If it were possible to change the color of your blood to blue, there’s no doubt that Richard M. Doi would be the first person in line. Admired and respected by many as a coach, athletic director, teacher, counselor, father,
If it were possible to change the color of your blood to blue, there’s no doubt that Richard M. Doi would be the first person in line.
Admired and respected by many as a coach, athletic director, teacher, counselor, father, husband, grandfather and friend, Doi was known by many as the creator of “The Big Blue Machine” and the man who instilled great qualities to everyone he came in contact with.
On Saturday, Doi passed away at his home in Hanapepe at the age of 78.
But according to his wife Sadie, it was more of a joyous moment for her as she watched him with his two granddaughters, Julie Ann and Chelsea.
“Till’ the end he’d tell the girls to work hard and do good things and it was the most wonderful thing to see him on Saturday with Julie Ann and Chelsea; he loved them so much,” Sadie said.
Doi graduated from Waimea High School in 1945 and was the senior class vice-president and co-captain of the football team. He then ventured off to Springfield College (Utah) and graduated with high honors in 1951.
The University of Northern Colorado was his next destination, where he earned a masters degree. Doi then traveled back to Hawai‘i and took graduate courses from UH and BYUH to qualify as a high school counselor.
After a storied 35-year career at Waimea as a PE, Health, and Math teacher, Doi retired as a senior counselor in 1986. During his illustrious career on the westside, Doi coached various sports, including football and won seven KIF titles, with the first coming in 1953 and the last in 1972.
Although most remember Doi as a tough-as-nails disciplinarian, to his family he was a gentle giant.
“People make him out to be this rough, gruff, hard-headed person, but I didn’t see that. With my daughters, he was always caring,” his son Steven Doi said.
The 1977 Waimea graduate was the diver of the family and didn’t participate in sports.
“When Waimea played Kapa‘a and the Warriors were highly favored, I remember Dick Ueoka, Tommy Rita, and other Menehune coaches staying over my house until after midnight at times. They would be reviewing plays and discussing strategies, but that’s how my dad was, he was so competitive and didn’t leave any stone unturned,” Steven said.
Steven also mentioned that he was as dedicated as any grandfather to his daughters.
“He used to spend hours studying with my girls. He was really committed and I even felt bad for my kids because they used to sometimes study for over three hours straight for years, but I was really fortunate to have great parents. It was funny because one time Chelsea (a Kaua‘i High student) told her grandfather that she’d get him a Kaua‘i High School T-shirt, but despite his strong Waimea ties, he didn’t deny it,” Steven said.
Steven also remembers the time when Chelsea brought out Red Raider fundraising tickets when Tommy Rita was over.
“You should’ve seen the look on his (Mr. Rita’s) face, it’d be worth a million dollars to see his face, but he still bought the ticket, after reaching for his wallet a few times,” Steven said.
Doi’s other son, Stanley recollects that his father would not quit at anything, including fishing.
“When we went fishing for akule, if they were biting, we would fish until the sun comes up the next morning; he would just go all out. Whatever we do, we tried our best and I learned more about him through his former players,” Stanley said.
Stanley also mentioned that every once in awhile, he bumps into his father’s former players and they’d always tell him about the memorable halftime pep talks.
Basilio “Bunga” Fuertes, who played for coach Doi in the late 1950s, surely remembers those speeches.
“He always got you ready for the game and he was a perfectionist, who was caring, patient, strict, and stern,” Fuertes said.
“Bunga” also named his son (Kareem Richard) after coach Doi and if you’ve heard the phrase, “The Big Blue Machine,” then you can thank coach Doi for that.
“He’s the one that gave that nickname to us. I was assistant athletic director when he was the A.D. and we had so many good teams, not only football, that it seemed like everything was like a machine,” Fuertes said.
“Bunga” and many others are thankful for Doi’s helpful ways.
“He made sure we went to college. He had many connections and knew where to send us. He’s Mr. Blue and even his blood is blue,” Fuertes said.
Doi was so concerned about his players and students that he stopped at no juncture to help them.
“I knew the type of person he was when he thought he was going to lose one of his football boys. He was determined to go to O‘ahu to see him and when he was up there, he held the boy’s hand and sat by his side, but he would’ve done that for any child, whether they’re in sports, an honor student, an average student; it didn’t matter, he just believed that they were all of our students and that we should be concerned for each of them,” Sadie said.
Sadie even jokingly said that at times it felt as if Richard was more concerned about his foot-ball players than his own boys.
“I really wasn’t a sports fan, but because he was so dedicated, I just grew into it, but I was more interested in the cheerleaders and the band than football,” Sadie noted.
“His patience was his greatest gift. He used to be so patient with the girls (his granddaughters) when doing homework. He had a big heart and as we were reminiscing throughout the past weeks, we really couldn’t find any bad times, everything was good,” Sadie said.
For current Menehune A.D. and former head football coach Jon Kobayashi, coach Doi was the person who built the tradition at Waimea High School.
“Everyone respected him and he was he main reason for Waimea’s success in all sports. He coached our coaches and they passed it on to us,” Kobayashi said.
Kobayashi, who coached “The Big Blue Machine” to 10 straight KIF titles from 1993 to 2002, attributes a lot of his successes to Doi.
“He had a vision of what he wanted to accomplish. He was always helpful to us and he even wrote me a personal letter of how proud he was of me,” Kobayashi said.
Glenn Nitta, a 1963 Waimea High School graduate, played for Doi and noted that he was a straight shooter.
“We practiced hard and never missed a beat. He treated us fair and he put a big emphasis on teamwork. He looked so tough on the outside, but he’d give everything for the boys and it didn’t matter if you were first or last string,” Nitta said.
Tommy Rita, a three-time KIF football champion under Doi mentioned that not only did he make men out of boys, but he was a dad to all of his players.
“When I was a senior at Waimea, we played against Kaua‘i and we lost the game in the rain, but from that loss, we practiced the next seven days straight. He even made us practice with the sprinklers on to simulate the wet conditions, because we fumbled the ball so much. He was that kind of guy, he’d never leave anything out,” Rita said.
Of all the many wonderful things Doi has left Waimea with, Rita noted that the Menehune tradition, the “Old Doi Way” will be the most important thing he branded them with. Pat Perreira, a 1967 Menehune graduate, played two seasons under coach Doi and said that his legacy will live on despite his passing.
“He was always my mentor and he set me straight all throughout high school, but he did it with love. He’s an icon at Waimea High School and it’s hard to think that Mr. Doi is gone. I think he’s touched so many people’s lives,” Perreira said.
Officials throughout the KIF also appreciated the way coach Doi conducted his team on the sidelines.
“He was one of the most knowledgeable coaches I’ve been around, a very strict disciplinarian, and he couldn’t stand unsportsmanlike conduct from any of his players. I really appreciated the way he coached,” a longtime KIF official said.
Doi’s legacy will live on through his players, students, friends, and family.
The physical education building at Waimea High School was dedicated to Doi and every year, two scholarships are awarded to deserving Menehune student-athlete seniors, who go beyond the call of duty in the classroom, in athletics, and in the community.
Doi is survived by his wife Sadie, his brothers Mansfield (Margie) and Charles (May), his sister Helen Honnaka (Tom), his sisters-in-law Mary Doi and Ruby Doi, his two sons, Stanley and Steven (Eleanor), and his two granddaughters, Julie Ann and Chelsea.
- Friends may visit with the family from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 2, at the Hanapepe United Church of Christ. The service, officiated by Rev. Caroline Miura will go from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Casual attire is suggested and flowers omitted.
- Duane Shimogawa Jr., sports editor, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 257) or kauaisports@pulitzer.net.
