My very good friend, retired Star-Bulletin sportswriter Jim Easterwood, was saddened to hear of the death of Mosi Tatupu. “Pancho” covered Mosi and says he was a great all-around athlete and person.

“He was a man among boys; a powerful back with amazing balance and without a question the best running back I covered in Hawaii. Onosai Tanuvasa of Farrington had one of the best games for a running back I ever witnessed in a Thanksgiving Day game at the old Honolulu Stadium. But he couldn’t match Mosi for consistency. Mosi didn’t score a lot in basketball but had great court awareness and moved like a cat behind the plate as a catcher in baseball. In my mind he and Junior Ah You would be a dead heat for best all-round athlete in Hawaii prep lore.”