Posted on: Wednesday, June 29, 2005

1927 - 2005
Doi was architect of Waimea athletics

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

Richard Doi, credited for the success of Waimea High's athletic program, died Saturday at his home in Hanapepe, Kaua'i. He was 78.

Doi, a coach, teacher, athletic director and counselor at Waimea, touched lives of those he taught, coached and supervised. So respected, he is still referred to as 'Mr. Doi' by his former players.

"To me, Mr. Doi was the man that built the Waimea athletic program," said Doi's former player and former Waimea baseball coach Glenn Nitta, a 1963 graduate. "The one thing he did was build pride. He was really dedicated.

"All what he gave wasn't for himself, but for the people involved around him more than anything else. He really taught character. Winning was important, but he would never cheat or anything. Everything was fair and hard work. When it was over, you picked up and went back and practiced."

Doi, a 1945 graduate of Waimea, where he was senior class vice president and co-captain of the football team, was honorably discharged from the Army in 1947. He earned a bachelor's degree from Springfield (Mass.) College after transferring from the University of Utah. He later earned a master's degree from Northern Colorado and took graduate courses at the University of Hawai'i and Brigham Young-Hawai'i to earn qualification to become a counselor. He retired from Waimea in 1986 after 35 years.

But it was as a coach that Doi left a lasting impression.

"He made men out of boys," said former Waimea football coach Tommy Rita, a 1962 graduate who played on three KIF title teams for Doi. "He changed lot of people's lives. He was old school, the (Vince) Lombardi, no-nonsense, hard-work kind of man."

Rita said he got into coaching because of Doi, and tried to carry on Doi's philosophies to his players. One of them was Jon Kobayashi, who coached Waimea to 10 KIF football titles from 1993 to 2002.

"He's a big part of the winning tradition at Waimea," said Kobayashi, who is now Waimea's athletic director. "He coached our coaches. Whatever (Doi) taught was passed down throughout the years."

Doi coached Waimea football on three different occasions totaling 12 years, leading the Menehunes to KIF titles in 1953, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964 and 1972. Former players who eventually became coaches at Waimea said Doi was a student of the game.

"Mr. Doi, he started the Blue Machine," Nitta said. "He started bringing back his former players (to coach). The man is successful because he was open to ideas."

Added Rita: "He wasn't one of those coaches who knew it all. He was always willing to improve, open to new ideas."

Doi emphasized maximum effort.

"It was never half-speed," Rita said. "Everything was 100 percent."

Even Doi's wife of nearly 52 years would learn of her husband's dedication. Sadie Doi admittedly wasn't a sports fan at the outset of their relationship, but couldn't help but become a staunch supporter of his coaching career.

"Whatever he did, he would do the best he could," Sadie Doi said. "That's what he instilled in me. If I do anything, I have to do it at my best. It got to a point where I couldn't wear red or green (the colors of Kaua'i and Kapa'a high schools). I had to wear mostly blue (Waimea's color). He was true blue until the end.

"He loved his school, loved his job and loved the children," she said. "He was a very compassionate coach. I saw how much he cared about them. Every student, whether an athlete, honor student or disadvantaged student, they were all his students. We take care of each and everyone of them."

It is no wonder that when his coach needed help in recent months, Rita was there to take "Mr. Doi" to the hospital each morning for dialysis.

"He did so much for me and all the players in the community," Rita said. "It was an honor for me to take my coach for something like this."

Doi's importance to the community will not be lost.

"The things he did in football is when I realize how much of an impact he had," Sadie Doi said. "I knew that was his calling. He had a good life. He's at peace now."

Besides his wife, Doi is survived by children Stanley, Steven and Eleanor; brothers Mansfield and Charles; sister Helen Honnaka; sisters-in-law Mary Doi and Ruby Doi; and grandchildren Julie Ann and Chelsea.

Visitation is from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Saturday at the Hanapepe United Church of Christ. Service is from 10 to 11 a.m.. Casual attire is suggested and flowers omitted.

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8042.