Three inducted into Sports Circle of Honor

February 28th, 2011  |  by  |  Published in Sports

Dickie Furtado, Yuval Katz and Jackson Wheeler with plaques

From left, Dickie Furtado, accepting for his father Richard Furtado; former player Yuval Katz; and former associate head coach Jackson Wheeler, accepting for AC Carter. Photo by Jay Metzger

Three University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa athletes who were dominant players in their respective sports have been inducted into the Sports Circle of Honor.

Anthony “AC” Carter, the late Richard Furtado and Yuval Katz were recognized during halftime of the UH vs. Louisiana Tech men’s basketball game Feb. 24, 2011.

They join 93 individuals and 10 teams inducted since the Sports Circle of Honor was initiated in 1982. Honorees are represented by plaques anchored on the inner walls surrounding the main concourse of the Stan Sheriff Center.

Anthony “AC” Carter led the Rainbows to a pair of National Invitation Tournament appearances and a 1997 Western Athletic Conference regular season during his two years on the basketball team. A two-time Associated Press honorable mention All-American and the school’s first WAC Player of the Year, he scored a career 1,070 points, averaged 18.9 points per game and set a school record for 6.9 assists per game.

Carter began his decade-long NBA career with the Miami Heat, followed by stints with the San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves. He recently joined the New York Knicks after spending five seasons with the Denver Nuggets.

In 2004 he donated $100,000 to the university to start the AC Carter Scholarship Fund.

Richard D. Furtado was a two-sport athlete out of Punahou School. Considered by many to be one of the greatest Hawaiʻi track and field athletes of all-time, he was the Hawaiʻi champion in the broad jump, high hurdles and low hurdles and also competed in the high jump, discus, javelin and relay events.

On the gridiron, “Potato” was a triple threat, running, passing and kicking as a member of the undefeated Wonder Team II that upset the California Golden Bears 14–0 in the 1935 New Year’s Day Classic bowl game.

Furtado served as head UH track and field coach 1936–37. He was a successful businessman and sports advocate in Hilo. He was a gold medalist in Rainbow Relays and Hawaiian AAU track meets for more than 20 years, and then became the Hawaiʻi amateur golf champion at age 42. Furtado died in 2006 at the age of 93.

Yuval Katz was considered by many to be the most dominant men’s volleyball player in the country. During his two-year career, he was named AVCA Newcomer and Player of the Year and led Hawaiʻi to back-to-back NCAA Championship Tournament appearances.

UV” amassed 1,444 kills, a school-record 7.81 kills per set average, 100 service aces and a hitting percentage of .394. He helped create a statewide frenzy for men’s volleyball—fans lined up overnight for tickets at the newly built 10,000-seat Stan Sheriff Center and five matches sold out.

Katz played five years professionally in Greece and four years in Israel before retiring.


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