Botelho named director of ILH

By Dennis Anderson
Advertiser Staff Writer

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Botelho file Graduate of Roosevelt High 1950; University of Hawai'i 1958 Athletic administration A.D. at Mid-Pacific Institute, 1974-2002 A.D. at Damien, 1967-74 A.D., Pac-Five, 1974-97 State football coordinator, 1989-present Head football coach Damien, 1965-73 Pac-Five, 1974-yesterday Major honors University of Hawai'i Circle of Honor (athletics hall of fame), inducted 2000 State football Coach of the Year, 1982, '85 National Federation Citation for outstanding contributions to high school athletics, 2000

Botelho, 71, replaces Clay Benham, who died last April. Benham had been the ILH executive secretary since it was separated from the public schools of the O'ahu Interscholastic Association in 1970.

"I've got big shoes to fill, but I'm pleased to be following a legend in Clay Benham," Botelho said. "I have the greatest respect for the job that Clay did. He was the ILH."

Botelho said he would resign as head football coach of Pac-Five, the conglomeration of small private schools that he has coached for the past 29 years.

He retired last year after 28 years as athletic director at Mid-Pacific Institute but remained as Pac-Five football coach.

"I think my greatest strength is my experience as an athletic administrator in this league," Botelho said. "I've been associated with the ILH for more than 30 years. I know where we've been, so I have a pretty good idea of where we need to go."

The ILH sponsors 21 sports, most of them with leagues in both genders and schedules in intermediate through varsity levels.

This school year's ILH schedules list 686 teams in all divisions of all sports, serving students in grades 7-12.

ILH teams have won 67 percent of state championships sponsored by the Hawai'i High School Athletic Association in the past 20 years. The ILH has won 291.5 titles to 84 by the public-school O'ahu Interscholastic Association and 59.5 by the three Neighbor Island leagues.

Botelho's appointment was announced by Kamehameha Schools principal Tony Ramos, president of the ILH, after the league's principals unanimously endorsed the recommendation of a search committee headed by Punahou Academy principal Kevin Conway at their monthly meeting. He starts June 1.

"Don was far and away the best candidate for this job," Conway said. "He's knowledgeable, realistic and forward thinking."

Changing the title from executive secretary to executive director was simply a matter of "calling it what it is," Ramos said. The "secretary" title was outdated, he said, and did not describe the responsibilities. "It's a more complex job than people thought it was," Ramos said.

"The real challenge of the job is working with 25 independent schools, each with its own mission. It is not a single school system," Ramos said.

Botelho was one of four men who had served together as interim executives of the league since Benham's death. The other three were athletic directors Jim Bukes of University, and Blane Gaison of Kamehameha, and John Hom of Pac-Five. There were 55 applicants for the permanent position.

The other interim directors all enthusiastically supported Botelho for the job.

"I am very pleased that the ILH principals have chosen Don to steer the ship," Bukes said. "I have grown to admire Don even more since the ILH-4 has worked together to helped run the league this past year."

Ramos said, "He's the right guy at this time. We need to review and update our bylaws and he has a lot of institutional history."

One of the seven members of the search committee said Botelho was strongly backed by the directors of the state's other four leagues and by Keith Amemiya, executive director of the Hawai'i High School Athletic Association.