Author: hawaiisportshalloffame_tih3ud

CONTRIBUTOR – FOOTBALL Jesse Sapolu As a high school student at Farrington High School Jesse Sapolu was selected to the All-State team as an Offensive Lineman. He continued as a standout player on the offensive line at The University of Hawai’i from 1979 to 1982 where he lettered all four years. While at UH Sapolu…

WORLD CHAMPION – BOXING Jesus Y. “The Hawaiian Punch” Salud In 1989, Jesus Salud won the World Boxing Association (WBA) Super Bantam championship by defeating Juan Jose Estrada. His career record was 63-11 (40 by KO). He fought in five other world title bouts, losing four by decision and one by KO. He was 35-1…

WORLD CHAMPION – PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL Lenn Sakata Lenn Sakata, a manager in the San Francisco Giants minor-league system, became the first player born and raised in Hawai’i to play in the World Series when he was with the Baltimore Orioles in 1983. Sakata, a Kalani High School Graduate, was a middle infielder for the Milwaukee…

OLYMPIC MEDALIST – WEIGHTLIFTING Harold “Odd Job” Sakata Harold Sakata was a silver medalist in the light-heavyweight division of weightlifting at the 1948 Olympics in London. He was one of four weightlifters from Hawai’i that qualified for the U.S. Olympic team that year. Harold cleared 380 kilograms in his medal-winning lift. Sakata became better known…

CONTRIBUTOR – SWIMMING Soichi Sakamoto Soichi Sakamoto coached some of Hawai’i’s top swimmers and was one of the most successful and recognized swimming coaches in Hawai’i’s history. Sakamoto was a science teacher at Puunene School on Maui, and many of his swimmers moved there to train under his strict hand. His first training grounds were…

WORLD CHAMPION – SUMO WRESTLER Chad “Akebono” Rowan In 1993, Chad Rowan was promoted to Yokozuna (Grand Champion), the highest achievement in sumo, the national sport of Japan. He was the first foreign-born person to reach this rank, and one of only 64 to do so in the 200 year old history of sumo. Akebono…

PIONEER – BASKETBALL Ephrain J. “Red” Rocha Ephraim J. “Red” Rocha began his basketball career with the Rainbows on the 1940-41 team. He transferred to Oregon State and was awarded three consecutive All-Pacific Coast first team honors. From 1946-47 Rocha was elected to the Helms Foundation All-America Team. Coach Rocha played professional basketball for the…

WORLD CHAMPION – GOLF Lenore Muraoka Rittenhouse Rittenhouse won the 1983 United Virginia Bank Golf Classic in Richmond, Virginia, as a member of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) at the age of 27. A Roosevelt High School graduate, she was recruited by the University of Hawaii (UH) to play women’s basketball as a 5’3″…

CONTRIBUTOR – SURFING Randy Rarick In 1955, at the age of 5, the Rarick family moved from Seattle to Honolulu (Kaimuki) then settled in Niu Valley. At age of 10, Randy learned how to surf on Oahu’s south shore and fell in love with the sport after watching a surfing movie in 1962. Surfing was…

WORLD CHAMPION – ROPING Ikua Purdy Ikua Purdy was born in Mana, Kaua’i, Hawai’i. He won many island championships and was the popular king of paniolos (Hawaiian cowboys). In 1908, Purdy became the only Hawaiian cowboy to win a Cheyenne championship. His time for the roping and steer-tying championship was 1 minute, 6 seconds on…