Eddie Hamada Legacy Project

Edward K. Hamada '46

‘Iolani School will be indebted to Eddie Hamada ’46 forever. His role in perpetuating the “One Team” spirit provides the omnipresent underpinnings of the school’s culture.

A humble man, who garnered respect and admiration from everyone he met, Mr. Hamada was known to most as a longtime coach and athletic director. His monumental influence, however, extended beyond athletics into the entirety of the school, and even into the local community.

As an ‘Iolani student, he played football for legendary coach Fr. Kenneth A. Bray, who espoused teamwork, humility, discipline, caring, gratitude, respect and sportsmanship. Mr. Hamada devoted his life to continuing those ideals within his roles as coach, teacher, administrator and friend.

His coaching record includes championship teams, but they have less to do with his legacy than the inimitable way he interacted with others and made them feel.

“He was a friend to all people,” said The Rev. David P. Coon, who served as Headmaster during most of Mr. Hamada’s years of service to ‘Iolani. “He believed in the good that was in them, which people sensed and reacted accordingly.”

Edward Kiyoshi Hamada was born on Jan. 27, 1928. He grew up in the Punchbowl area and went to Ka‘ahumanu Elementary School before entering ‘Iolani School as a seventh grader in 1940. During his senior year, he was a 5-foot-7, 145-pound all-star center for Fr. Bray’s first varsity football team after World War II.

After graduating from ‘Iolani in 1946, Mr. Hamada served in the U.S. Army before attending the College of Emporia (Emporia, Kan.), Lehigh University (Bethlehem, Penn.) and Kansas State Teachers College (Emporia, Kan.), where he earned bachelors and masters degrees in education. Mr. Hamada also was a standout two-way football player for Kansas State Teachers College, which is now known as Emporia State University, and was inducted into the Hornets Hall of Honor in 1985.

Mr. Hamada returned to ‘Iolani School in 1953, as an algebra teacher and assistant football coach.

In 1960, he took over as head coach of the varsity football team and added the duties of athletic director three years later. In 28 seasons (1960-68, 1971-89), Mr. Hamada led the Red Raiders to ILH championships in 1968, 1972 and 1980. The 1980 squad also played in the eighth Prep Bowl (regarded as the state championship game, prior to the establishment of the HHSAA state tournament), tying undefeated OIA champion Wai‘anae, 7-7, before a crowd of 31,484 at Aloha Stadium.

He retired from coaching in 1988, and as athletic director in 1991. Begrudgingly, Mr. Hamada accepted the school’s desire to dedicate its athletic fields and running track to him and rename them in his honor on Sept. 27, 1991. Receiving individual recognition made him uncomfortable and was never his goal.

Even in retirement, he continued to play an active and integral role at ‘Iolani School and in the local prep sports community.

“Mr. Hamada cared about people so much,” said Mrs. Jo Okumoto, his longtime secretary. “No matter how busy he was, if you needed something, he was always there for you.”

Mr. Hamada died on Jan. 3, 2010, at the age of 81, but his legacy will live on forever.

Continuing the legacy of Fr. Bray

The tree is known by its fruit. (Matthew 12:33)

A year after leading ‘Iolani to its first ILH football championship in 1939, Fr. Kenneth A. Bray, an Episcopal priest from Lancashire, England, met a seventh grader named Edward Hamada, new to ‘Iolani School’s campus in Nu‘uanu.

As young Edward grew, so did his bond with Fr. Bray, but it would have been impossible to imagine the lasting legacy that they would bestow upon ‘Iolani.

As a senior in the fall of 1945, Edward was a 5-foot-7, 145-pound all-star center for Fr. Bray’s first varsity team after World War II. He learned a great deal about football, but much more about life.

Fr. Bray demanded that his boys “play as one team” and be steadfast in terms of unity, teamwork, character and sportsmanship. Mr. Hamada never forgot that his mentor believed that “the key to success was all members of the team blending together for harmony toward a common goal.”

“His teachings were so unique,” Mr. Hamada said of Fr. Bray. “The values that he taught not only influenced the students, but also impacted the community. One of his most important things was, you treat everybody the same, whether you are on the last team or the first team, or an all-star or whatever. When you are on a team, you are important. He made everybody feel very important. That’s why we stuck by him all the way.”

