Bobby Curran's celebration of life is set for April 13 at Murphy's Bar & Grill from 2 to 5 p.m.
Curran passed away on March 9 at St. Francis Hospice in Nu‘uanu. He was the radio broadcast voice for multiple University of Hawai‘i sports teams for over three decades, handling play-by-play duties for the UH football and men's basketball teams.
In addition to his play-by-play duties, he also hosted the Bobby Curran show on weekday mornings on ESPN Honolulu, earning respect from listeners for his ability to be at his best despite the consistent quick turnarounds from night to morning radio.
Over 400 UH football games in a span of 32 seasons were called by Curran. He also called five Hawai‘i NCAA Tournament games, including UH's 77-66 win over Cal on March 18, 2016, which remains the program's lone NCAA Tournament win.
Curran also dabbled with other UH sports, calling women's volleyball and basketball, as well as baseball.
Curran underwent a double lung transplant during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to an extended hiatus. He returned to host the Bobby Curran show in the summer of 2023 before retiring a year later.
He is survived by his wife, Jo, as well as his sons, Max and Finn. Jo is set to announce a foundation in honor of Bobby at the celebration of life.
The public is invited to attend the celebration of life, although seating is limited and select areas will be reserved for family and friends.
ESPN Honolulu personalities Kanoa Leahey and John Veneri will serve as emcees at the event. Among the speakers are former University of Hawai‘i football coach June Jones and pastor Norman Nakanishi.
Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
