The Eldredge coaching family tree, with Pop at center, and around him, from left, Dave, Boy, Duane and Pal. Photo by Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin

From 89-year-old David "Pop" Eldredge II to 31-year-old Duane, the five Eldredge men have touched generations of island ball players for more than 70 years. Their influence has been in various sports - football, basketball, swimming - but it is baseball where Pop, sons Dave and Pal, and grandsons Boy and Duane have made the most impact.

In recognition of their years of dediction to the sport, the Eldredges have been named Hawaii's Youth Baseball Family of the Year by USA Baseball. As one of 50 state winners, they are eligible for the national honor that will be given at the Olympic Games this July in Atlanta.

"I don't think you can look at the history of baseball in Hawaii without thinking of the Eldredges," said Hawaii-Hilo baseball coach Joey Estrella. "It's not just baseball but all sports. Their dedication is beyond coaching. It's also behind-the-scenes, the fund-raising, the administration."

Estrella and Coop DeRenne, a former University of Hawaii assistant baseball coach, were involved in the nomination process as USA Baseball delegates.

"They've contributed probably more to the sport than any other family in Hawaii," said DeRenne. "From youth league to high school to college, generations of players have felt their impact."

It all started in 1919 in Maui when David Pinkham Kaiana "Pop" Eldredge II began playing baseball at age 12 with the "big boys" in the plantation village.

"I would skip going to church because I wanted to play baseball," the longtime honorary Mayor of Manoa said. "I got lickings for that, that's why I made a good baseball player.

"My mother asked my father one time, 'Did you see the baseball game going on?' He said he did and that there was one little boy out there with all the big Hawaiians, a good player but too small. My mother told him, 'That's your boy.'"

Eldredge became athletic director for the Pioneer Mill Company in Lahaina, coaching various sports from 1926-1940. He started a youth baseball league nearly 20 years before the first Little League World Series (1947).

Pop Eldredge and his great grandson, Kiakahiki.

"My first baseball memory is of being a batboy for one of Pop's teams," said Dave Eldredge III, who has coached football, basketball and baseball at Punahou School for the past 40 years. "My foundest memory is of being a 9-year-old in an adult league game. They were short one man and Pop put me in right field. I got to face (legendary pitcher) Wally Yonamine and that was very exciting. I didn't get a hit but I didn't strike out, either."

Playing as an underage right fielder seemed to be a rite of passage for the Eldredges, who all eventually became catchers.

"My first baseball memory is of being a 4-year-old playing for my grandfather and the Manoa Rangers," said Duane. "He threw me out into right field during a game with 9-10 year-olds. We saw the stats years later and I was 0-for-3 but with (only) two strikeouts.

"I even had my own little bat that Pop made for me, a little blue bat. Back then, the smallest bats were 27 inches. This was something like 24."

"I remember going to practice at Manoa Park and Pop was taking care of all the teams," said Boy Eldredge, the former Hawaii Pacific baseball coach. "I was 5 when I started playing for him. I remember going to Cartwright field, playing on an older team, and being put into right field.

"This fly ball came right to me. I was comfortable, thought I had it, and it went over my head. Our second baseman had to run out and get the ball. When I came back to the bench, my father and grandfather were talking about how they would have fainted if I caught it."

Boy went on to coach the Hawaii Babe Ruth team to the 13-year-old World Series title in 1986 at age 25. Two years later, his 15-year-old Babe Ruth team won the national championship and, at 29, Boy took over the Hawaii Pacific University program.

"I've learned so much from my grandfather, father, uncle and brother," said Duane Eldredge, co-coach of the 1986 Babe Ruth champs and a former Hawaii Pacific assistant. "What I learned is that the game itself is not important, it's the people you're working with, what you're teaching and what you learn.

"It all started with my grandfather. Winning and losing wasn't a big deal. It's all about having fun and enjoying yourself."

"Pop instilled the love of sports in all of us," said Hastings "Pal" Eldredge, Punahou's baseball coach since 1974. "We're a sports family and my brother and two nephews were all three-sport guys at Punahou. I've just always loved baseball best.

"It's a real honor for the family to be selected. It all started with Pop."

The elder Eldredge retired from coaching about a dozen years ago, when poor circulation forced the amputation of both legs below the knees. He misses coaching but knows his love and knowledge is alive on baseball diamonds throughout the state.

From home plate at the Punahou School field yesterday, Pop Eldredge looked at the large monkeypod tree in deep center field.

"When I first started coming to this field, that tree was so small," he said. "Look at it now."

The same could be said for how Eldredge's dedication has branched out over the years through his family.