Henry Thomas "Honolulu" Hughes, Jr. (1907-1963), a member of the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame Induction Class of 1999, was a pioneer of American college and professional football. He played for the Boston Braves in 1932, the inaugural season for a franchise that the following year would change their name to the Redskins and in 1937 move to Washington. The Honolulu-native was the first Hawaiian to enter Oregon State University in 1927 and graduated with a degree in engineering. In 1933, Hughes returned home to coached at his alma mater, Punahou High School. The Hawai'i Sports Hall of Fame was first established in 1977 in an Executive Order signed by Governor Benjamin Cayetano. In 2003, Governor Linda Lingle signed into law a bill passed by the State Legislature to confirm the permanency of the Hawai'i Sports Hall of Fame as a self-sustaining non-profit organization and designated it the "state museum for sports history in the islands." Athletes are nominated in chronological order and/or by decade. The first class was inducted in 1998 and selected from among those who distinguished themselves from 1849 -1959, the historical benchmark prior to Statehood. Every nominee for induction must receive an 80 percent approval rating by the Selection Committee and unanimous approval by the Commission. The Hall of Fame currently maintains displays at Aloha Stadium, Honolulu International Airport, and a flagship exhibition at the Bishop Museum's Paki Hall, featuring inductee photographs, profiles and memorabilia.

Franchise history in the rafters of the new Boston Garden