When Bobby Curran beat very daunting odds to extend his life and return to his family and sportscasting, I wasn’t surprised.
Bobby, who died Sunday at age 69, was very good at comebacks. I had a front-row seat for one of them a long time ago.
We became close friends in the early 1990s as we both dealt with stalled careers after having a brief taste of our dream jobs.
Just a couple of years after graduating from the University of Hawaii in 1987, Bobby attained the most prized radio play-by-play gig in the state, the primary voice for UH football and basketball. But this stay at the top was brief, because the station he worked at lost the broadcast rights, and his contract included a non-compete clause.
I was 27 when granted a several-month tryout as a full-time sports columnist at the Honolulu Advertiser. It was a great opportunity and learning experience, but I can look back on that now and realize I simply wasn’t ready for it yet.
And therein lies one of the differences between us: Bobby was born ready.
“Bartenders and waiters are like amateur psychologists,” said Bobby, who like me, worked in food and beverage in younger days. “You get very comfortable talking with people. It makes you come out of your shell. But to be honest, I never had a shell.”
Neither of us completely gave up, but we were both pretty bitter about our career situations. I was in my 30s and Bobby closing in on 40 when we shared a very small apartment and took pretty much any part-time and freelance work we could find in sports media while also working other jobs. We thought it was unfair that now we had to again work jobs outside of our chosen fields.
We tried to keep each other’s spirits up and had a lot of fun as housemates, plus, Bobby was a heckuva cook. But we knew we were a little too old for what sometimes amounted to a two-man Animal House.
As humbling as it was, looking back on it many years later we agreed the experience was valuable. We were reminded that anything and anyone can help your future if you don’t give up. And if you want to be successful, you never really stop paying dues — they just take a different form.
I remember telling Bobby that with his talent and work ethic he would not be down for long.
And so it was … After a couple of years the non-compete evaporated, and he regained his rightful position as the radio voice of UH basketball and football.
But Bobby’s biggest break was meeting Jo McGarry, a radio star in her own right with expertise in food. She became his wife, and they had two sons, Max and Finn.
While on the forced hiatus from UH sports, Bobby did high school games — often with John Veneri, who had just finished his Rainbow Warriors football career, as his color man. John, who is Bobby’s successor for UH football play-by-play, also contributed often to a three-hour morning sports talk show on KGU hosted by Bobby. It was called “The Sportspage,” and it was the first of its kind in Hawaii.
I wrote a story about “The Sportspage” in 1996. Don Robbs, another Hawaii sportscasting giant who died recently, was a big fan.
“I listen to it almost every morning,” Robbs said. “It’s about time we have something like that and I can’t think of a guy more suited for it. He’s got an encyclopedic grasp of every sport and is extremely articulate.
“I hope station management will give him time to develop sponsorship and an audience.”
That’s exactly what happened, and “The Bobby Curran Show” quickly became a must-listen for Hawaii sports fans at 1420-AM and remained so for more than 20 years. Bobby had plenty of great guests and he bantered with anyone who wanted to call in.
“While Bobby had many opinions, he never cast his above those of others,” said former UH associate athletic director John McNamara, one of Bobby’s many close friends. “He encouraged people to share their thoughts and thanked them for providing their perspectives. That’s why so many people felt comfortable being guests on and calling in … He was born to be a radio star.”
He hosted it almost always by himself, five days a week, in addition to his football and basketball play-by-play duties.
Since Bobby became a husband and father, most of our time together was on football road trips. He always knew the best places to get a great steak, and he could smell the nearest poker room as soon as the plane landed.
Bobby’s biggest comeback is well documented. He underwent a double-lung transplant 27 months ago, which was what he described as his “best and only” chance to extend his life.
In his last years, Bobby became close friends with Norman Nakanishi, a pastor who has ministered to many UH athletes and coaches for decades. He said Bobby has inspired many by sharing his story of recovery.
Bobby achieved several final goals he had set, which included returning to do his show and play-by-play, which he did for home basketball games before retiring last year.
He said his most important goal was to be there for the high school graduation of his younger son, Finn. Bobby died with Max holding his hand, Jo said.
Bobby Curran never gave up 30 years ago when his career was at a crossroads while also helping a friend going through a similar challenge. So it’s no surprise to me that he fought so hard to finish life strong.
