Skip to content

Ad Disclosure

Beloved sportscaster, Hawaii football broadcaster Robert Kekaula passes away

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

A legendary figure in Hawaii sports and college football has passed away.

Robert Kekaula, 56, died suddenly on Saturday morning, according to a report from KITV.com. He was the managing editor at KITV4 and also served as the play-by-play voice of Hawaii football.

“We have heavy hearts this morning as our ‘ohana has lost its mighty wings,” the Kekaula family said in a statement. “Robert Kaleimomi Kekaula passed peacefully at 8:25 a.m. surrounded by his family. He lived his life his own way and was so much to so many people. His heart was full of love for his family, sports, and most of all, music.”

The University of Hawaii’s athletic department also released a statement on Kekaula’s passing.

“In over 25 years covering Rainbow Warrior Football on both radio and television, Robert witnessed our biggest wins and most painful losses,” the statement says. “Not only was he an announcer, but he was a friend to many of our coaches, student-athletes, and staff members. UH Athletics has truly lost one of our own. Rest in Aloha, Robert.”

Many in the college football world reacted to the tragic news over the weekend:

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB