Somewhere out Wahiawa way Hugh Yoshida must be shaking his head.

Yoshida was the University of Hawai'i athletic director from 1993 to 2002 and the predecessor of Herman Frazier.

When Yoshida was encouraged into retirement by the powers that be it was to make room for someone more innovative and more connected to take over the reins of the state's only Division I athletic program. A big-time player. Someone who could pick up a phone and make things happen.

Well, that was the thought, anyway.

Yoshida, you may recall, was an assistant AD at UH after his days of heading the O'ahu Interscholastic Association. When Stan Sheriff died of a heart attack after stepping off a plane from the NCAA Convention, Yoshida, a hardworking, humble man, was thrust into a job he was little prepared for.

But Yoshida recognized some of his weaknesses, one of them being a paucity of contacts and relationships across the college landscape, and, in time, worked to overcome them. One of the devices that he and associate athletic director Jim Donovan came up with was the Paradise in the Pacific Golf Tournament.

It was quite a concept, really. During the summer, UH would invite athletic directors or their top assistants from a cross section of Mainland schools to Hawai'i for an all-expenses paid, two- or three-day get-together. It was about building bonds, introducing UH and didn't cost the school a dime, being underwritten by 20 sponsors who donated airline tickets, rooms, etc.

"The tournament helps build relationships. It's a good place to close deals and come up with ideas and concepts," a USC representative said at the time.

Shortly thereafter, UH and USC signed a three-game football contract that runs through 2010. Deals with other schools, including Brigham Young and Nevada-Las Vegas, were hatched there.

So when marquee schools got cold feet about playing UH — not exactly a new concept as some would suggest — there were places to go. When Virginia weaseled out, UH got Washington State. When Texas pulled an 11th-hour exit, there was UNLV. When Notre Dame and Iowa State begged out — for the same season — there was Air Force and BYU. Little drama or missed deadlines.

In his tenure, Yoshida balanced the budget all but his last year, when the fallout of 9/11 put UH in the hole. Even if he did preside over a clumsy firing of Bob Wagner and the unfortunate hiring of Fred vonAppen, Yoshida managed to fill schedules. And U.S. News & World Report ranked UH athletics in its top tier.

Then, a new president came on board and Yoshida was invited not to stick around so UH could "upgrade" the position.

If Yoshida is shaking his head today, he shouldn't be the only one.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.