HONOLULU — There is cause to make room on a crowded itinerary at the Stan Sheriff Center on Saturday night when the Hawaii men's basketball team meets Cal State Bakersfield in its 2023-24 home finale.
At some point during the evening, before six outgoing Rainbow Warriors seniors are honored, UH is expected to pay tribute to its radio play-by-play man of more than three decades, Bobby Curran, as he makes his final call for ESPN Honolulu.
That it would be Curran’s last game in a career numbering more than a thousand was announced on the station's airwaves in recent days.
“(People) said ‘are you going to take a (senior) shot?’” Curran told Spectrum News in a phone interview on Friday. “I said, ‘nooo. That’s a player thing.’ Not doing that.”
Curran, 68, underwent a double-lung transplant in November 2022 to remedy life-threatening emphysema. He negotiated an arduous recovery process and returned to the airwaves about eight months later with some restrictions, and was enthusiastic about returning to his longstanding UH hoops duties for the 2023-24 season, which he called an “unbelievable” opportunity after he stood at death’s door. He teamed with color man Derrick Low for home games this year.
After some health incidents in recent weeks involving low blood sugar, including on the road, Curran's responsibilities were scaled back. He acknowledged maintaining his health through the rigors of the season has been “a challenge” with “a couple of dips.” He's been spelled increasingly by Josh Pacheco, and he will not travel to the Big West tournament in Henderson, Nevada, next week.
For the time being, he will continue his one-hour weekday morning talk show.
“I’m OK with slowing down. I’m going to find something to do,” Curran said. “I don’t know if it’s going to be at this station or a podcast. But I’m going to do something else. Just at a different time of day.”
Curran assumed radio play-by-play duties of UH hoops early in coach Riley Wallace’s 20-year era, in the late 1980s following runs by Matt Pinto and Larry Beil, who both moved away for career opportunities. Bob Hogue, the retired PacWest Conference commissioner, and Dave Iverson were also brief radio custodians of UH hoops around that time.
“It was basically a dream come true. A job I always wanted,” Curran said. “So, I was really amazed that I could get it. … I was the next one up (after Pinto and Beil left).”
He endured through handoffs of UH sports radio rights and changes of corporate branding; he worked for KGU, KCCN and later KKEA, 1420-AM, which now goes by ESPN Honolulu.
Some of his favorite UH basketball players and teams included Vincent Smalls’ NIT team of 1990; Mike Robinson, A.C. Carter, and Alika Smith on the Dynamic Duo teams of the late ‘90s; and Predrag Savovic on the NCAA Tournament teams with international flair in the early 2000s.
But his favorite group of all to call was the Stefan Jankovic and Roderick Bobbitt-led 2015-16 squad that won 28 games – including the program’s first NCAA Tournament victory – through the turmoil of coaching changes and an NCAA investigation.
Eran Ganot, who was hired to coach that team, has fond memories of traveling with Curran. With Curran taken off of the road in recent weeks, people have frequently asked about him, Ganot said.
“He’s kind of a national treasure,” Ganot said. “I’ll say this from experience having been here for two stints … when you go on the road, everybody knows Bobby Curran, and for all the right reasons. His voice is synonymous with UH sports. Not just ours.”
Curran stepped away from football, his other UH play-by-play staple, in 2022 as his health issues mounted. He was inducted into the UH Sports Circle of Honor in 2023.
“Obviously he’s been through a rough stretch, and (he’s) inspiring in his return,” Ganot said. “And so it’s nice to see him do this for another year then get acknowledged for all he’s done for so many.”
Beil, a UH alumnus and former SportsCenter anchor who now works at KGO-TV in San Francisco, reacted with sadness when he learned that Curran’s time as a game broadcaster is nearing an end. From afar, he has maintained his Hawaii ties and appreciation for its teams.
“He basically gave his life to support the program,” Beil said. “Coaches come and go, players come and go, but oftentimes the announcers are what people remember the most in some cases. Certainly, he’s a Hawaii institution. Just a tremendous figure to support UH Athletics all these years.”
Beil noted that with the passing of Hawaii sports broadcasting legends such as Jim Leahey and Robert Kekaula in recent years, Curran is one of the few remaining members of the old guard.
“He’s been the constant, whereas everybody else has changed around him,” Beil said. “It’s like, here’s the sun in the UH solar system, in terms of doing all the events.”
Curran said he is considering writing a book, but only if no other manageable opportunities present themselves.
“I have a funny feeling I have not spent my last minute on a headset yet,” Curran said.
Over a dozen friends and members of his family are expected to be in attendance Saturday.
Note: Story has been updated to make mention of Bob Hogue and Dave Iverson as UH basketball radio announcers.
Brian McInnis covers the state's sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.
