Stephen Tsai: Solving some of the University of Hawaii's mysteries
May 17—We don't know what happened to those "Grey's Anatomy " characters who are here one episode and gone—STAT !—after that.
We don't know what happened to plans to open a Krispy Kreme on Oahu or Topgolf anywhere in the state.
And we no longer keep the lights on for the Pro Bowl's return.
But we think we've figured out the answers to three disappearing acts.—Wall of Fame Last month, three former University of Hawaii baseball members whose jersey numbers were retired were celebrated with the unveiling of commemorative murals on the outfield wall at Les Murakami Stadium. It was a fitting tribute to Les Murakami, Derek Tatsuno, Kolten Wong and ... wait, where's Randy Oyama's mural ?
As it turned out, Oyama's No. 40 was never retired. Oyama, a first baseman /catcher who once held the NCAA record for putouts (2, 070 in 270 games ), was presented with a bronze glove that is displayed in the Rainbows' trophy case.
Hui Kokua Kinipopo, which served as the baseball program's booster club through 2002, had constructed a wall of fame at what was then known as Rainbow Stadium. Oyama's No. 40 was on an outfield sign that also included numbers for Tatsuno, Gerald Ako, Joey Estrella, Curt Watanabe, Chuck Crim and Ricki Bass. When the stadium underwent renovations, the board with the honorees' numbers was taken down. Murakami Stadium manager Glenn Nakaya keeps the remaining parts of the board in a storage unit.—Big Bag Theory During an illustrious coaching career—including stints as head coach of the Houston Oilers and Atlanta Falcons—Jerry Glanville was known for leaving tickets for Elvis, defenses that traumatized quarterbacks, and the so-called big bag.
The 250-pound bag is essentially a tackling dummy used during practices. "People don't realize it's all about the big bag, " said Glanville, who served as the UH football team's defensive coordinator in 2005 and 2006. "No big bag is like no heart."
Glanville ordered two big bags when he joined the Warriors in 2005.
"When I take a job like Canada or take a job like Portland State, I put it into the contract they will buy two big bags and ship to our location, " Glanville said. "I don't coach without it."
Glanville said he began employing the bags for tackling drills in 1977. He said the supplier is a company in Alabama that sells each bag at a cost of about $2, 000.
"The problem with Hawaii, " Glanville said, "the shipping cost was more than the production."
Glanville is set to become head coach of Major League Football's Texas-based franchise. The league's inaugural season is planned for this summer. Glanville said his practices will have a new big bag.
He said he never takes a big bag to his next job. UH's big bags were stored in the equipment shed after Glanville departed. A UH spokesman said the bags then were donated to a local high school.—Banner Daze In May 2002, UH defeated Pepperdine in the championship match of the NCAA men's volleyball tournament. A year later, the title was vacated because the Warriors' best player, outside hitter Costas Theocharidis, was ruled to have played on a team that included some professionals. It did not matter that Theochardis did not receive any payments, nor that it occurred ahead of his NCAA career, nor that UH officials were secure enough in his amateur status that the European volleyball club was listed in Theocharidis' bio in the 2002 media guide.
The thing about history is it is hard to erase. Theocharidis is still recognized as a four-time All-American. The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation has maintained Theocharidis' statistics. And Pepperdine, which did not launch the investigation, has never objected to UH keeping the title. Any doubt UH won that night can be found in archived pictures and stories about Theocharidis, Eyal Zimet, Tony Ching. Dejan Miladinovic, Vernon Podlewski and Vili the Warrior's chee-hoo-ing performance. (There appears to be no proof of head coach and former Marine Mike Wilton's celebratory dance.)
After the NCAA order, the 2002 championship banner was removed from the rafters at Stan Sheriff Center, never to be publicly viewed again.
Rich Sheriff, the arena's manager, has kept the banner in an office drawer the past two decades.
"I thought there may be an outside possibility, " Sheriff said of the NCAA restoring the title. "It didn't make sense to destroy it until (the ruling ) is final-final."
The 2002 banner came in handy after the Warriors won the title last year, the first of back-to-back championships.
"It's a good thing we kept it because we used it to model the new men's one, " Sheriff said. "That way they could physically take it, and look at it, and size it. It ended up being useful in the end."
