Star-Bulletin
Randy Cadiente

Cadiente honored for
25 years at Star-Bulletin

By Bill Kwon
Star-Bulletin

Randy Cadiente first made the headlines as an all-star quarterback at Farrington High School. Now he's producing the headlines for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin's sports sections.

Cadiente, the Star-Bulletin's assistant sports editor, will be honored for 25 years of service with the afternoon newspaper tonight at the Hilton Hawaiian Village's Carol Ballroom. His brother, Mike, a pressman for the Hawaii Newspaper Agency, also is a member of the 25-Year-Club.

Cadiente first joined the Star-Bulletin in 1972 as a copy boy, working mornings at that job and then nights as a part-timer in the sports department. He joined the sports staff full-time several years later.

Naturally, one of his first assignments as a sports writer was covering high school football and interviewing his former coach, Al Espinda, Jr.

"I didn't know the buggah could type," said Espinda, when told about Cadiente's 25-year service award. "But I'm not surprised that he has done well. He always knew what he wanted to do. He made his choices early and stuck with it. I'm glad for him."

Cadiente quarterbacked the Farrington Governors during the 1967 and 1968 seasons, winning Interscholastic League of Honolulu all-star honors his junior year when he led the league in passing.

"He did a lot of right things for me," Espinda said. "He was like a coach on the field. But he had to earn his way up the ranks because he had big shoes to fill."

Espinda was referring to Cadiente's older brother, Stan, who earned all-star honors after quarterbacking the Governors to their first ILH championship in 24 years in 1965.

Graduating in 1969, Cadiente, who also co-captained the Governors' basketball team in his senior year, was the school's male athlete of the year. He played football for Yakima Valley Junior College in Washington state before returning home.

Besides prep football, Cadiente also covered University of Hawaii football and basketball. In 1979, he followed the UH Wahine volleyball team when it captured its first national championship at Carbondale, Ill.

Cadiente was promoted to assistant sports editor in 1995.

"Randy's a valuable guy," sports editor Joe Edwards said. "You can tell he was an athlete, 'cuz he's never afraid to stick his nose in there and get the job done."