With Monday sunrise came the news of the death of Jim Leahey. He was the voice for various sports at Hawaii University.
Jim Leahey Cause of Death:
Jim Leahey was the ever-present voice of Hawaii sportscasting. His family shared the news of his demise through a social media post.
One of his family members confirmed the cause of death as a long-term disease. Unfortunately, the name of the illness wasn’t disclosed.
Who was Jim Leahey?
Jim Leahey was known for his voice for the University of Hawaii sports on television and radio.
His career also included various radio shows and magazine-type shows over the years.
His most recent one was with his son, Kanoa Leahey. The show was called ‘Leahey and Leahey.’ It was broadcasted on Hawaii Public Television.
He was famous for his basketball, baseball, and football calls over all other sports.
Jim Leahey’s career:
Leahey called more than a thousand games in his career in numerous sports.
He started his career as the P.A. announcer for the inaugural Rainbow Classic in 1964.
After that, he worked with his father, Chuck, as an analyst for radio broadcasts. After that, in 1983, he started the play-to-play duties for Hawaii University.
Then, in 1984, he started calling televised Hawaii games for KGMB, KFVE, and OCSports (sports news channels).
He was included in the University of Hawaii’s Sports Circle Hall of Fame for his tremendous work and contributions in 2016.
He retired from the University of Hawaii in 2018, saying that he is 75 years now and does not want to take the place of the new emerging, hard-working people in the field.
Before becoming a full-time sportscaster, Jim Leahey worked as a school teacher in many schools and colleges.
The most notable one of them is at Campbell High School. He couldn’t let go of his passion for teaching and continued to teach students unofficially.
He trained the upcoming new generation of students to become good sports journalists.
His Legacy:
Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi worked alongside Jim Leahey for a decade and shared a social media post sharing his pride to have had the privilege of working with Leahey.
Mayor Rick remembered his close friend by recalling their 15 seasons-long partnership.
He said that Jim had a very special ability to connect with people and to express the pride of Hawaii whenever they won any sports event.
Rick applauds Leahey’s ability to stir people’s emotions by making their stay worthwhile.
Mayor Rick said,” In a business where champions are revered, Jim Leahey was a champion.”
Leahey had a lot of followers, and they will continue his legacy. No one will ever forget his work and his contributions.
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