Dyer’s feats at UH, life afterward are legendary

Long before there was a University of Hawaii athletic Circle of Honor or a classification in it for “legend” inductions, there was James “Skippy” Dyer, who pretty much defined the category.

Few players who have worn the UH uniform in the school’s history fit the description as well as Dyer. Not just for his talent spread across three sports (football, baseball and track) but also for the remarkable stories that still circulate more than 60 years after his career at UH ended.

He will be honored posthumously at Saturday’s football game at Aloha Stadium and at Sunday’s Green and White Celebration at the Stan Sheriff Center along with the other 2018 inductees.

Few records from his days (1955 and ‘56) survive, so much of what is known is anecdotal, passed on from old clippings and the word of mouth of former teammates and those fortunate enough to have seen him play. Former classmates tell of watching him play baseball and then run track on the same day and excel at both.

All agree that he was an exceptional athlete, a solidly built 5 feet, 7 inches and 160 pounds blessed with a burst of speed and good instincts and balance, especially when it came to football, where he played both halfback and defensive back.

Lyle Nelson, who covered UH for the Star-Bulletin during the period, described Dyer as a cross between modern-day stars Gary Allen and Chad Owens.

He was nicknamed “Skippy” in part because “(He) seemed like he played on skates, because he would just glide.,” former sports information director Ed Inouye said in a 2009 Star-Bulletin article.

Dyer is listed as leading UH in rushing and scoring in 1955, posting points on offense, defense and special teams, including interception returns of 65 and 88 yards.

There is a belief that he might have been the first black scholarship athlete at UH, but an athletic department official said the school has been unable to confirm the possibility.

What is known is that he was born in Jamaica, raised in New Orleans and came to Hawaii in the Marines after serving in Korea. It was while playing against UH that Dyer caught the eye of ’Bows’ head coach Hank Vasconcellos, who recruited him to Manoa.

In his first season, 1955, Dyer ran 87 yards for a touchdown against Fresno State. The mark stood as the longest scoring run in UH history for 60 years, until Paul Harris surpassed it with a 95-yard run against UC Davis in 2015.

Dyer’s most memorable performance came in the celebrated 6-0 upset of Nebraska in Lincoln by a 29-member UH travel squad that was a heavy underdog. Dyer rushed nine times for 63 yards, but more crucial was his play at defensive back. Despite a tender knee, Dyer made several huge defensive plays, including a fourth-down stop of Nebraska’s all-conference running back, Willie Greenlaw, at the 7-yard line.

As suddenly as Dyer emerged on the UH scene he also vanished.

In time the Christmas cards were returned stamped “address unknown” and teammates unsuccessfully sought to track him down for reunions while athletic officials searched for him so that he could be inducted into the Circle of Honor.

But it wasn’t until his death in California in 2016 at age 88, when family members reached out to try to unearth information about his days at UH, that snippets of an eclectic life emerged into a fuller picture.

After leaving UH, he signed a pro contract and played a couple of seasons of minor league baseball as a second baseman in the then-Milwaukee Braves organization. He followed a childhood dream and became a trapeze artist and remained active well into his 40s.

He accepted the Muslim faith, changed his name to Omar Kali and he became a community activist in Los Angeles, his portrait emblazoned for a time on the side of a building in the Watts section, family members said.

Sixty-two years after Dyer last touched a ball for UH, the overdue recognition is catching up with a man that defined “legend.”

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