CUNA said last week it won't renew its $300,000-a-year sponsorship of college football's all-star game, known as the Hula Bowl, in 2006, despite the popularity of the program in 2005, its initial year.
Credit union executives participating in the nationally broadcast game decided to shift the money and other resources from the college all-star game to relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina, according to Gary Kohn, the CUNA executive who organized CUs' role in the big game. "People thought it was better spent on the hurricane victims," said Kohn, of the five-year, $1.5-million Hula Bowl sponsorship, renewable annually.
Dozens of credit unions around the country had their logos embroidered on college football's best players and celebrated their sponsorship by posting autographed all-star jerseys in their lobbies after last year's game. In addition, CUNA's tag line, "America's Credit Unions," was broadcast to millions of viewers during the annual college football showcase.
