Richardson, Tanimoto into UH Circle of Honor
Advertiser Staff
Every day at work, University of Hawai'i-Manoa athletic trainer Melody Toth said she begins her day thinking about, "What 'Doc' would do to make this place perfect."
More than four months after his death, Allen Richardson, UH's former orthopedic consultant and team physician remains an influential and inspirational figure at the school.
Tonight he and Larry Tanimoto, two volunteers who have each given of themselves for a quarter-century, will be inducted into the UH Circle of Honor during ceremonies at halftime of the Hawai'i-Boise State men's basketball game.
Their plaques will join those of 63 other individuals and five teams ringing Stan Sheriff Center.
Richardson, an All-American swimmer at Yale, was a leading figure in sports medicine in the state until his death in September at age 56. He is credited with being the first surgeon in the state to perform an arthroscopic knee surgery.
"Whatever we needed, he was there for," Toth said.
In addition to working with the Rainbow Wahine volleyball team, where he was a fixture on the bench, Richardson was president of Orthopedic Services of Hawai'i and chairman-director of the Orthopedic Residency Training Program at the John A. Burns School of Medicine. He also served as sports medicine chair for the U.S. National Swimming team and chair of international drug testing programs.
Tanimoto earned the first golf scholarship awarded at UH and repaid his alma mater many times over. He represented UH in two NCAA Championship tournaments, and was twice team captain in the 1960s.
During his time as a teacher, golf pro, businessman, country official, Big Island mayor, state legislator and UH regent, Tanimoto also worked tirelessly on behalf of his enduring passion, UH football.
"He is the expert on UH football trivia," said Bob Wagner, former UH head coach (1987-95). "It could be embarrassing because he'd remember things we'd been involved in and forgotten."
"He is superfan," said Dick Tomey, a former head coach (1977-86). "He helped the school and the program in so many ways. He's been a real treasure for UH."
When Wagner and administrative assistant Ben Yee founded Na Koa, the football booster club in the 1980s, Tanimoto was one of its first directors, a position he still holds. Na Koa contributes more than $350,000 annually to the UH football program, according to officials.
Tanimoto secured sponsorships to bring the football team to the Big Island for spring games and for UH coaches to hold youth clinics there.
"Without Larry's help, we might not have found out about Kaulana Noa or offered him a scholarship," Wagner said. "Seeing him at one of the clinics Larry helped arrange was where we first found out how good he was."
Noa went from Honoka'a High to UH and became a fourth-round pick of the St. Louis Rams in the 2000 NFL draft.
"You just do what you think you have to do," Tanimoto said yesterday. "You never do it thinking you will get an award for it."
• • •
1982
- John A. Burns
- The Fabulous Five (Al Davis, Jerome Freeman, Dwight Holiday, Bob Nash, John Penebacker)
- May Gay
- Tommy Kaulukukui
- Otto "Proc" Klum
- Dr. Richard Mamiya
- Soichi Sakamoto
- Theodore "Pump" Searle
- 1924-25 Wonder Team
1983
- Leah Bennett Ferris
- Bill Wise
1984
- Harry "Clown" Kahuanui
- Dr. Seiji Naya
- Theodore "Ted" Nobriga
- Moses Ome
1985
- Charles "Chuck" Leahey
- Derek Tatsuno
- Henry "Hank" Vasconcellos
1986
- Beth McLachlin
- Harold "Hal" Kometani
- Ephraim "Red" Rocha
1987
- Eugene "Luke" Gill
- Anthony "Tony" Morse
- Dr. Charles Hemenway
- Dr. Herbert Hata
- Mackay Yanagisawa
1988
- Dr. Donnis Thompson
- Robert "Bobby" Kau
- Arthur Woolaway
1989
- James "Jimmy" Asato
- Deitre Collins
- Dave Holmes
1990
- Dr. Charles Araki
- 1979 Women's Volleyball Team
1991
- Dr. Alvin Saake
1992
- Nolle Smith
- Charles Ushijima
1993
- Stan Sheriff
1994
- Ivanelle Hoe
- Dr. Roy Kuboyama
- Jeris White
- Larry Price
1995
- Tom Henderson
- Maynard "Buster" Piltz
- Levi Stanley
1996
- Paul Durham
- 1980 Baseball Team
1997
- Judy Mosley
- Alexander C. Waterhouse
- 1982 & 1983 Women's Volleyball Teams
1998
- Gary Allen
- Herbert Minn
- Dr. Shunzo Sakamaki
- Tee Williams
1999
- Blane Gaison
- Fred Furukawa
- Willie Lee
- Les Keiter
- Gwen Loud
2000
- Don "Spud" Botelho
- Joyce Kapuaala Kaapuni
- Jesse Sapolu
2001
- Les Murakami
2002
- Jeanne Childs Siragusa
- Jason Elam
- George Uyeda
2003
- Larry Tanimoto
- Dr. Allen Richardson
