Les Murakami already had the respect befitting a legendary coach in college baseball lore. There is a baseball stadium named for him and he commands automatic standing ovations every time the 89-year-old deigns to visit it.
The winningest coach in Hawaii baseball history picked up one of the few honors he was missing from his mantlepiece, as Murakami was named to the College Baseball Hall of Fame’s 2026 induction class on Monday.
Pitcher Derek Tatsuno (2007) is the only other person directly tied to UH baseball to be inducted in the Overland Park, Kan.,-based hall, which originated in 2004 and announced its first class in 2006. He was one of 21 in the class, including six coaches. Two of the coaches are being inducted posthumously.
UH baseball broadcaster Scott Robbs wasn’t sure why it took so long to recognize Murakami, who retired in 2000 from 30 years helming the program, but he was glad to see it happen.
“It’s quite the honor,” Robbs told Spectrum News, “and to be recognized almost 25 years after coaching his last game and that folks still remember him and recognize his accomplishments and how great a coach he was, I think it’s very cool.”
Murakami, who guided UH into Division I play in the early 1970s and was the architect of the 1980 UH team that came within one game of winning the national championship, was inducted into the prestigious American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2000. He was ushered into the UH Sports Circle of Honor in 2001.
He took 10 teams to a NCAA regional — an average of one every three years — and he registered 11 straight 40-win seasons from 1979 to 1989, topping out at 69 wins in 1979.
He continues to make it out to “The Les.” He appeared on the field for the dedication of the Robbs Leahey Press Box in 2024 and was on hand for the blessing ceremony for the new turf at LMS prior to the 2025 season.
Les Murakami, middle, waved as he was recognized among VIPs at the UH baseball new turf dedication ceremony at Les Murakami Stadium in February. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)
Robbs pointed out that Murakami’s initiative to use the same uniforms from his Sheridan team in the AJA League had staying power with the Rainbows’ enduring green, orange and white color scheme.
“I think he will always be at the forefront of the Mount Rushmore of UH baseball,” Robbs said. “I mean, without Les Murakami, there’s no UH baseball. I just don’t think anybody else but Les could have started this program the way he did with his connections, particularly within the Legislature, to get funding for the program.”
He finished with a record of 1,079-570-4.
Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.