In his personal life, he was private. In public, he was the "General."

And, generally speaking, sportscaster Les Keiter "was such a kind and sweet man," KHON2 news anchor Joe Moore said. "He was so nice. It's almost trite to say that. But I've never met a guy as nice in this business. He was a genuinely nice guy. Everybody loved him."

Keiter, who was the narrator of Hawai'i and national sporting events for a half century, died yesterday in his Kailua home. He was 89.

Keiter achieved national and local prominence for his booming play-by-play broadcasts accompanied by folksy catch phrases.

Moore nicknamed Keiter the "General" after a character he played in a "Hawai'i Five-0" episode. Moore also had an appearance on the show as an Army captain.

The two worked side by side at KHON, helping to launch the station atop the local news ratings.

During one newscast, Moore started to ask Keiter about a sports story, saying, "What do you think, Gen ..."

Moore recalled thinking: "Oh, I'm going to call him 'General' on the air. I always called him that around the news room, but never on the air. I thought, what the hell. It really took off. It stuck."

Moore added: "It was a natural nickname. He was the general of the sports world."

Indeed, it was a fitting description, according to long-time friends.

"Everybody looked up to Les," said Riley Wallace, a former University of Hawai'i basketball coach. "He was old school. He reported only the facts of the game. He always was a friend — to coaches, players, and the fans. He'll be missed."

Sportscaster Jim Leahey said: "He was a terrific guy. He always called you 'Kid.' Even though he was getting aged, his voice was still strong. And his mind was sharp as a tack."

Keiter, who was raised in Seattle, was a graduate of the University of Washington. He started his broadcast career in Hawai'i after World War II, then went on to a successful career in Philadelphia and New York.

Keiter was the voice of Philadelphia's Big Five college basketball.

He announced 14 championship boxing matches, including Muhammad Ali's first title victory over Sonny Liston, and the bout between Floyd Patterson and Ingemar Johansson. Howard Cosell often served as his broadcast partner on title fights.

Keiter also covered the New York Yankees, New York Knicks, New York Rangers and New York Giants football team.

After the New York Giants baseball team relocated to San Francisco in 1958, Keiter was hired to do recreated broadcasts of their games for Big Apple baseball fans.

His broadcasts were peppered with pet phrases:

"In-again, out-again Finnigan."

"Ring-tail howitzer."

"Tickle the twine."

"Back, back, back ... BOOM! Off the wall."

"They're wearing their batting clothes tonight."

Leahey said: "We could be here a long time remembering his sayings he used to enliven his broadcasts. When you had the drudgery of recreation, you had to create a whole new world and invite people in."

Keiter returned to Hawai'i in 1971, where he served as voice of the Hawai'i Islanders and UH sports. He also was KHON's sports director and sports anchor.

Moore was the sports director at KGMB for nine years before moving to KHON in 1981.

Working with Keiter, Moore said, "was like heaven for me."

They teamed for 13 years before Keiter retired from KHON in 1994.

He served the next eight years as Aloha Stadium spokesman.

Keiter's autobiography, "Fifty Years Behind the Microphone," is part of the special collection in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Until late last year, he served as the host of the Honolulu Quarterback Club. In the later years, he had difficulty with his vision and problems walking. But Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann said Keiter always delivered witty introductions in his booming voice.

"It served as an inspiration to all of us what sports can do for you, when it's part of you," Hannemann said. "He always had that passion for sports. It was part of him. I think it prolonged his life."

Keiter's death came a day after Harry Kalas died. Both began their broadcast careers in Hawai'i, and both became popular sportcasters in Philadelphia.

In 1982, Keiter and Kalas were hired to announce the first Aloha Bowl.

Lenny Klompus, the senior communications advisor to Gov. Linda Lingle, was the executive director of the Aloha Bowl at the time.

The deaths of Keiter and Kalas, Klompus said, "remind me of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both passing away on July 4 of the same year. Maybe they're calling a game upstairs. I feel like I lost brothers today."

Hannemann said: "This is a great loss. He set the pace in sports broadcasting. He was a golden voice. ... He was a nice man. Even as mayor, he called me 'Kid.' Hey, I'm in my 50s now. But that's Les."