Keiter retiring as spokesman for Aloha Stadium

By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer

Les Keiter will retire as Aloha Stadium spokesman to pursue the career that made him a legend.

Keiter, 83, will revive his program, "The General Remembers," on KCCN 1420 AM in September. The hour-long program, scheduled to air 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, will feature a national and local sports figure each week.

The show first aired last fall for 12 weeks. Guests included Willie Mays, Joe Torre, Al Michaels and John Wooden.

Because KCCN is contracted to broadcast University of Hawai'i sports live, Keiter's show was preempted. He decided to shelve the project until September.

"I'm back doing what I did for 55 years," Keiter said yesterday. "I'm really going back to my own career."

A founding member of the Honolulu Quarterback Club, Keiter will continue to emcee the weekly meetings and luncheons. He will also remain as a consultant for the stadium, he said.

"The stadium people have been so supportive, and the friendships have been wonderful," Keiter said. "I'm leaving a legacy here."

Keiter joined the Stadium Authority in 1993 after a storied career in sports broadcasting. He is remembered for announcing heavyweight championship fights, including four with Muhammad Ali, between 1956 and 1985. Prior to that he was a sportscaster for the New York Giants and New York Knicks. His book, "Fifty Years Behind the Microphone," was placed in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Keiter is best known in Hawai'i as the voice of the Hawaii Islanders and longtime KHON sports anchor.

"Les Keiter is a national treasure, and it has been a wonderful experience working with him," Eddie Hayashi, Aloha Stadium manager, said in a press release.