Hawaii Islanders

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For the minor league Arena Football team, see Hawaiian Islanders.
Hawaii Islanders
1961 – 1987
Honolulu, Hawaii

Team Logo
Cap Insignia
Class-Level
  • Triple-A (1961-1987)
Minor League affiliations
Major League affiliations
Name
  • Hawaii Islanders (1961-1987)
Ballpark
Minor League titles
League titles 1975, 1976
Division titles 1970, 1975, 1976, 1977

The Hawaii Islanders were a AAA minor league baseball team, based in Honolulu, Hawaii, that played in the Pacific Coast League from 1961 through 1987. The Islanders were originally an affiliate of the Kansas City Athletics. They played their home games at Honolulu Stadium, Honolulu's Aloha Stadium and later at Les Murakami Stadium. After being one of the most successful minor league teams, the Islanders faltered and ultimately moved to the mainland as the Colorado Springs Sky Sox in 1988.

[edit] History

The Islanders were originally an amateur team, but on December 17, 1960, the Sacramento Solons, a longtime PCL stalwart, moved to Honolulu. Minor league baseball was then in free fall, as sparse attendance, rampant major league TV broadcasts, expansion and franchise shifts at the major league level, and retrenchment in farm system support caused the contraction of many leagues, and the utter collapse of others. By the end of the 1960s, however, Hawaii was the model franchise for the minors. In 1970, the Islanders, then an affiliate of the California Angels, won 98 games and drew over 400,000 fans to lead the PCL and the minors as a whole.

Due to being 2500 miles from their nearest opponent, the PCL had a unique schedule for the Islanders. Initially, teams made one four and one seven game visit to the Islands with the Islanders doing the same. Later, as the league expanded, the Islanders played 8 game series against each team in order to cut down on travel costs.

The travel costs also applied to the radio coverage of the Islanders games-in the early years of the team in the 1960s, the Islanders radio announcer would use the old method of "re-creating" the road games in the Honolulu radio studio, which was a throwback to the 1930s. In those days, the team's radio play by play man was Harry Kalas, who had just gotten out of the service. When Harry later moved on to the Mainland he was replaced as Islanders play by play man by a youngster named Al Michaels.

But being located thousands of miles from the mainland PCL ultimately proved too much of a challenge. The Islanders achieved success and stability as a longtime affiliate of the Angels and the San Diego Padres, but when those teams found tie-ups closer to home, Hawaii shifted from organization to organization. It was also affiliated over the years with the Kansas City A's, Washington Senators, Chicago White Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Its last club, in 1987, finished last in its division and last overall in attendance (a little over 116,000) in the PCL.

The team later moved to the Mainland, and is now in Colorado.

[edit] Notable Alumni

[edit] Year-by-Year Record

Year Record Finish Manager Playoffs
1961 68-86 6th Tommy Heath / Bill Werle none
1962 77-76 5th Irv Noren none
1963 81-77 4th Irv Noren
1964 60-98 10th Bob Lemon
1965 75-72 6th (t) George Case
1966 63-84 10th George Case
1967 60-87 12th Wayne Terwilliger
1968 78-69 3rd Bill Adair
1969 74-72 4th Chuck Tanner
1970 98-48 1st Chuck Tanner Lost League Finals
1971 73-73 4th (t) Bill Adair
1972 74-74 5th Rocky Bridges
1973 70-74 5th Rocky Bridges / Warren Hacker / Roy Hartsfield
1974 67-77 6th Roy Hartsfield
1975 88-56 1st Roy Hartsfield League Champs
1976 77-68 2nd Roy Hartsfield League Champs
1977 79-67 2nd Dick Phillips
1978 56-82 8th Dick Phillips
1979 72-76 8th Dick Phillips
1980 76-65 5th Doug Rader Lost League Finals
1981 72-65 3rd (t) Doug Rader Lost in 1st round
1982 73-71 5th Doug Rader
1983 72-71 5th Tom Trebelhorn
1984 87-53 1st Tommy Sandt Lost League Finals
1985 84-59 1st Tommy Sandt Lost in 1st round
1986 65-79 9th Tommy Sandt
1987 65-75 9th Bob Bailey
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