About how he tried out for the UH play-by-play job in 1987, Robert Kekaula said:
"I started in 1987 with News Radio 99 and Don Robbs. I had read in the paper they had gotten the UH contract, so I called up Don and tried to convince him that I should do the play-by-play for UH. That didn't work. So, I tried to convince him that I should do color. That didn't work, either. He (Robbs) convinced me I should do schlep work. That worked." (HSA)
About getting the UH football play-by-play job, Kekaula said:
If there is celebration in that, there is also relief. "I didn't know if I'd ever get the chance (at UH play-by-play) because that job doesn't come open very often.You don't see m any get the opportunity." (HSA)
About taking over for Jim Leahey, Kekaula said:
"Jim is the greatest storyteller I have ever known; I grew up watching him. When I first got in the business, I told him that." (HSA)
Robbs said that Kekaula:
"never lacked for confidence — and I mean that in a good way. Whatever he did he came well-prepared for. He always believed he could do radio and he worked to make it happen." (HSA)
About wanting Darren Hernandez and Nate Ilaoa for his broadcast team, Kekaula said:
"I specifically wanted those guys because of their personalities. In talking to them, the idea I had is that we have to constantly think we're sitting on a couch and what would we say if we were describing the play we just saw. I want us to have good fun doing it. I want to step up the entertainment value and not lose the integrity of the game." (HSA)
About entertaining PPV viewers, Kekaula said:
"People pay good money for pay-per-view and we feel obligated to give them not only the X's and O's and ABCs and have some fun along with it. For example, the first successful shovel pass we come across I want Nate to explain to us exactly how that works. I've always thought Nate had to be a special cat to be able to turn his back on the defense and make that catch." (HSA)
About how he's worked with Bobby Curran on the radio broadcasts of UH football for the past 12 years, Kekaula said:
"I have nothing but good memories of those years. After I got the job and cleared everything with my people (at KITV) and everybody was on board and official, the first thing I did was call Bobby. Then, I drove out to his house and talked to him. He understood. He knew it was something I wanted to do for a long time." (HSA)
About Kekaula approaching him about joining the TV broadcast team, Ilaoa said:
"It was out of the blue and we played some phone tag. I never really thought about doing this, but it's right up my alley. I'm anxious, and I'm nervous because I've never done (TV). One thing I know is we're going to have fun with it." (HSA)
About how Ilaoa could be excellent for their broadcasts, Kekaula said:
"It's a whole arena he's never seen before. But if we get Nate to be Nate, it will be magical." (HSA)
About the role he sees Darren Hernandez having, Kekaula said:
"I like what FOX did with Tony Siragusa, take it a step further. Not just be the person to speak when spoken to. Jump in when you have something to say. Darren can be the guy who speaks the king's English, the bad- ... biker he looks like and everything in between. And that's not putting on an act, that's him." (HSA)
About how doing TV play-by-play will be different for him, Kekaula said:
"The biggest difference will be preparation. My homework is different now. And during the play my eyes have to follow the ball. As color guy you can look at the pulling guard, how the defense sets up. Definitely, now I have to be on the ball." (HSA)
About meeting at Kekaula's house with Hernandez and Kekaula, Ilaoa said:
"Robert and Coach Darren explained the prep work that goes into it. It's sort of like getting ready to play a game in some ways. I've always been able to form an opinion about sports." (HSA)
About telling Ilaoa and Hernandez the same thing that Wally Zimmerman told him when Zimmerman hired Kekaula as a sportscaster in 1989, Kekaula said:
"I want you. If I wanted someone else, I'd hire someone else." (HSA)
About making unconventional choices for his broadcast team, Kekaula said:
"Nate's a football junky. Darren's a preparation freak. I put these three pieces together in my mind, and it works. I've been rolling the dice since the day I started. I like being different." (HSA)
http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/sportsnews/20110720_for_kekaula_uh_football_play-by-play_is_dream_job.html
http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/furtherreview/20110720_kekaula_takes_bold_approach_in_assembling_dream_team.html
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