Keith Amemiya leads those in Hawaii who make it happen

When the football alliance of the public-school OIA and private-school ILH was announced, ending five decades of acrimony, its architect, Keith Amemiya faced a recurring question from friends and acquaintances.

What, they asked, would be his next challenge? Peace in the Middle East?

It was a tongue-in-cheek question, but in the arena of Hawaii sports in general and high school ones in particular, Amemiya has become the go-to guy for vision, raising money and getting things done.

A lawyer by profession and executive at Island Insurance by day, he stands out as the reigning mover and shaker of Hawaii sports, bringing parties, sometimes widely disparate ones, together.

Let us count the ways over the past decade, he:

>> Brokered the OIA-ILH alliance, for which he has pledged to raise $1 million.

>> He and his wife, Bonny, a CFO at AIO, oversaw the $1.5 million Save Our Sports campaign in 2009 that propped up high schools sports in the face of steep state budget cuts.

>> They took the lead on partnering the NFL, Legislature and Rough Rider alumni to raise $2 million for the renovation of Roosevelt High’s stadium and track.

>> He also helped initiate an $850,000 grant from the Legislature to help fund team transportation for high school sports.

The rest of the Top 10:

2. Duane Kurisu, chairman of AIO, owner of two radio stations, part owner of the San Francisco Giants and the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and former owner of the Hawaii Winter Baseball league. He played a major role in the OIA-ILH agreement, contributes to UH baseball and has underwritten several youth league trips. All in addition to funding a village to house the homeless.

3. Peter Ho, chairman, Bank of Hawaii. A major contributor to UH and, with Hawaii Pacific Health CEO Ray Vara, is said to have raised more than $100,000 to fund the UH men’s basketball trip to Australia.

4. Pete Derzis, ESPN senior vice president, college sports programming and events. The only non-Hawaii resident of the bunch. From Charlotte, N.C., he has created — and calls the shots on — two of the biggest sports properties in the state, the Diamond Head Classic and Hawaii Bowl.

5. Sylvia Luke, State House finance chairwoman, and Ron Kouchi, state Senate president. Without them, UH and UH Hilo don’t divide up $3 million and public high school athletic teams don’t get an $850,000 transportation appropriation.

6. Marcus Mariota, Titans quarterback. Apart from his considerable influence on young athletes, Mariota’s three-year-old 501(c)(3) Motiv8 Foundation bought 1,000 UH football tickets and helps sponsor Polynesian football events and camps.

7. Vara. Underwrites sports medicine fellowship program at UH and a major overall sponsor of UH athletics.

8. Bobby Curran, KKEA radio sportscaster. His commentary on UH broadcasts and a morning talk show is respected.

9. Mark Rolfing, TV golf commentator. Officials at the PGA, LPGA, TV networks and state listen to him.

10. Jeff Portnoy, attorney, sometimes radio broadcaster and member of the UH Board of Regents. As chairman of the Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics, he has the ear of administrators when he chooses to exercise it. Legend has it he was all that stood in the way of UH signing Gib Arnold to a three-year, $1.2 million contract extension during the NCAA’s investigation.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.