They said goodbye to Mr. Aloha yesterday.

If he'd been there, legendary football coach Eddie Hamada might have shaken his head a bit, taken aback by all the individual attention. He also might been equally happy, too, with the hundreds of family, friends, former coaches and players who celebrated his life.

“;He would've been overwhelmed,”; said his wife, Cynthia, during the mid-day memorial service. “;Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”;

Hamada, a 1946 'Iolani graduate, died on Jan. 3 at 81, but his legacy lives on. The service at 'Iolani School drew memories and sentiments that echoed the same mantra that began more than a half-century ago: One Team.

“;He treated everybody the same. He had the ability to remember everyone—starters, subs—if you went to 'Iolani, he remembered your name,”; said Glenn Flores, who was a co-captain and linebacker on Hamada's first championship team in 1968.

  Legendary coach, AD from 'Iolani remembered

 

Hundreds gathered at 'iolani School to remember the life of Eddie Hamada.

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“;He never spoke as someone with higher authority. He spoke as a friend and always made you feel comfortable. We called him Coach Hamada out of respect. We gave him that respect,”; Flores said.

As gentle as he was away the field, Hamada was a stickler for principle on it. Bus rides back to campus after games at Honolulu Stadium were quiet regardless of victory or defeat. Even then, the notion of unity was in play.

“;If you got juice or a lei after a game, he'd rip that thing off,”; Flores recalled, noting that Hamada was sensitive to players who didn't receive such luxuries. “;He was consistent.”;

As an all-boys school known as the Red Raiders back then, 'Iolani won another title in '72 and played Waianae—coached by 'Iolani graduate Larry Ginoza—to a 7-all tie in the 1980 Prep Bowl. One constant was the T-formation “;Boom Series”; as an offensive cornerstone. Defensively, Hamada's right-hand man was coach Larry Cundiff.

“;He would be happy to celebrate the 'Iolani ohana coming together, but he would also be so embarrassed. I never met anyone as humble as Eddie,”; said Cundiff, who was Hamada's defensive coordinator for 13 seasons.

“;All the years I coached with Eddie, I never saw a stubborn streak. He was always willing to listen. I'd come in Monday with what I think we should do for the next game, and he'd ask how would you handle this or that, then he'd let you go run what you had. He didn't tell everybody what to do,”; Cundiff said.

Current football coach Wendell Look played for Hamada and credits him for the Raiders' consistency and success—three Division II state crowns in the past four seasons.

“;You see so many people he's touched. He was about coming back and giving back. He always talked about giving back to the people you love,”; said Look, a former defensive end. “;They talk about the gentler person he was, but on the field, he was a tough son of a gun. It was about discipline and conditioning. We were going to be the best-conditioned team and best-disciplined team in the league.

“;Everything we do now is directly related to what he taught us and what he taught me. There's no way I could fill his shoes. I can't even get my big toe in there. We all want to perpetuate what he mentored to us.”;

Current co-athletic director Eddie Maruyama was a basketball coach and AD in the OIA for years. He knew Hamada long before coming to 'Iolani.

“;He was Mr. Aloha,”; Maruyama said.

If Hamada imparted trust among his staff, he also brought encouragement to the campus, where he was also an athletic director.

“;I remember my first year,”; former defensive end Donny Mateaki said. “;I was in eighth grade at a new school, a new culture and not a lot of friends.”;

He had just transferred from Dole Intermediate School.

“;All the time, I would slouch. Mr. Hamada said, 'Get your shoulders up. Get your chest out. Be proud of yourself.' It was a big help. It helped me to open up to people,”; Mateaki remembered. “;Even when I was away (at the University of Washington), he'd always encourage me when I came back.”;

Mufi Hannemann played basketball and football at 'Iolani, and he was a 22-year-old Harvard graduate when Hamada was looking for a new basketball coach. Hannemann, who had only junior-varsity coaching experience, was hired and stayed on for three years.

“;I also taught at the school and he was the same among faculty: jovial, warm, friendly,”; said Hannemann, who went on to become mayor of Honolulu.

Hamada's impact as a coach had its roots as a player for Father Kenneth Bray, spawning a generation of coaches throughout the state, including Ginoza. As an administrator, Hamada was part of the glue that kept private and public schools at the table during a time of separation.

The Interscholastic League of Honolulu split in 1970, with public schools departing to join rural schools to form the Oahu Interscholastic Association. Hamada, though, never cut ties.

“;It's true what they all say about him,”; said Jo Okumoto, Hamada's secretary for 20 years. “;I learned a lot from him. He was so fair. That's what made the ILH and OIA be friends. When he walks in a room, he'd talk to everybody.”;

Outgoing HHSAA executive director Keith Amemiya counted on Hamada even after the longtime AD retired in 1992.

“;Eddie was the boys basketball (state tournament) coordinator for almost 40 years,”; Amemiya said. “;He really taught me the importance of treating everyone with kindness and respect, from a coach to a student-athlete to a parent. Whether it was a CEO or custodian, he always greeted everyone with a smile and a kind word.

“;He was very fair.”;