Not long after Bob Wagner became the head football coach at the University of Hawaii in 1987, he said an elderly fan beseeched him with a fervent request.

“Please, please beat BYU before I die.’”

The Cougars were in the midst of what would become, for the Rainbow Warriors, an onerous 10 consecutive losses over an 11-year (1978-88) span and ending that frustration took on the passion of a crusade.

That UH lost in all manner of ways — close games, blowouts and on some freakishly bizarre plays — only magnified the pain. That BYU often did it with several homegrown Hawaii players and coaches on their roster made it exceedingly personal for the whole state.

So much so that the mother of Norm Chow, the Hawaii born and bred offensive Cougars coordinator many of those years, would hear about it from her hairdresser as the UH-BYU games approached each year and returning players would be vociferously booed at the stadium.

Today’s Hawaii Bowl gives us the first matchup of UH and BYU in a postseason setting and while the series no longer packs Aloha Stadium to the rafters or creates the sparks of yesteryear, it does rekindle tales of a more vibrant time.

1. UH 56, BYU 14 (Oct. 28, 1989, Aloha Stadium)

UH had lost by two points in 1987 (16-14) and one in 1988 (24-23). But in his pregame message to the players, Wagner told them of the breakthrough, “Guys, it doesn’t have to be close.”

And it wasn’t.

2. UH 59, BYU 28 (Dec. 1, 1990, Aloha Stadium)

The one-sidedness of the game was so reminiscent of the previous year that the radio station carrying the game, KGU, got calls inquiring whether it was replaying the 1989 game.

This one, however, was almost as delicious for UH fans as the ’Bows tarnished what started out as a red-letter day for fourth-ranked BYU in which its quarterback, Ty Detmer, was awarded the Heisman Trophy long distance hours earlier.

UH quarterback Garrett Gabriel stole the day, passing for three touchdowns. “It takes a lot away,” Detmer said afterward. “You can’t enjoy it like you should be able to, because we’re riding home on a long flight.”

Asked if he would return for his senior year, Detmer told the New York Times, “Oh, yeah, I think it will probably be for this (Hawaii) game. I’ll be glad to get a chance at them (in) Provo next year. We’ll see what it is like for them over there on the mainland at 4,500 feet.”

3. UH 72, BYU 45 (Dec. 8, 2001, Aloha Stadium)

This was the unbeaten (12-0) Cougars’ nationally televised stage to state their case for inclusion into the Bowl Championship Series against a UH team that had no bowl possibilities at all.

Instead, with quarterback Nick Rolovich passing for a school-record eight touchdowns and Chad Owens returning two kicks for scores, BYU got dumped from national title consideration and the game led to the birth of the Hawaii Bowl, so UH would never be left out of the postseason after going 9-3.

4. BYU 13, UH 3 (Nov. 14, 1981, Aloha Stadium)

The stars seemed to align for UH, which was 7-0, had its first national ranking, an ABC nationally televised game against a ranked BYU team and Sports Illustrated on hand to document the ’Bows rise with a cover story.

Alas, the story never materialized because BYU quarterback Jim McMahon, who had been unable to lift his arm earlier in the week, was taken to an acupuncturist in Honolulu by Chow and ended up throwing an NCAA-record 60 passes. McMahon, who was right-footed, also picked up an errant snap and, with his left foot, punted a ball 37 yards to the UH 1-yard line.

5. BYU 18, UH 13 (Sept. 22, 1984, Aloha Stadium)

Perhaps the greatest defensive play in BYU history — and one of the most disappointing offensive ones in UH annals — both happened in this game on the then-fourth-ranked Cougars’ march to their only national championship.

With BYU leading, 12-10 in the fourth quarter and UH on the Cougars’ 2-yard line, safety Kyle Morrell’s perfectly timed leap over the line of scrimmage — dubbed the “Leap of Faith” — allowed him to sack quarterback Raphel Cherry. UH was forced to settle for a field goal.

Later, with BYU leading 18-13, and UH on the Cougars’ 16-yard line, a wide-open Walter Murray dropped a pass in the end zone with 40 seconds remaining.

6. BYU 41, UH 38 (Sept. 11, 1993, Provo)

Coming off their Western Athletic Conference title of 1992, this would be as close as the ’Bows have ever come to winning in Provo.

But place-kicker Carlton Oswalt’s 23-yard field goal bounced off the left upright, denying the ’Bows a shot at winning.

7. BYU 24, UH 23 (Oct. 22, 1988, Aloha Stadium)

The ’Bows go for a game-winning 2-point conversion but get stuffed at the goal line.

8. UH 36, BYU 32 (Sept. 26, 1992, Aloha Stadium)

Jason Elam kicked three field goals, including a school-record 56-yarder, and Ivin Jasper passed 9 yards to Marlowe Lewis for the go-ahead touchdown with 37 seconds remaining.

9. UH 15, BYU 13 (Sept. 14, 1974, Honolulu Stadium)

Austrian-born Reinhold Stuprich kicked a school-record five field goals in what would be the ’Bows’ last victory over the Cougars until 1989.

10. BYU 35, UH 18 (Oct. 19, 1991, Provo)

After two consecutive blowout losses at Aloha Stadium, BYU head coach LaVell Edwards pledged to jump off Mt. Timpanogos if the Cougars lost this one at home.

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