First Sunday
BY MARK COLEMAN
Edward "Eddie" H. Hamada is a modest man, but that doesn't mean others aren't willing to sing his praises. When he retired as Iolani School's athletic director in 1991, more than 1,400 people attended a dinner in his honor. Player after player from teams he had coached from 1961 to 1987 took to the podium to tell why Coach Hamada meant so much to them. Not only had he taught them about sports, he had conveyed values that would guide them throughout their lives.
Called "Mr. Iolani" by some, Hamada started at the 1,800-student private school in 1940 as a seventh-grader, when it was still in Nuuanu. He played center on the school's football team, which was coached at the time by Iolani legend Father Kenneth Bray, whom Hamada credits for his outlook on sports and life.
After high school, Hamada served in the Army, earned a teaching degree in Kansas, then returned to Iolani in 1953 to teach math and typing. Later he earned a master's degree in physical education and became a P.E. teacher. In 1961 he was named Iolani's head coach and soon after its athletic director. He led Iolani to three ILH football championships and oversaw the expansion of its sports department from one serving only boys to one that now includes girls. When he retired in 1991 the school, now on the Ala Wai, named its sports field after him.
AYUMI NAKANISHI / ANAKANISHI@STARBULLETIN.COM
Eddie Hamada officially retired in 1991 from Iolani School after almost 40 years as a teacher, coach and athletic director. But he's still a fixture on the sporting scene, organizing athletic tournaments.
These days Hamada keeps busy organizing the annual Father Bray Football Classic, helping coordinate the Iolani Basketball Prep Classic, and assisting with the school's annual golf tournament, which raises money for Iolani scholarships. He also helps select young athletes for the scholarship-awarding Nissan Hall of Fame, and for the past seven years has served on the board of the Aloha Stadium Authority, currently as its chairman.
When we met for our "First Sunday Conversation," Hamada was huddling with Iolani colleagues over details of a tribute dinner he was helping to organize for Hugh Yoshida, outgoing University of Hawaii athletic director and a 1958 Iolani grad. The well-attended event raised $100,000 for UH scholarships.
BACK TO TOP
|
COURTESY IOLANI SCHOOL
Eddie Hamada, third from right, claims he's a lousy golfer, but he loves the sport anyway and each spring helps out with the golf tournament Iolani School holds in his name to raise funds for student scholarships.
Retired but
still workingMark Coleman: When I called you to set this up, I was surprised you were still on the Iolani staff.
Eddie Hamada: I retired as athletic director in 1991, but I'm still here helping out. The school's been good to me, and I like working with the kids.
MC: I thought it was pretty cool that Iolani named its sports field after you.
EH: I get embarrassed about that because what got me here is all these guys around me: the coaches, players, teachers and others.
MC: How did you get involved with Iolani?
EH: My first year was in the seventh grade. My dad knew Iolani's business manager, Bing Fai Lau. I think Bing Fai used to go to town and buy his suits from my dad, who was a salesman at Liberty House and McInerny. He told my father about the school. My dad probably didn't even know it existed. So Bing Fai said, "Why don't you come out?" So I was really lucky to get in, and I've been here since.
Teamwork no ka oi
MC: Was it just in football that you were active as a coach?EH: I started out coaching baseball, then I was an assistant football coach. In '61 I became head football coach. Then in the early '60s I became athletic director.
MC: What's your favorite sport?
EH: Well, it has to be football. I enjoy it a lot because, like life, it relies a lot on sacrifice and teamwork. At this school we have a motto called "Iolani One Team." In other words, everybody's important. For example, in football you have a team of 50 members, and you only can play 11 at a time, but all 50 are important. Some people cater to the stars, but that is not right because if these guys in the tail end of the squad weren't there, you couldn't have a good, decent practice to prepare for the game.
MC: How does Iolani rank as a football power?
EH: In most years we end up somewhere in the middle. But the league (the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, consisting of Oahu's private schools) is so small.
MC: How many teams are there?
EH: Well, you have Iolani, St. Louis, Kamehameha, Punahou, Damien and Pac-Five, which is a combination of schools.
MC: Like Hawaii Baptist Academy?
EH: Yes. They're not big enough, so in football they field a team in combination with other schools, and in that way it's another avenue of education, which I think is great. Some people think education takes place only in the classroom, but it also takes place on the field, where you have got to sacrifice a lot. You have to sacrifice your hours after school, you've got to do things sometimes that you don't want to do. For example, you might be facing the meanest-looking guy on the line, but you gotta face him. You're not gonna say, "I'm going to take a time out." You gotta go take your lickings and do the best you can because the rest of the 11 guys are depending on you to do the job. This is why I'm so strong about the athletic side of education, because it gives you an extra dimension.
Golfing for balance
MC: What are your favorite hobbies?EH: I like to play golf. It keeps me in balance, but I'm not good, and the frustrating thing about that is I'm not going to get better. I'm almost in the three digits (laughter). With the handicap, you want to get lower. But I'm just going the opposite way.
MC: What is a reasonable handicap for you?
EH: About 21.
MC: So if you get a score of 100, they take off 21?
EH: Yes, then that should be down to about what the course par handicap is. But it's a great game because there are so many variables, and the minutest mistake here can make a big difference at the end.
MC: I'm a terrible golfer.
EH: Oh, it's tough. I've been golfing all my life, and I'm still lousy.
