043 - Bob Nash
Mister Rainbow … Wore the green and kalakoa like army fatigues. Not for show. For war ... Hard to do in bold floral short shorts. But he pulled it off … Six-foot-eight, 195 … Backbone of Red Rocha’s Fab Five: Davis, Freeman, Holiday, Penebacker—and him … Knew his role. “I had to set the tone for the game.” … Swallowed misses like a shark. Off Waikiki ... Could’ve inspired John Williams. Baton raised. Two simple notes, E and F. Dun dun. Dun dun … Junior year, ’70-71: School records—360 boards; 12.9 average. Wouldn’t last … Senior year, ’71-72: Even better—361, in three fewer games; 14.4 a night. Despite switching positions from center to forward … Coach Rocha: “Bob had to learn all over again how to score and rebound when we moved him. But all of a sudden he was facing the basket and making those 20-30 footers and he was still hauling down the rebounds.” … Dec. 30, ’71: Pulled down 30 boards in the Rainbow Classic title game. “It was our own tournament and we just had to get out there and win it.” … The Honolulu Star-Advertiser captured the frenzy in the morning edition: “A wild man on a rampage. A man possessed. A maniac on the loose.” … Tourney MVP. Fifty-three boards in the three-game tournament … Another line in the books. Tops the career rebounding chart at 13.6. No one’s climbed higher … Moment to forget: Suspended one game for striking an official after a 90-89 loss to Westmont in Santa Barbara. “He says I did. I say I didn’t.” And may’ve done some redecorating in the visitor’s locker room, too … Home court? The Honolulu International Center. Locals called it The HIC. Renamed the Neal S. Blaisdell Center in ’76 … Built in ’64 for $14.4 million. Tucked between Ward and Kapiolani … Sugar Ray Robinson, cheered in defeat in ’65. Pistol dropped 53 against St. John's in ’69—outscoring them 40-39 in the second half. Elvis beamed to a billion people in ’73. And nearly a decade later, Chaminade shocked the world—toppling No. 1 Virginia and seven-foot-four Ralph Sampson, 77-72 … And the ‘Bows? Went 37–1 there during his two-year stint. Only blemish: A 67–66 heartbreaker to Centenary, Feb. 27, ’71. Coach Rocha: “I tried to tell the boys they’d be tough.” Rocha claimed the Paloma Little Leaguers could beat his boys on a bad night … Noise. Passion. Pride. The home crowd swarmed the visitors—every night … Triple digits always in the scoring forecast. The temp never got there, though. Who knew? ... NIT quarterfinals in ’71 … Worked on his jumper that summer. And it showed. Led the squad at 18.2 a night on 48 percent shooting. Cal coach Jim Padgett noticed—called him “an excellent outside shooter.” … They Danced in ’72—first NCAA bid in program history. Lost to Weber State, 91-64, in the first round. At Holt Arena, elevation 4,560 feet. “We were a fast-paced team and the altitude just took that pace away from us.” … Still, they’d won something bigger: The heart, soul, and imagination of the Aloha State … Honorable mention All-American. All-Pacific Coast. Married Domelynne, a ’Bows cheerleader … And to think, he almost went to Kansas. They’d brought out the big guns: Coach Ted Owens, Boston’s JoJo White. “Something just didn’t seem right.” … Then Red Rocha showed up with a video of Hawaii. Sold him on the program ... Detroit made him their first-round pick in ’72. Maybe a third round choice in the ABA’s secret draft. Some said Kentucky called his name … “My agent tells me I’m in a real good bargaining position.” … Inked a three-year deal with the Pistons for an estimated $200,000 to $250,000—reports varied … Detroit GM Ed Coil: “The negotiation time was about one hour. They gave us a figure that was maybe a little higher than we thought about but not out of line. So we signed him.” … Coach Earl Lloyd: “He can run and shoot and rebound and he’s the type of player we need to fortify us at forward.” … Wasn’t ready. “I was immature and impulsive in a lot of ways when I was in Detroit.” … Sent down to the CBA’s Pontiac franchise—Caps, Capps, Caparrals, Chaparrals. Take your pick. Even the press didn’t care enough to spell it right … The unis? Said “Capps.” Put up 21 and 12—yet still played second fiddle to a 20-year-old Gervin dropping 37 a night … A month of bus rides through Flint, Rockford, Decatur, Lake County. Then back to the end of the Detroit bench—racking up DNPs every other game. “Not playing much took away my confidence.” Cut before the start of the ’74-75 season. “I went back to Hawaii and didn’t do much.” Other than wait by the phone … Signed with the San Diego Qs three months later—one year before their ship sank. “They were a bad team, and it was in financial trouble. Fortunately, I got every paycheck. The coach and I didn’t get along, clashing personalities.” …
ABA debut, Feb. 1: Flew all night from Honolulu. Landed in San Diego in the morning. Caught a flight to Denver. Night game against the Nuggets. Made it. Put up 19 and 10 in 22 minutes. Then boarded another plane for a nooner the next day on Long Island—against Dr. J and the Nets …
