The Story behind SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center

In December 1992, a groundbreaking ceremony was held at the University of Hawaii at Manoa lower campus for a new sporting arena. The initial plans and financing were for a 4,000-seat arena that would serve as home to the UH Rainbow Wahine and Warrior indoor athletic teams. However, then-athletic director Stan Sheriff had the vision to advocate for a 10,000-seat facility, believing that, if you build it, they will come.

Fast forward to today: SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center has become a crown jewel of the UH Manoa campus, housing not only thrilling sports events but everything from graduation ceremonies to robotics competitions. And, although the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the UH Athletics Department, the future of the program—and the Arena—is bright, thanks in part to a $5 million donation and $100,000 endowment scholarship fund created by Bank of Hawaii.

“UH sports not only brings us together as a community, but is a lifeline for so many student-athletes, who rely on unique opportunities to learn, compete and succeed on the field as well as in the classroom,” said Peter Ho, chairman, president and CEO of Bank of Hawaii. “Supporting UH in this way solidifies our financial support of UH Athletics and its student-athletes during this crisis and beyond while paying homage to a beloved local sports icon by keeping Stan Sheriff’s legendary legacy alive.”

As for the new "SimpliFi" name? Bank of Hawaii chose it after its digital banking experience, which offers customers an easy, secure and, most importantly, convenient way to do their banking across all devices and online and mobile platforms. It first launched in late 2018 with SimpliFi Mortgage, and now includes everything from loans to account openings under the “SimpliFi” experience.

Learn more about how SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center came to be, and what’s next for the UH Athletics Department, with this behind-the-scenes look.