HONOLULU – Three of the most dominant players in their respective sports while at the University of Hawai'i are the latest inductees into the UH Sports Circle of Honor.
Anthony “AC” Carter, Yuval Katz, and Richard Furtado will be officially announced as the Class of 2010 inductees at the UH Sports Circle of Honor media luncheon Thursday at the Ed Wong Hospitality Room in the Stan Sheriff Center. Later that day, the three will be introduced at halftime of the UH vs. Louisiana Tech men's basketball game.
This is the 29th group to be enshrined, a tradition which started in 1982 to recognize individuals and teams that have contributed to the growth, history and tradition of UH Athletics.
The total number of inductees in the Circle of Honor is 93, including this year's honorees. Ten teams have also been enshrined. Plaques honoring the individuals and teams are anchored on the inner walls surrounding the main concourse of the Stan Sheriff Center.
Brief biographies of the 2010 Circle of Honor inductees are listed below:
During his two-year career, Anthony “AC” Carter led the Rainbows to a pair of National Invitation Tournament appearances and a Western Athletic Conference regular season title in 1997. He was a two-time Associated Press honorable mention All-American and the school's first WAC Player of the Year in 1997.
Over his career, Carter scored 1,070 career points and averaged 18.9 points per game, second highest in school history while his 6.9 assists per game average was a new school career record.
In his senior season, he and backcourt mate Alika Smith – dubbed the “Dynamic Duo” – led UH to a national ranking and memorable wins over Indiana and No. 2 Kansas, the latter of which was the biggest upset in the program's history. That year, the Rainbows fell one win shy of reaching the NIT semifinals in New York City while posting their second straight 21-win season.
Following UH, Carter began his decade-long NBA career with the Miami Heat followed by stints with the San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves, and currently with the Denver Nuggets, where he's spent the past five seasons.
In 2004, he donated $100,000 to the university to start the AC Carter Scholarship Fund.
Yuval Katz helped to revolutionize the sport of men's volleyball in the state of Hawai'i during his two-year career. Considered by many as the most dominant player in the country, Katz was named AVCA Player of the Year in 1996 and AVCA Newcomer of the Year in 1995. He led Hawai'i to back-to-back NCAA Championship Tournament appearances including a national runner-up finish during his sophomore season.
A two-time AVCA All-American, Katz completed his career with 1,444 kills, a school-record 7.81 kills per set average, 100 service aces, and a hitting percentage of .394.
“UV” helped create a statewide frenzy with fans lining up overnight for tickets at the newly built 10,000-seat Stan Sheriff Center. UH's matches with rival UCLA were epic battles played in front of standing room only crowds. Fans treated the Katz and his teammates with rock-star status and the team averaged more than 7,500 per match in 1996 with five sell-outs.
Following his UH career, Katz played five years professionally in Greece in one of Europe's best leagues and another four years in Israel before retiring.
A two-sport athlete out of Punahou School, Richard D. Furtado made a name for himself on the track, where many considered him one of the greatest Hawai'i track and field athletes of all-time.
On the gridiron, Furtado was a triple threat, excelling in running, passing, and kicking. “Potato,” as he was known by his friends, was a member of the undefeated Wonder Team II of 1935 and threw a touchdown pass in the Rainbows' 14-0 upset the California Golden Bears in the New Year's Day Classic bowl game.
In track and field, Furtado was the Hawai'i champion in the broad jump, high hurdles, and low hurdles and also competed in the high jump, discus, javelin, and relay events. He was considered a one-man track team and later served as the team's head coach for two years from 1936-37.
Furtado later moved to Hilo where he became a successful businessman and advocate of sports in the Hilo community. He became a veteran and gold medalist in the Rainbow Relays and Hawaiian AAU track meets for more than 20 years. After hanging up his cleats he was the Hawai'i amateur golf champion at the age of 42.
Furtado died in 2006 at the age of 93
-UH-
