In the early 1980s there was word of a possible deal in the works to bring the Rams — then still in their first incarnation in Los Angeles — to Aloha Stadium for a game.

There was a Hawaii connection with former UH athletic director Ray Nagel briefly as the Rams’ executive vice president and, supposedly, the blessing of the team’s impulsive owner, Georgia “Madame Ram” Frontiere, who wanted to claim it as Rams’ territory.

But whatever chances there might have been for a game took a backseat to the considerable behind-the-scenes drama that included the owner’s husband, composer Dominic Frontiere, who would eventually be jailed for trying to conceal his role in a 1980 Super Bowl ticket scalping scandal.

Now, going on 35 years later, the Rams are finally signed to play in Halawa and the event is looking better and better with each advance toward the Super Bowl.

With Los Angeles to play New Orleans this weekend for their conference championship, “We’re very happy with the way the deal is shaping up,” said Rick Fried, a member of the Hawaii Tourism Authority, which is partnering the deal with the 13-3 Rams.

When terms of the contract are announced they are expected to be in the $2 million range, the final figure Fried terms a “significant” improvement on the $5.2 million the state forked over for the last of the Pro Bowls in 2016.

Three key pillars in the success of the venture will be the opponent, the August date and the ticket pricing.

The Rams have said they are talking to an as-yet-unidentified prospective opponent.

The choice of a date matters big time with an exhibition game because the third one of the summer is traditionally the preseason game coaches traditionally employ their starters for longer duration. Week 4 usually offers much less of a showing.

It has taken a confluence of circumstances to get an NFL game here for the first time in 43 years. A 1976 preseason contest matched San Francisco and San Diego, drawing 36,364, and a similar crowd is what is envisioned.

The Rams become available while they await the completion of their $4.9 billion (including related development) projected 2020 LA Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. If not for weather delays early on, there might not have been a window for Hawaii.

Even then the opportunity might have been missed had the Rams’ executive vice president, Kevin Demoff, not taken notice of and been inspired by the HTA’s earlier deals with the Los Angeles Clippers, who have held training camps here the past two years.

Demoff, who is described by Rams officials as a frequent isle visitor, was intrigued by the Clippers’ deal and assigned staff members to make contact with the HTA.

Southern California is the biggest visitor target market, and with the Pro Bowl’s departure after 2016, the Rams appeared a good, focused fit.

The HTA has already begun using the Rams to get deeper into it. In November the HTA was listed as the presenting sponsor on the Rams’ game with Seattle at the Coliseum and it is hoping to use the tie and the Rams’ postseason success to leverage vacation packages for the summer exhibition game.

“We want this to be Rams Country again,” Jason Griffiths, the team’s vice president for partnerships, has told the HTA’s board of directors.

It has taken a while to get them here, but if there was a season for it, this looks like it.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.