Editors note: This is the first in a series of profiles leading up to the induction ceremony for the Big Island Sports Hall of Fame.
Don Memmer recalls in the short version of AYSO in Hilo being born, he went out in the dark of night, cut down some trees, and a few soccer fields were made.
Sounds like a piece of cake, but it wasn’t. More than two decades ago, Hilo Bayfront looked nothing like it does today. The place was a mess and required a lot of work that Memmer was willing to shoulder.
“Don is one of the founders of AYSO soccer in Hilo. In the early 1980s, he and his wife Joy were instrumental in building the soccer fields,” said Troy Keolanui, a longtime AYSO official. “One of the reasons the fields do so well when it floods is that they built the fields up. It took working with the county, getting outside help, and fundraising. What it took to make that happen wasn’t easy. It took a lot. Don and Joy should be commended for their part of it.
“All of us from top to bottom got started with AYSO. The kids who never played soccer or weren’t interested or never thought about it, now have a chance to play. I never played soccer, but when my kids started playing I became a coach and referee. He’s still an AYSO instructor. He’s been an inspiration for me.”
Memmer has been elected to the 2015 class of the Big Island Sports Hall of Fame, along with Chris Leonard, Luella Aina and Elson Mori.
“It’s amazing and I’m excited,” Memmer said. “It was about helping start soccer here and being instrumental, and coaching Hilo High for so many years. It’s nice to win BIIF championships and make a state final. Those were all great. But it was mostly about working with the kids and parents and trying to instill the joy of athletic competition, and soccer, especially, and that passion for the game.”
He was born in New Orleans, played college soccer in Wisconsin and was on a UH-Hilo club soccer team in 1985 or ‘86 (if his memory is accurate) when a tournament featuring teams from Colorado, New Zealand, and Australia was held at Wong Stadium.
Memmer and his passion for soccer have endured. He has spent a lot of time on the soccer field, three decades in AYSO and 29 years as the Hilo High boys coach.
From 1983 to 2012 in AYSO, he was a volunteer coach, referee and trainer of both coaches and referees.
Memmer was a head coach for Under-6, U8, U10, U12, U14, U16 and U19 teams. It’s an easy estimate he coached over 100 teams.
A Hilo High teacher since 1990, Memmer has a bunch of awards, certifications, and accolades, including a psychology degree from UH-Hilo and a Positive Coaching Alliance coach certification.
The goal of the PCA is to develop “Better athletes, better people” by working to provide all youth and high school athletes a positive, character-building youth sports experience.
That ties in with the six-point mission statement of AYSO: everyone plays, balanced teams, open registration, positive coaching, good sportsmanship, and player development.
“He’s always taken his own approach, but his principles are always sound,” Keolanui said. “He loves the kids to death, and he’s affected the lives of so many kids.”
Serving others
Memmer volunteered countless hours as a referee for all ages in regular leagues and tournaments, such as Kirk Banks, Volcano Invitational, Maui Cup, Rainbow Cup and the National Games.
During the summer, he was a counselor for YWCA from 1982 to ’87 and managed Kick It Soccer Camps for a decade. The camps were designed to provide an opportunity for unprivileged youth.
Memmer didn’t just coach players, but his peers as well.
He trained over 300 local coaches at clinics and courses. He was a speaker at eight AYSO National Annual General Meetings in Hawaii to train coaches.
When he became an old-timer, Memmer helped start the Makule Co-ed Soccer League of Hilo. He played with other old folks and was also a referee.
Viking days
Then there was his long stint as the Vikings coach from 1984 to 2012. Along the way, Hilo won five BIIF championships. The highlight was an HHSAA state runner-up finish to Mililani in 2001.
He was named BIIF Coach of the Year in 1999 and 2003. He was selected AYSO Coach of the Year in 2001.
Not everyone receives recognition from the state House of Representatives or Mayor Bill Kenoi, but Memmer did.
He was the recipient of a proclamation from the state House Of Representatives for Outstanding Leadership of a high school soccer team in 2000, and one from Mayor Kenoi and the county of Hawaii, proclaiming Dec. 31, 2011, Coach Don Day.”
On Nov. 15, it’ll be a memorable day for Memmer as well as Leonard, Aina and Mori when they’re inducted into the Big Island Sports Hall of Fame. At 10 a.m., they’ll be enshrined as the new Wall of Fame is unveiled at Prince Kuhio Plaza, and an induction banquet at Nani Mau Gardens follows at 11:30 a.m.
For more information, call, Tony Misiaszek (333-6936) or Derek Shigematsu (333-2844).
