Posted on: Tuesday, December 16, 2003

Ishii leads Hawai'i Hall of Fame's class of 2004

Advertiser Staff

David Ishii, the last Hawai'i native to win a regular PGA Tour event, joins John DeSoto Jr., Robby Naish and Sharon Peterson in the Hawai'i Sports Hall of Fame class for 2004.

The four will be formally inducted at a banquet Feb. 17 at 6 p.m. at the Honolulu Country Club.

Ishii won the 1990 Hawaiian Open in a professional career that has reaped more than $8 million in earnings.

A former Hawai'i state high school champion (1973) and member of the University of Houston's 1977 NCAA national championship team, Ishii's resume also includes six Hawai'i Pearl Open titles, a dozen Japan PGA wins, two Mid Pacific Open championships and five JAL Rainbow Open titles.

Before a career in politics, which included four terms on the Honolulu City Council, DeSoto was the Hawai'i State Motorcycle Champion (1965-67) and a two-time national motocross champion (1971-72). He was the first American to represent the United States on the World 250cc Motocross Grand Prix Circuit in Europe.

DeSoto was a world record holder in the 24-Hour Enduro Race's 40-and-older class and was inducted into the American Motorcyclist Association Hall of Fame as a pioneer in 1999.

Naish took up windsurfing in 1974 at the age of 11 and quickly made a name for himself in the sport, winning the first of 24 world titles two years later. He won six overall world crowns in a sport he helped expand internationally.

In 1999, CNN/SI named Naish one of the 50 greatest sports figures from Hawai'i.

Peterson made a name for herself in international volleyball as a member of the first two U.S. Olympic women's teams (1964 and 1968) before helping develop the game in Hawai'i, where she coached the University of Hawai'i-Hilo to seven national championships.

Peterson helped the United States to a gold medal in the 1967 Pan American Games and was a five-time U.S. Volleyball Association All-American. She played three years of professional volleyball.

She was named to the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1988.

Their induction will bring to nearly 100 the number of athletes, pioneers and contributors honored since the hall was started in 1997.

Nominations for the next round of selections may be made by writing to: Hawai'i Sports Hall of Fame, P.O. Box 30666, Honolulu, HI 96820-0666. Further information is available at www.alohafame.org.