During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union fought each other in some unconventional ways, and not all of the surrogate wars resulted in bloodshed.

In outer space they raced for the moon. They famously dueled at chessboards and in hockey rinks — and, in 1968, the battleground was a packed 3,000-seat gym in Mexico.

Pedro “Pete” Velasco Jr. was in the middle of it, setter for the U.S. men’s volleyball team in its Olympics pool-play victory over the heavily favored Soviets.

Velasco, a leader of the U.S.’s first two men’s Olympic teams in 1964 and ‘68, died March 21 in Pahoa after a long illness. He was 85. A memorial is set for Saturday at Ballard Family Mortuary in Hilo. Visitation starts at 10:30 a.m., with service at noon.

“The win against the Soviets was a big deal,” said his son, who is also named Pedro and known to friends as Pete. “It was a big accomplishment for them. The Russians were THE team at that time. The way my dad put it, the Russians took them lightly, and by the time they realized the Americans were playing well enough to beat them it was too late. In sports that happens a lot. The team on top looks past their opponent, and that’s a big mistake.”

Velasco was often described as the best volleyball player in the history of Hawaii.

“He was 5-foot-10, but known for his hitting, because he could really jump,” his son said.

The 1968 U.S. Olympic volleyball team had five players from Hawaii. Tom Haine, Butch May, Jon Stanley and John Alstrom joined Velasco.

Honolulu Advertiser sports editor Hal Wood was at that Olympics and interviewed Velasco after the five-set victory over the Russians on Oct. 15, 1968.

“We did it because we had more determination,” Velasco told Wood. “Do you realize they had beaten us seven times in a row? So we just had to win this one. And we did it against the same team that has been beating us.”

But that was the peak for the U.S. team, which finished 4-5 in pool play and did not advance to the medal rounds. At least it was improvement from 1964, when the first American team in the Olympics went 2-7 and finished ninth of the 10 squads in Tokyo.

“It is going to be hard for the U.S. to win the volleyball title in future Olympic Games unless they can spend more time playing as a unit,” Velasco said in an Advertiser article after the ’64 Games.

During non-Olympic years, Velasco shined in Pan-American Games (with the U.S. gold-medal winners in ’67) and AAU competition.

He was a star among stars on a stacked Outrigger Canoe Club team that won numerous men’s volleyball national championships. The Kamehameha graduate was also known for his basketball prowess.

“We were pretty close. I consider him a bit of a guru,” said volleyball TV analyst Chris McLachlin, who coached 11 volleyball state championship teams (plus three in basketball), before retiring from Punahou. “He seemed kind of quiet and shy until you got to know him, and then he was very generous about sharing his (wisdom). In addition to being such a great athlete, he was very scientific about his approach to the game. … I’d fire volleyball questions at him anytime I could.”

Velasco is a member of the NAIA Hall of Fame and was inducted into the U.S. Volleyball Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame in 1999.

Velasco might have made a third Olympic team, perhaps as a player-coach. But he wanted to finish work on a master’s degree at BYU. (He had an undergraduate degree from Church College, now known as BYU-Hawaii, and was a two-time NAIA All-American).

“We weren’t LDS members, but my dad loved the people at Church College,” his son said. “That’s what made him go to Provo to get his master’s. Our whole family moved there. I enjoyed it. Coming from Hawaii we got to experience winter and a lot of things you never see here.”

The family returned to Hawaii, and the former Olympian became a teacher of at-risk students at Hilo High.

“So many people say he taught them a lot, whether it was in volleyball or when he was a teacher,” his son said. “My son, the fourth Pedro Velasco, graduated from Hilo High, and the at-risk students would tell him, ‘Your grandpa, he’s the best.’”

Pedro “Pete” Velasco Jr. is survived by his wife, Adelaide; children Pedro (Paulette) Velasco, Powell (Joey) Velasco, Prenda (Lee) Moe, Prandi (Joseph) Guerreiro, Pattie (Darren) Chur, Philip (Bridgette) Velasco and Philton Velasco; 17 grandchildren; 28 great-grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren.