Matias was one of the biggest names in Hawaii baseball for nearly 30 years. Now, a younger athlete with the surname is making some noise, but in football.
John Matias Sr. starred in football, baseball, volleyball and track at Farrington in the early 1960s. His four home runs in a 1962 state tournament game remains one of the most storied feats in island sports lore. His career as a professional player that spanned from 1963 to 1980 included Opening Day and most of the 1971 Major League season with the Chicago White Sox. After many years as a high school coach here he is now retired.
His son, John Matias Jr., graduated from Damien in 1984. He went on to set batting records at the University of Hawaii and still holds some, including for career home runs (30). He now owns several retail gift shops.
Junior’s son, Justin Matias, is a versatile defensive back at Punahou. He also is a return specialist. On the opening kickoff of the season against Leilehua last week, he ran it all the way back to the Mules end zone. The touchdown was nullified by penalties, but it set the tone for the Buffanblu’s 49-7 victory. On Saturday, Punahou hosts Hilo — which, if you go back yet another generation, is where his great grandfather, John Sr.’s dad, was from.
John Sr.’s nephew Joey DeSa (who also made it to the majors, but died in a car accident in Puerto Rico in 1986) and brother Bob also add to a legendary family tree of athletic success.
Physical challenges have arisen recently, though.
John Sr., who turns 71 on Saturday, has difficulty getting around because of diabetes and rarely gets to see Justin perform live. The big toothy grin of the man friends know as “Gido” still comes out often, but it’s clear not being able to golf and participate in other physical activity gets him down at times.
It doesn’t stop him, however, from some playful teasing with his grandson.
“He’s pretty fast,” John Matias Sr. said this week. “But I tell him I’ll still race him.”
“I tell him, ‘Let’s go,’,” Justin replied with a smile.
Justin, now a senior, has dealt with injuries at key times of his high school sports career. A concussion knocked him out at halftime of the wild state football championship game against Mililani last year, which the Trojans won by stopping a last-minute Buffanblu drive, 53-45. And a strained hamstring at the state track meet last spring hindered his performance at the Maximum Exposure football camp a couple of weeks later.
Older folks are susceptible to diseases like diabetes. Youngsters suffer sports injuries.
But no one expects anything like what John Matias Jr. was diagnosed with four years ago. At age 45, he was told his body was host to a tumor the size of a football near his stomach. The technical name is retroperitoneal liposarcoma.
He did his best to keep things low-key as he dealt with cancer. Obviously his family was concerned, but he made sure to keep things as normal as possible as he went through chemotherapy, radiation, surgery and recovery.
“I didn’t want to tell anyone, but then when I lost my hair people knew something was up,” said Matias Jr., who didn’t want to talk about it for this article until convinced by his family to do so. “Friends called me and wanted to do a fundraiser. I said thanks, but absolutely not.”
He looks and said he feels healthy now.
“I can do everything I did before,” he said. He’s regained most of the 55 pounds he lost. His only health issues are golf injuries.
He said he’s a better person because of the cancer, that he is more empathetic and he appreciates little things.
“I used to complain about working the Punahou Carnival. Then I’m at Queen’s, and missing that. I even missed doing yard work.
“When I got diagnosed with cancer, nothing else compares to that. You quickly realize that all you have is your family (which also includes his wife Jennifer, son and daughter Jonathan and Jaclyn, sister Robin and mother Pauline) and nothing else matters,” Matias Jr. added. “Through sports, you learned lessons you can carry the rest of your life into the workplace, tough medical situations, all areas of life. I forced myself to (walk) laps around the hospital while I was on chemotherapy, with all that stuff hooked up to me. I just knew I had to keep my body in shape.”
Justin is no doubt inspired by both his father’s and grandfather’s grit and resilience.
“We’re looking to make our way back to states. And, this time, win it,” he said. “This year I want to finish and leave with everything I’ve got on the field.”
His attitude echoes his father’s words regarding adversity.
“You have two choices. Fight or let it consume you.
“I chose to fight.”
Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. His blog is at Hawaiiwarriorworld.com/quick-reads.