Personal heroes
MC: Do you have any people from Hawaii or the mainland that you've looked up to through the years?EH: Well, of course I've got to start off with Father Bray.
MC: Was he a player?
EH: No, see, that's the thing about Father Bray. He came from England. But he came over here and he liked the game of football and became a student of the game. I guess he really learned the fundamentals because when he came to us, the thing his teams would become known for is being fundamentally sound and well-conditioned. And, of course, you gotta put in attitude somewhere along the line, because as soon as he felt someone was getting too cocky or something like that, he would cut them down to size.
MC: What about other Hawaii coaches, like Cal Lee and Skippa Diaz. Do you hang out with them?
EH: Not really. I love those guys and we get along fine when we see each other at conferences and things like that, but most of the time I hang out with the guys who have coached here or are coaching at Iolani now.
MC: What about June Jones? Were you happy he came aboard at the UH?
EH: Well, yeah. His philosophy is great. They like to throw the ball and that's exciting football, and he's having a lot of success over there.
MC: He's more offense then defense?
EH: Yeah, he's basically offense. His philosophy is "Throw the ball!" And that's what makes football exciting. You throw the football. You spread your offense all over the field and let the defense try to cope with your set-up and you try to attack their weaknesses. It's a great playing philosophy. It's a great system.
MC: The Baltimore Ravens, who won Super Bowl 2000, were a great defensive team.
EH: That's the thing. When I talk about football, I still like to think of defense first, because if you stop them from scoring you're still in the game.
Coaching philosophy
MC: Did you take classes on how to be a coach?EH: I've taken classes in coaching philosophy and things like that, but I think most coaches use what they've learned to form their own philosophies.
MC: Do you believe in positive reinforcement?
EH: Definitely. In football, as in life, everybody should have a good experience. That's what education is about. If you have a positive experience, it promotes self-confidence and the desire to keep learning.
MC: Do you guys look at films of the opposing teams before games?
EH: Oh, I think everybody does that.
MC: Even in high school?
EH: Oh yeah. The only thing with high school is that if you really analyze the films, use them to the max, it takes a lot of time. These kids have to go to class, and, of course, I'm a believer that these kids should have time on their own, too.
The good old days
MC: Did you ever play any games at the old stadium on King Street?EH: Oh, I loved the old stadium. Just not long ago somebody said, "Oh, we should still have the old stadium." It could fit 25,000 people, so it could handle a lot. The funny thing is, they didn't have a real bona fide parking lot over there, and people never did complain about parking.
MC: Where did everybody park in those days?
EH: They went to their friend's house, parked on the road, maybe some caught the bus.
MC: What about the Civic Auditorium?
EH: Oh, I loved that, too. It was kind of more in tune to what we were like in those days.
MC: Did you ever go to any roller derby?
EH: I went to everything. You name it. If it was at the Civic, I was there.
The Stadium Authority
MC: You've been on the Aloha Stadium board since 1996. What does the board do?EH: We are just volunteers who work with the stadium staff to try and make sure that the stadium serves the recreational needs of Hawaii.
MC: Why do you do it if you don't get paid?
EH: The Aloha Stadium hosts a lot of high school activities, and I want to do everything I can to make sure that the price is right for those events.
MC: Is the stadium switching from the AstroTurf to Fieldturf because the NFL wanted it and the state Tourism Authority offered to help pay, or did you have figures that showed there are more injuries with one turf vs. the other?
EH: It's a combination of those things. I also talked to our coaches at Iolani about it because they have experienced the Fieldturf at St. Louis School and they like it.
MC: How does Fieldturf differ from AstroTurf?
EH: It's a little softer. You have a lot of traction in AstroTurf, and the more traction you have,the more explosive you can be. But by the same token, if you try to dig down and somebody hits you at the same time, something's gonna give.
MC: What about grass?
EH: Grass would not be the right thing for the stadium because of the number of activities there. Plus, if it rains, oh my goodness, it would be disaster.
MC: What about the future of the stadium? I've been hearing they want to build a new one.
EH: (UH President Evan) Dobelle thinks that they want to build a new stadium, but I don't know. We're having a problem with rust and the parking surface, but I think what we have there right now is nice. The Aloha Stadium is in a location where people from the city can go without any problem. It's also spacious.
MC: What's the solution?
EH: Well, I would think we need to generate some money so we can take care of what is there.
MC: How would you assess your time on the stadium board?
EH: Well, things like this turf debate really disturb me because we are all working for the same thing, but then we start thinking about injuries and things like that, and then money comes into the picture, and you have different factions with different goals and different reasons why. But I think I speak for the Stadium Authority when I say we just want the best that we can offer at the stadium. It takes money and different organizations working together to achieve that goal, but I think that's why I feel good about my decisions, mine along with the Stadium Authority people. We come from different backgrounds, but all have a caring feeling, which to me is very important.
The future
MC: Do you think you will be at Iolani for a few more years?EH: Yes, I love working here.
MC: And after your term on the Stadium Authority expires, you'll just go back to being John Q. Citizen?
EH: Yeah, and kind of enjoy how other people do their things. That's the big thing in life: Everybody has different ways of doing it, depending on who they're working with. All I know is, I've been lucky. Even at the Stadium Authority, all the people I've been working with are really nice, and they make it easy to make decisions. I've been extremely lucky.
Mark Coleman's conversations with people who have had an impact on our community appear on the first Sunday of every month. If you have a comment or suggestion, please send it to mcoleman@starbulletin.com.