Played in the Valentine’s Day Marathon—the longest and highest-scoring game in ABA history: 342 combined points. The Qs beat the Nets, 176-166 in four OTs. His contribution? Two points … Summer of ’75: New owner. New name. Only four players returned; he wasn't one of them ... No offers stateside. No problem. “You’ve always got to play if you’ve got it in your heart. When you leave school, it doesn’t go away.” Took his game overseas—to Sweden. To play for Alvik of Stockholm, in the 16-team Industrial League. “Snow every day. The courts were terrible. The crowds sometimes very small. The pay was adequate; the offer was attractive because they provided living quarters.” A paycheck. A place to play. A chance to work on his game … Instant fan-favorite. Dubbed Big Mac—after the burger made famous by the team’s sponsor. … “It’s a good life. We only play about two games a week.” Wife Domelynne enjoyed the stay, too. “She managed to do a few hulas for people over there.” … Two seasons: 25 and 15, then 28 and 16. Two-time MVP. Two titles … “I never lost confidence in myself. It was just a matter of finding someone who would give me another chance.” … Returned stateside in ’77. Reached out to several NBA teams, asking for a tryout. Only the Kings took him up on iit. Paid his own way to camp. Made the team … Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons: “Bob is an active player who moves well. He creates action and opportunities. Bob goes to the basket well and can explode on offense. He is a very determined individual, who’ll make the sacrifice.” … Two seasons in Kansas City.. Per-36 stats off the bench: 16.4, 7.6 and 2.1, then 14.4, 5.7 and 2.0 … Final stop: Hawaii Volcanoes of the CBA in ’79-80 … Born Robert Lee Nash Jr. on Aug. 24, 1950, in Hartford, CT … Turned to coaching after the last bus ride. Twenty-six years as an assistant at Hawaii. Three more as the Rainbows’ head coach. “This is the only job I ever wanted.” Then seven seasons in Japan’s pro league … Daughter Erika played volleyball at Bradley. Son Bobby played basketball at UH … The Fab Five entered the UH Sports Circle of Honor in ’82 as part of its inaugural class. He followed as an individual honoree in ’19. Hartford Public inducted him into its HOF in ’04 … His No. 33 was retired in ’20—the first UH player so honored. “It’s the culmination of a great career I had here at the University of Hawaii.” ... The Fab Five, more than half a century later? “We are still in Hawaii. We still get together.”
Sourcing: Ann Arbor News, 4/11/1972; Birmingham News, 5/23/1977; Buffalo News, 3/7/1978; Denver Post, 2/2/1975 [made first four shots in ABA debut; scored 19 points]; Detroit Free Press, 5/2/1972 [GM Ed Coil quote re contract negotiations], 11/23/1972, 4/19/1973, 6/25/1974, 10/2/1974 [cut by Pistons], 12/12/1979; Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 5/10/1970, 2/18/1971, 2/20/1971, 2/28/1971 [Rocha warned team could be upset by Palmoa Little Leaguers'], 4/8/1971, 4/13/1971, 12/3/1971, 12/30/1971, 12/31/1971 [Nash tournament totals; “it was our tournament” quote; wild man on a rampage, man possessed, maniac on the loose], 1/4/1972, 2/28/1972, 5/8/1972 [vague contract terms], 10/2/1974 [Cut by Pistons], 1/19/1976 [HIC renamed Blaisdell Center], 5/9/1976, 1/12/2014, 1/29/2014, 12/26/1996, 4/14/2007 [only job I ever wanted], 5/18/2015 [$14.4M; war memorial]; Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 5/14/1970, 6/3/1970, 7/22/1970, 7/28/1970, 12/13/1970, 12/26/1970, 12/31/1971, 1/4/1972, 1/22/1972, 11/22/1972, 2/11/1972 [suspension details, quote], 4/5/1972, 5/1/1972 [Coach Lloyd quote], 10/1/1974 [cut by Pistons], 6/61975 [quotes re the ABA], 3/7/1978 [never lost confidence; reached out to NBA seeking a tryout; only Kings answered], 3/16/1978 [immature quote], 6/26/1987 [six years on job when named HC Ruley’s assistant], 1/22/1997, 11/18/1999, 1/19/2002, 4/15/2007 [wife was former cheerleader]; Hawaii Tribune-Herald, 5/3/1972 [signed for $250K]; Kansas City Star, 10/18/1978, 2/7/1979 [Sweden quotes; San Diego was a bad team quotes]; Kansas City Times, 5/24/1977 [Swedish Basketball POY, ’76-77], 10/12/1979; New York Daily News, 12/12/1972 [returned to Pistons after being farmed out two weeks ago], 1/2/1977; San Diego Union, 2/3/1975; Santa Barbara News-Press, 2/11/1972 [Referee claimed Nash hit him behind the head while en route to the dressing room after the game]; https://apbr.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3304, accessed 3/30/2026; hawaiiathletics.com, accessed 3/30/2026 [chose UH over Kansas]; hawaiiathletics.com, accessed 3/30/2026; hawaiiwarriorworld.com, accessed 3/30/2026 [No. 33 jersey retired in ’20]; prnewswire.com, accessed 3/31/2026 [Daughter played volleyball at Bradley].