Former Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer and former Florida and South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier will coach in the Polynesian Bowl on Jan. 18, 2020 at Honolulu’s Aloha Stadium, the bowl announced on Wednesday.
Beamer will coach Team Makai (Ocean), and Spurrier will coach Team Mauka (Mountain). The game will be broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network.
Founded in 2017, the Polynesian Bowl is a high school all-star game featuring 100 of the top seniors in the nation. The 2020 rosters have already been set, and are comprised of players from across the country, leaning heavily on Hawaii and the West Coast for talent.
“The Polynesian Bowl is an incredible celebration of culture and football,” Beamer said in a statement. “It’s going to be a lot of fun coaching the best high school players in paradise.”
Past Polynesian Bowl coaches include Dick Tomey and June Jones (2017), Dick Vermeil and Terry Donahue (2018), and Mike Bellotti and Jim Zorn (2019).
Beamer retired from Virginia Tech in 2015 with a record of 238-121-2 at his alma mater. He won three ACC and four Big East championships and is the winningest coach in Virginia Tech Hokies history. He is currently serving his final season as a member of the College Football Playoff selection committee.
Spurrier, the winningest head coach in South Carolina and Florida history, finished his college head coaching career with a record of 228-89-2 (South Carolina, Florida and Duke). His Gators appeared in back-to-back national championship games, winning the 1996 national title after defeating rival Florida State in the Sugar Bowl.
“Hawai’i in January to coach in the Polynesian Bowl is about as good as it gets,” Spurrier said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to being part of this amazing experience.”