Influential official Lloyd Hisaka of Hawaiʻi inducted into National High School Hall of Fame

Lloyd Hisaka, a fixture in Hawaiʻi high school sports for more than half a century, was inducted Monday into the National High School Hall of Fame during a ceremony in Chicago, Ill. He was one of 11 honorees recognized at the 42nd annual event held at the Chicago Marriott Downtown as part of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Summer Meeting.

Hisaka’s induction marks the highest national honor for individuals who have made lasting contributions to high school sports and activities. He was recognized for his 51 years as a high school football official and for training thousands of student officials during his decades at the University of Hawaiʻi.

“No one has devoted more to the avocation of officiating in the state of Hawaiʻi than Lloyd Hisaka,” organizers said in a statement announcing the honor.

Hisaka began working in officiating in 1970 as assistant director of Student Recreation Services at the University of Hawaiʻi. Over 45 years in the role — including eight as director — he created classes, trained officials and helped build a pipeline for new referees across the state.

He started officiating high school basketball and football in 1973. His basketball officiating career spanned 36 years, and his football work continued until November 2023, when he officiated the Oʻahu Interscholastic Association junior varsity championship game at age 81. Over his career, he officiated in the Prep Bowl, HHSAA championships and the Hula Bowl, and helped lead officiating clinics and rule trainings across the neighbor islands.

While Hisaka no longer officiates on the field, he continues to serve as an observer and evaluator for high school football and basketball. He recently supported the HHSAA’s inaugural girls flag football season. He also will continue serving as a Mountain West Conference sideline assistant for replay during University of Hawaiʻi football games.

Nationally, Hisaka has represented Hawaiʻi on the NFHS Football Rules Committee (1999-2002) and was selected to the NFHS Officials Association Board of Directors. He helped develop introductory courses for interscholastic officials, which laid the foundation for online courses currently available on the NFHS Learning Center.

Hisaka earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Oregon State University, and later in 1989 earned his doctorate from East Texas State University. While pursuing his doctorate, Hisaka officiated football and basketball in Texas for two seasons.

In 2023, Hisaka was inducted into the Hawaiʻi Sports Officials Hall of Fame. He was previously named the NFHS Officials Association’s Hawaiʻi Football Official of the Year in 1999 and received the 2022 Big Island Interscholastic Federation’s Citation Award for football.

“Beyond all of his accomplishments on the basketball court and football field, Dr. Hisaka is just a really nice person who is easy to relate to and approach,” said Brent Mizutani, retired executive director of the Kauaʻi Interscholastic Federation. “These qualities make him a very valuable role model to the group of officials and coaches when he demonstrates the ultimate example of professionalism and humility. He is admired by all of the officials he works with and is greatly appreciated by coaches and players when he has officiated their games.”