Author: hawaiisportshalloffame_tih3ud

OLYMPIC MEDALIST – SWIMMING Pua Kealoha An all-around athlete at Kamehameha Schools, Pua Kealoha went on to win a gold medal in the 4×200-meter free-style relay and a silver medal at the 1920 Olympics in the 100-meter free-style swim competition.

OLYMPIC MEDALIST – VOLLEYBALL Robyn Ah Mow-Santos Born in Honolulu, she began playing volleyball since the 5th grade and had no intention of continuing education once graduating from McKinley High in 1993. However, Dave Shoji, recognized her innate talent on the court (i.e. intense desire for perfection, competitiveness, court presence, exceptional anticipation which allowed her…

CONTRIBUTOR – bASEBALL Steere Gikaku Noda In addition to serving as treasurer, manager and captain of the early Asahis, Steere Gikaku Noda was the team’s first pitching and hitting star. In the course of winning 15 championships in the Hawai’i Baseball League, the Asahis served as goodwill ambassadors throughout the Pacific Region. In addition to…

PIONEER – CANOE RACING Joseph “Nappy” Napoleon Joseph “Nappy” Napoleon paddled in his first Moloka‘i Hoe, the annual long-distance open ocean canoe race from Moloka‘i to O‘ahu, at the age of 17 in 1958. He has competed in the 41-mile race from Hale O Lono Harbor on Moloka‘i to Waikiki Beach every year, and on…

WORLD CHAMPION – SWIMMING Keo Nakama His storied career included a world record 20:29 in the mile swim, Big Ten Conference titles at Ohio State and numerous national and international victories. World War II cheated him out of the Olympic Games: Keo Nakama was at his peak from 1940 – 1944. He was inducted Into…

WORLD RECORD HOLDER – WINDSURFING Robby Naish Robby Naish was the world windsurfing champion for four consecutive years (1976-1979). He took up windsurfing at the age of eleven and won his first world championship at age thirteen. He won six overall world crowns in a sport he helped expand internationally. In addition to five Professional…

pIONEER – COLLEGE BASEBALL COACH Les Murakami In 1971, Les Murakami became the part-time Head coach for the University of Hawaii baseball team. He had no scholarships, no baseball field and no equipment to participate in a local baseball league. During the next 30 years, he built an NCAA division 1 power with full scholarships,…

CONTRIBUTOR – PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL Edison Miyawaki Dr. Edison Miyawaki has been opening doors for over three decades for Hawai’i’s student-athletes to gain an opportunity to realize their dream in playing in the National Football League. In the 1970s, Dr. Miyawaki established an NFL training camp for Hawai’i athletes aspiring to play professional football. Through the…

PIONEER- BOWLING Kotaro “Taro” Miyasato Kotaro “Taro” Miyasato started competitive bowling in 1938 and went on to exhibit his mastery of the sport for the next three decades. He was crowned Hawai’i Territorial or State Match Game Champion seven times, winning the title in the years 1946, 1947, 1951, 1952, 1953 1956 and 1960. In…

PIONEER – CANOE RACING A. E. “Toots” Minvielle A.E. “Toots” Minvielle was the patriarch of Hawaiian outrigger canoe racing. He convinced members of the Waikiki Surf Club and six paddlers from Moloka’i to race across the unpredictable Moloka’i Channel in 1952. In 1978, he led a team from the Outrigger Canoe Club to race the…