Dave Shoji channels long-time love of coaching into new-found passion as volunteer at Sony Open in Hawaiʻi

Commonly referred to as “Coach,” Dave Shoji was the head coach of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Rainbow Wahine volleyball team for 42 years. Today, he volunteers inside the ropes as a walking scorer at the Sony Open in Hawaiʻi on the PGA TOUR.

“If you follow him around, you’re going to hear a lot of, ‘Hey, Coach,’ ‘What’s up, Coach,’ ‘How are you, Coach,’” said Shoji’s son, Kawika. “He’s just an icon in this community.”

“[Volunteering] is just a blast,” said Shoji. “This is the best. I’ve been doing it for a few years, and it’s just so much fun to be out here.”

While the tournament would not be possible without its 1,200 volunteers, Shoji might be the most recognizable of them. He is known not only on the island as the long-time head coach, but also across the country as the second-winningest coach in NCAA Division I volleyball history.

“The parallels [of golf and volleyball] are a lot, because at the highest level, there’s just so much more to it than the average person knows,” Shoji said. “My favorite part is being inside the ropes [because] you’re part of the game, and that’s what I miss about coaching.”

Shoji and his wife, Mary, have three children who all excelled in volleyball. Their daughter, Cobey, played at UNLV and the University of Michigan. Their sons, Kawika and Erik, helped lead the Stanford men’s team to a national title in 2010 and competed for the U.S. in multiple Olympics, winning bronze at the 2016 Rio Games and competing in the 2020 Tokyo Games.

“I think he’s just excited about being a part of the community, giving back and helping the tournament,” said Kawika. “He knows what a special tournament it is, and we have a lot of great memories as a family here.”

The tournament host organization, Friends of Hawaiʻi Charities, gives back $1.2 million annually to support non-profit programs that benefit Hawaiʻi’s keiki, women, elderly and impoverished. Last year, they announced a four-year partnership with the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation to further their impact and fund specific Hawaiʻi charitable programs such as the ALICE Initiative, Kūpuna Aging in Place and the Promising Minds Initiative.

This year, following the fires on Maui, Sony Group Corporation donated $200,000 to the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation to further support relief efforts for those impacted.

“It’s giving back to the community to volunteer, and I really enjoy giving back,” Shoji said. “For me, coaching is something in the past, so I just look forward to doing some other things.”

Like spending time with his family and grandchildren, enjoying the retired island life in Honolulu, golfing and surfing, and – of course – volunteering.