The Rev. David P. Coon, who served as Headmaster during most of Mr. Hamada’s years of service to ‘Iolani said: “No one will ever forget Father Bray and no one will ever forget Ed Hamada. Both had special talents and gifts from which thousands of students attending ‘Iolani School benefitted. Both have cast their image permanently and prominently over the history of this school.”

Humble to a fault, Mr. Hamada pushed back on being mentioned in the same breath as his mentor. “I don’t know why people would even think about comparing Fr. Bray and myself,” he said. “I don’t even belong on the same field. You’re talking about a great man. I just happened to be there.”

At his retirement celebration attended by 1,400 people, Mr. Hamada spoke of his days on the Nu‘uanu campus: “Those were sweet, innocent and certainly maturing years. Much of how I think was shaped in those few short years dominated by powerful influences. That’s because school was a struggle for me. And without the help of some people, I wouldn’t have made it.”

Not alone in continuing Fr. Bray’s teachings, Mr. Hamada was joined in the coaching ranks by other local sports luminaries, who learned “One Team” values while attending ‘Iolani School, including Masa Yonamine ’47, Merv Lopes ’51, Larry Ginoza ’54 and Hugh Yoshida ’58.

Coach Hamada's Immortality and the Value of One Team

‘Iolani School Bulletin -- Volume LXI - Number 2 - 2021

Edward K. Hamada ’46 was seemingly known to all. But, that wasn’t because he promoted himself. His focus was always on others, everyone from friends he knew for decades to those he just met.

Humble to a fault and determined to avoid the spotlight, the ‘Iolani icon would be absolutely livid upon hearing about the Eddie Hamada Legacy Project.

Most of all, he would protest the commissioning of a life-size statue of himself. With the same expression that his football players saw when a play went awry, he’d wince and shake his head at the very thought of it being installed on the campus of his beloved ‘Iolani School.

It would be entirely unthinkable to him. But alas, it is happening.

Rest assured, however, his closest colleagues and longtime friends are certain he would have eventually come around and given his blessing. Begrudgingly, he’d acquiesce because of the rationale.

While the bronze sculpture being crafted by acclaimed local artist Holly Young will feature an integral individual, it’ll stand even more so that future generations experience the “One Team” ethos and energy that was so important to him.

“Mr. Hamada would hate that there's a statue being made of him,” said Dr. Mark Mugiishi ’77, chair of the ‘Iolani School Board of Governors and a seven-time boys basketball state championship coach. “But, you know what? Ultimately, he would be okay with it. Because he would know that it forever memorializes what he stood for: the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one. ‘One Team.’”

‘Iolani actually had been through this before with Mr. Hamada, engaging in tough negotiations about having his name attached to a golf tournament and having playing fields named in his honor. He put up a fight each time, but eventually gave in, seeing the bigger picture.

Whether you knew him as a coach, athletic director, teacher, mentor or friend, Mr. Hamada was the living embodiment of “One Team,” a set of beliefs instilled in him by the legendary Fr. Kenneth A. Bray, who was his football coach during his ‘Iolani schooldays on the humble Nu‘uanu campus.

“When Father Bray taught his students and players what ‘One Team’ meant, they were fortunate to see it in action,” said Sarie (Okimoto) Uechi ’86, who was one of ‘Iolani’s first standout female athletes after the school went coed in 1979. “By the time I had the good fortune to attend ‘Iolani, Father Bray was a legend and I saw ‘One Team’ in action through Mr. Hamada. His words and behavior made ‘One Team’ relevant to me. Now, it is our job to make sure that our words and behavior continue to show ‘One Team’ in action for this generation.”

Today, the words “One Team” are omnipresent at ‘Iolani, on display in classrooms, on t-shirts, everywhere you look, not just within the athletic facilities. Eddie Hamada surely would be taken aback at how widespread the “One Team” ethos is on campus. Father Bray likely would be downright astonished.

Although universally valued, “One Team” means something slightly different to everybody, but the feeling is the same. Dr. Mugiishi sums up his flavor of “One Team” in just nine words: “Team over self, action over talk, results over credit.”

The statue is the current focal point of the Eddie Hamada Legacy Project, which is driven to maintain and strengthen the “One Team” ethos, while also educating current and future generations about the man who spearheaded its tenets, making a monumental impact on the ‘Iolani community and beyond.

“It’s important that we share his story so future generations know who helped to develop our ‘One Team’ philosophy and culture of caring for others,” said Chris Shimabukuro ‘85, who leads the project’s committee. “In addition, Coach Hamada would be happy to know that funds raised to support this project also will provide financial assistance to students in need, via the Eddie Hamada Scholarship Endowment.”

