Hawaii sports fans woke up to bad news regarding sports broadcaster Jim Leahey. Jim Leahey died at 80 years old according to his family. Jim Leahey covered Hawaii sports for 60 years and will be missed by his audience.
Statement from Jim Leahey’s family
“Today we lost the patriarch of our family. A man known by his supreme talents for storytelling, an unrelenting passion for Hawaii and the teams and athletes that represent it, and a lifelong love for the craft of sports broadcasting. Jim Leahey was also a loyal and loving husband, father, and grandfather who placed his family and his faith above all. He took tremendous pride in supplying the narration for some of the University of Hawaii’s greatest athletic achievements and cherished seeing the community come together, united, to root for the home team. We thank everyone for their well wishes and support at this mournful time. As our dad would always say to close his broadcasts, malama pono kekahi i kekahi.”
Jim Leahey’s Background
Leahey started his sports broadcasting career in 1964. Leahey was granted the opportunity to cover the Inaugural Rainbow Classic. Leahey became the play-by-play announcer in 1973. Leahey worked for various mass media platforms. Leahey worked for KMGB, KIKI, KHNL, KITV, and KHET. These are the biggest platforms in Hawaii. Most significantly, Jim Leahey covered over 1,000 games for Hawaii athletics.
Jim Leahey’s career should be respected and honored by Hawaii sports fans.
