Hawaii Hall of Fame
names 3 new members

Shoji, Musashimaru and Sullivan
are the latest to be honored

The most successful coach in women's college volleyball.

The most successful foreign wrestler in sumo history.

"Mr. Hawaii Soccer" for 30 years.

Dave Shoji, Fiamalu Penitani (Musashimaru) and Jack Sullivan can add one more honor to their respective rŽsumŽs: members of the Class of 2005 for the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame.

The three were unanimous choices yesterday by the hall's selection committee. They will join the ranks of nearly 100 of Hawaii's top sportsmen and sportswomen, a list that includes surfing legend/Olympic swimmer Duke Kahanamoku, golfing great Jackie Pung and retired University of Hawaii baseball coach Les Murakami.

The three will be inducted at a banquet Feb. 15 at the Honolulu Country Club. They will bring the number of Hall members to 97.

» Shoji was voted in as a "Pioneer," having coached the Rainbow Wahine for 30 years. He has the highest winning percentage of any active head volleyball coach (.853) with a record of 870-150-1.

Shoji led UH to four national titles and 30 consecutive winning seasons. He is an eight-time region coach of the year and, in 2002, was given USA Volleyball's All-Time Great Coach Award.

» Penitani, known as Musashimaru before his retirement this year, is the third yokozuna selected to the Hall. He joins Saleva'a Atisanoe (Konishiki) and Chad Rowan (Akebono) as Hawaii-raised sumotori and, with the rules limiting participation by foreigners, likely will be the last.

Penitani rose steadily through the sumo ranks, winning his first tournament as a jonokuchi in 1989. He was promoted to the sport's highest rank after the third tournament of 1999, becoming the 67th yokozuna in sumo history.

Penitani won 12 Emperor's Cups, sixth-best on the all-time list. He retired on Oct. 2 in a ceremony at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan.

» Sullivan, also a Pioneer inductee, helped organize the American Youth Soccer Organization in 1974. The sport has grown from 225 players to more than 27,000 locally.

He continues to promote the sport and was a key supporter of the movement to build the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex.

Tickets for the banquet will be available next month. The function begins with cocktails at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner at 6 p.m.

More information is available at www.alohafame.org.