Mr. Hamada passed away on Jan. 3, 2010, at the age of 81. Even though he has been gone for more than 11 years, it doesn’t take long for newcomers to ‘Iolani School to hear his name and feel a heavy sense of reverence as it is spoken. One would not blame them for assuming that countless victories and piles of championship trophies are the reason. The reality, however, is quite the opposite.

Not discounting three ILH football championships and a co-Prep Bowl title in 1980, victory celebrations were never ingrained in the Hamada story. Teamwork and how you played was a primary concern. Although, how you behaved before, during and after a game was perhaps more tantamount.

“He pulled me out of a game one time,” Dr. Calvin Oishi ’79 said. “A guy cheap-shotted me and I got him back. Nothing got past Mr. Hamada. He instantly pulled me out and said: ‘You know what you did. Sit down.’ Winning was important to him, but he always preached character to us. You had to play the right way, with humility and character.”

Holly Young, the talented sculptor tasked with bringing Mr. Hamada’s unique spirit to life, is the perfect person for the job.

“Holly was already working on several other projects, but when she heard about who Mr. Hamada was and what he means to so many of us and to our school, she said this was a project that really resonated with her,” Shimabukuro said. “From the very beginning, she not only wanted to see pictures and hear descriptions about Mr. Hamada, but she wanted to listen to the stories of how Coach cared for people and all the things that he did that made a difference in people’s lives.”

Originally a chemist educated at Dartmouth College, St. John's College, and Cornell University, she later followed her heart and entered the world of sculpture, working her way up from an entry-level job at a bronze foundry. Artistic energy overwhelmed scientific energy.

Now a highly sought-after artist, Young’s universally appealing sculptures are found in public and private collections around the world, including a few close to the ‘Iolani campus.

Her 6-foot-6 bronze statue of Queen Kapi‘olani near the Waikiki Bandstand at Queen Kapi’olani Regional Park is a majestic masterpiece.

At nearby Kūhiō Beach, her two-piece cast patinated bronze and stone sculpture “Makua and Kila” playfully depicts a boy surfing alongside a monk seal, based on the children's story "Makua Lives at the Beach" by Fred Van Dyke, which honors Hawaiian values rooted in love and respect for ‘ohana and the ocean.

One of her more recent works is an engaging statue of women’s rights champion Patsy T. Mink at the Hawai‘i State Public Library. Mink served 12 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and in 1972 co-authored Title IX, which protects people from sex-based discrimination in education programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance.

“Holly has a special gift,” Shimabukuro said. “Her previous work is incredible and she has created a magical sculpture of our beloved Mr. Hamada. When I look at it, I can feel his love and caring.”

Young, who spent time with friends and colleagues of Mr. Hamada to better understand what made uniquely influential, describes her work as something more than plainly constructing a stunning replica.

“My job is to embody the energy,” Young said. “I let it happen on its own. I channel energy from the person and their life. The energy gets translated into the work. Then, the work goes out and others will feel the energy. I’m just the midwife. The whole process passes through me.”

She also has a comforting message to those who remain unsure.

“When I became involved in the project, everyone was letting me know that he wouldn’t want this and that he was so humble,” said Young, who herself has built a deep connection with her subject. “I think, at this point, Coach is happy. He understands that it’s no longer about himself. It’s about the energy field of oneness. ‘One Team.’”
 

Eddie Hamada Legacy Project Committee:
Larry Cundiff, Sr. ’55
James Kawashima ’60
Dale Lee ’66
Ianeta Lei ’02
Wendell Look ’78
Harry Oda ’77
Calvin Oishi ’79
Joelle Miyashiro ’96
Shayna Nakama ’99
David Roberts
Chris Shimabukuro ’85, Chair
Brian Sunada ’66
John Tamanaha ’87
Evan Tottori ’87
Sarie (Okimoto) Uechi ’86
Hugh Yoshida ’58

Established in 1991, the Edward K. Hamada Scholarship Endowment provides financial assistance to ‘Iolani School students in need. Funds raised in the name of the Eddie Hamada Legacy Project also supported the Edward K. Hamada Scholarship Endowment.

For more information about the Edward K. Hamada Scholarship Endowment, please contact Chris Shimabukuro at chriss@iolani.org.