Gerald Oda, the firm but gracious and humble coach of the 2018 Little League World Series champion Honolulu team, has been named a national recipient of the Double-Goal Coach award by the Positive Coaching Alliance.

The award salutes those who “strive to win while also pursuing the more important goal of teaching life lessons through the sports,” the PCA said.

As one of the 50 winners, Oda, an insurance investigator, will be honored next month at the PCA’s National Youth Sports Awards at Santa Clara University. He will also receive $200 and a certificate.

“Beyond the diamond, Gerald preached that the aloha isn’t just a greeting but rather something you take with you, zip into your airplane luggage, and carry everywhere you go,” Gov. David Ige wrote in support of the nomination of Oda. “His players were always interacting with players from the other teams and showing the world what it is like to be from Hawaii. No matter what happened during the game or what the final score was, the team always made the point to shake hands with their opponent to show their sportsmanship.”

Patrick Guillen, University of Hawaii Hilo athletic director, wrote, “In a sports world where fear, intimidation, trash talk and negativity rule the day, Coach Oda showed that by playing and coaching the right way with a high standard of care and positively through his words and actions set the tone for success.”