Category: Updated

PIONEER – BASEBALL Wally Yonomine Wally Yonamine, who was born in Olowalu, Maui, made his mark in Japanese baseball with a 38-year career as player, manager and coach. He was the “Oriental Jackie Robinson” said Robert Whiting in his definitive book about Japanese baseball, “The Chrysanthemum and the Bat.” He had a lifetime batting average…

CONTRIBUTOR – SPORTS PROMOTER MacKay Yanagisawa MacKay Yanagisawa was the top sports promoter in Hawai’i’s history. Through the years, he promoted almost every kind of sport and event, including Owen’s race against a horse in Honolulu Stadium. The few sports he didn’t promote were boxing and wrestling. For more than 20 years, he was the…

OLYMPIC MEDALIST – SWIMMING William Tripp Woolsey William Tripp Woolsey attended McKinley High School and in 1952 was a member of the U.S. Olympic 800-meter relay swim team that won the gold medal and set a new Olympic record of 8:31:1. He made the U.S. Olympic Swim Team again in 1956 and won a silver…

WORLD CHAMPION – GOLF Dean Wilson Born on O’ahu and raised in Kaneohe, Dean Wilson was a “late-comer” to golf taking up the sport about age 12 when he asked his mother to take him to a golf course. He immediately fell in love with the game and set a goal to become a professional…

PIONEER – PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL Jeris Jerome White Jeris White, in his senior year at the University of Hawai’i, made the 1973 All American 1st Team as a defensive back. That same year he was named to the Sporting News 1st Team and the Times Magazine 1st Team. He also played in the 1973 Senior Bowl.…

PIONEER – FOOTBALL “Squirming” Herman Wedemeyer In 1945, “Squirming” Herman Wedemeyer, a graduate of St. Louis High School, was Hawai’i’s first consensus All-American football player. The backfield included the U.S. Army’s Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis, and Bob Fenimore of Oklahoma A&M, now known as Oklahoma State. In 1945 he finished fourth in the Heisman…

PIONEER – BASEBALL Henry Tadashi “Bozo” Wakabayashi Henry Tadashi “Bozo” Wakabayashi was born in Wahiawa, O’ahu and graduated from McKinley High School in 1927. He first gained fame in Japan pitching Hosei University to two championships in the Tokyo Big Six University League Baseball Championships from 1934 – 1935. Following graduation, he joined the Hanshin…

WORLD CHAMPION – BOXING Ben Villaflor Ben Villaflor came to Hawai’i in 1970 to find fame and fortune in the boxing ring. In April 1972, Villaflor won the WBA Junior Lightweight Championship (130 lbs.) against Alfredo Marcano by outscoring him in 15 rounds at the Honolulu International Arena. At the age of 19, he was…

WORLD CHAMPION – BASEBALL Shane “The Flyin’ Hawaiian” Victorino Born and raised on Maui, Shane Victorino was a very active child, and sports served as a way to channel his energy. Shane played Little League from the time he was five, right through high school. At St. Anthony High School, Shane also excelled in track…

PIONEER – VOLLEYBALL Pedro “Pete” Velasco, Jr. Pedro “Pete” Velasco, Jr. is a graduate of Kamehameha Schools and a resident of Papakolea. From very humble beginnings, Velasco, a gifted athlete, trained hard to make a name for himself as a teacher, coach and player. In 1964, he not only made the U.S. Olympic Volleyball Team,…