Waning attendance for a Sacramento-based franchise is what brought the Hawai'i Islanders here in 1961. Ironically, poor attendance here would lead to their demise after the 1987 season.
Hawai'i's longest-reigning professional sports franchise, the Islanders, a Triple-A baseball club in the Pacific Coast League, enjoyed its finest season in 1970, when the team won the Southern Division championship. The Islanders lost the overall title to Northern Division champion Spokane, which was managed by Tommy Lasorda and starred Bobby Valentine.
The 1970 Islanders drew a minor-league best 467,217 at Honolulu Stadium. The club would feature future big-leaguers, such as second baseman Doug Griffin and pitcher Tom Bradley, as well as future major-league manager Chuck Tanner. The most popular player was infielder/outfielder Winston Llenas.
The Islanders won PCL titles in 1975 and 1976, other division crowns in 1977, 1979, 1980 and 1984.
Through the years, the Islanders had their share of future stars and favorites.
Bo Belinsky pitched a no-hitter at the old stadium and later duplicated that feat in the majors. Carlos Bernier was the first fan favorite. Later, Tony Gwynn and Barry Bonds patrolled the outfield of Aloha Stadium, where the Islanders moved in 1976.
Meanwhile, the Islanders' old fan base in Mo'ili'ili was pulled to nearby University of Hawai'i, which had its own legend in the flame-throwing left-hander Derek Tatsuno.
Attendance began to dwindle for the Islanders. The franchise, which went through several ownership changes through the years, moved to Colorado Springs, Colo., after the 1987 season.
