the second-winningest coach in women’s volleyball history. Of his retirement on May 1, Shoji told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser: “I really don’t have any regrets. The job has been more than I ever could have expected. I can’t think of a better life I could have had.”

Takai was a champion swimmer at UH. He also served as president of ASUH, UH’s governing body, as well as editor-in-chief of Ka Leo O Hawaii, the university’s student newspaper. He was an Iraq War veteran, and a lieutenant colonel in the Hawaii Army National Guard.

But it was his work as an officer of the UH Letterwinner’s Club, an organization for student-athlete alumni, and as a longtime state lawmaker who provided support and funding for the UH and the athletic department.

Takai died in July 2016.

In 1996, Don Murphy cold-called Fred vonAppen, then the Rainbow Warriors’ football coach, inquiring about the team’s meal accommodations. At vonAppen’s invitation, Murphy attended a team meal. “Geez, there were 300-pound guys eating enough to feed a 90-pounder,” Murphy recalled.

Murphy, owner of the Murphy’s Bar & Grill, then launched the Pigskin Pigout, an annual street party that raises money for training-table meals.

“We raised enough money for the first Pigout to get a training table started,” Murphy said, “and then it just grew from there.”

The 21st Pigskin Pigout is scheduled for August.

The Murphys often prepare meals for the other UH teams.

“I’m delighted they included (Marion),” Murphy said of the shared honor. “Most of the time I get the credit, but she’s as big a part of this as me. … (UH athletics are) an intricate part of our community. We just love going to games.”

Moniz-Kaho‘ohanohano, a former UH volleyball player, was hired in 1989 to oversee and develop Rainbow Wahine athletics. During her 28-year tenure, UH added four women’s sports, including track and field and soccer, expanding the overall scholarships and opportunities for female student-athletes. She also represented UH on conference and national committees.