HONOLULU, HAWAI'I (Jan. 21, 2009) – Two former volleyball players, a former athletics director, and a World War II veteran are the latest inductees to the 2008 University of Hawai'i Sports Circle of Honor presented by Bank of Hawaii.
Clay Stanley, Heather Bown, Ray Nagel, and John “Jack” Johnson, Jr. will be officially announced as the UH Sports Circle of Honor inductees at a media luncheon Friday hosted by Bank of Hawaii.
This is the 27th group to be enshrined, a tradition which started in 1982 when the bank and UH partnered to recognize individuals and teams that have contributed to the growth, history and tradition of UH sports.
The four will be introduced at halftime of the UH vs. Utah State men's basketball game Saturday at the Stan Sheriff Center. They will also be honored at a reception prior to the game, hosted by Bank of Hawaii, at the Ed Wong Hospitality Room.
The total number of inductees in the Circle of Honor is 86, including this year's honorees. Eight teams have also been enshrined. Plaques honoring the individuals and teams are anchored on the inner walls surrounding the main concourse of the Stan Sheriff Center.
Brief biographies of the 2008 Circle of Honor inductees are listed below:
Clay Stanley, a three-year letterman for the men's volleyball team, finished his career among the program's leaders in kills and aces. At 6-foot-9 and playing the outside hitter position, he was an intimidating force for the Warriors. He put down a school-record 50 kills in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation playoff match against UCLA in 1999. As a senior, he ranked among the nation's leaders in kills and set a school single-season record for aces while earning third-team all-MPSF honors.
Following UH, Stanley took his talents to the United States National Team where he has competed in two Olympic Games. He and his father Jon became the first father-son duo to compete in the Olympics in U.S. Men's Volleyball history.
In 2004, he was the team leader in scoring and led the U.S. to a fourth place finish in Athens, Greece. This past summer in Beijing, China, he earned tournament Most Valuable Player honors while leading the U.S. to the gold medal. He had a team-high 15 kills in the title match against world No. 1 Brazil.
Stanley is currently playing professionally in Russia.
Heather Bown starred for
Dave Shoji's Rainbow Wahine volleyball team for two years after transferring from UC Santa Barbara.
Bown, the team's go-to player as a middle blocker in 1998 and '99, earned AVCA All-American honors and Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year both years. She led the team to a pair of NCAA Regional Final appearances and ended her career among the program's leaders in hitting percentage, block solos, block assists, and total blocks. The nation's leader in blocking as a senior, she is also the school record holder in blocks per game.
Upon graduation, Bown joined the United States National Team and has appeared on three Olympic teams. This past summer in Beijing, China, she and UH alums Kim Willoughby and Circle of Honor inductee Robyn Ah-Mow-Santos helped the U.S. to a silver medal, the team's highest finish ever at the Olympics.
She is currently playing oversees in Italy.
Ray Nagel spent seven years as athletics director and was instrumental in upgrading nearly every phase of the department up to par with other Division I schools.
A former head football coach at Utah and Iowa, he spearheaded UH's admittance into the Western Athletic Conference in 1979. He helped to obtain funds for numerous athletic facilities in the lower campus while increasing the school's exposure and upgrading community support.
He was a catalyst for the expansion of the Rainbow Wahine athletics programs and served as A.D. during the women's volleyball team's rise to national prominence with consecutive national championship titles in 1982 and '83.
He also helped to create the Aloha Football Classic and served as Executive Director of the Hula Bowl in addition to vice president of Bank of Hawaii.
John “Jack” Johnson, Jr. was a multi-sport athlete at UH in the 1930s. He starred for the Rainbow football team from 1932-34 after graduating from Punahou School.
Playing the halfback position, he captained the 1934 Rainbows which finished a perfect 6-0 and defeated the California Golden Bears, 14-0, in the New Year's Day Classic. He also lettered in swimming, water polo, and soccer, the latter of which he was the team's most valuable player.
An active member of student affairs and ROTC, Johnson joined the National Guard upon graduation and was called to active duty with the 100th Infantry Battalion. He was one of a few non-Nisei members of the famed unit.
In 1944, at the age of 29 and with a rank of major, Johnson was killed in action during the Battle of Monte Cassino. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
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