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Finding aid for the Tigers Youth Club Records
2001.203
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Title: Tigers Youth Club Records
Dates: 1956-1999
Bulk Dates: 1970-1979
Collection number: 2001.203
Creator:
Kawahara, Daniel
Collection Size:
2.50 linear feet
Repository:
Japanese American National Museum (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Abstract: This collection was created by Daniel Kawahara. Kawahara was instrumental in founding the Tigers Youth Club, a Japanese American
sports league started in Southern California in 1957 and still active as of 2014. This collection contains photographs, a
scrapbook, and textual records documenting the history of the Tigers and their founding organization, the Has Beens. The
bulk of the collection is made up of minutes from Has Beens meetings, programs from Tigers sports tournaments, and of photographs
of Tigers teams.
Physical location: Japanese American National Museum
100 North Central Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Collection is open for research by appointment only.
Please contact the Japanese American National Museum Collections Management and Access Unit by email (collections@janm.org)
or telephone (213-830-5615).
All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from materials in this collection must be submitted to the Collections
Management and Access Unit at the Japanese American National Museum (collections@janm.org).
[Identification of item], Tigers Youth Club records. 2001.203, Japanese American National Museum. Los Angeles, CA.
Initial processing was completed by Keiko Nishimoto in March 2011. Further processing was completed by Lauren Zuchowski in
February 2014.
Biography / Administrative History
Daniel Kawahara was born in Hawaii in 1919. In the early 1930’s, he moved to the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles
with his family. Before World War II, he was an active participant in the Cougars, an American sports club which met at Evergreen
Playground in Los Angeles. Kawahara returned to Southern California after World War II and in 1953 formed a softball team
called the “Has Beens” with a group of friends. Kawahara, who was the secretary, recorded the minutes at their meetings.
The Has Beens played baseball and basketball as members of the Japanese Athletic Union—later renamed the Nisei Athletic Union—and
formed the Tigers Youth Club in 1957 to provide their children with competitive athletic opportunities.
The Tigers Youth Club began with one baseball team of boys, ages 7 to 12. They accepted anyone who was interested in playing,
regardless of skill, and provided financial assistance in the form of equipment, uniforms and league and tournament fees.
From one baseball team, the Tigers grew to include several baseball and basketball teams. In 1962, a girl’s program was started;
later, men’s and women’s teams were entered into existing leagues.
In 1967, the Tigers organized a basketball tournament against San Jose Community Youth Service (CYS) that was held annually
through 1981. In 1976, the Tigers held the first Scholarship Invitational Basketball Tournament to raise money for deserving
Tigers who were high school seniors wanting to pursue higher education. This annual tournament, renamed simply the Tigers
Tournament, continues to this day. In 1978, the Tigers Youth Club was incorporated as a nonprofit organization in the state
of California. As of 2011, the Tigers Youth Club includes over 50 youth and adult teams in Los Angeles, Orange, and Ventura
Counties.
Scope and Content of Collection
This collection provides a glimpse of grassroots sports activities in post-war Japanese American communities in Southern California.
It contains invoices, correspondence, minutes, photographs, newspaper clippings, tournament programs, a scrapbook, and textual
records documenting the history of the Tigers and their founding organization, the Has Beens. The bulk of the collection
is made up of minutes from Has Beens meetings, programs from Tigers sports tournaments, and of color and black and white photographs
of Tigers teams. The Tigers photographs includes the Algonquins (a baseball team started by Has Beens member Yukio Yamauchi)
and the Valiants (a baseball and basketball team started by Has Beens member Hiro Taniyama) boys clubs at a dance. The scrapbook
was a gift to Kawahara and coaches from midget, junior and senior Nisei Athletic Union (NAU) Tigers with photographs of 1959-1963
Tiger teams.
Items have been arranged chronologically when applicable with the exception of Series 1, Subseries 1 (Financial Documents)
which has remained in original order.
Series 1 : The Has Beens (1 linear feet) is comprised of 5 subseries.
Subseries 2: Financial Documents (2 folders)
Subseries 3: Correspondence (4 folders)
Subseries 4: Minutes (12 folders)
Subseries 5: Photographs (1 folder)
Series 2: The Tigers Youth Club (1.5 linear feet) is comprised of 3 subseries.
Subseries 1: Photographs (7 folders)
Subseries 2: Programs (25 folders)
Subseries 3: Miscellaneous Documents (2 folders)
Tigers Youth Club
Has Beens (Athletic club)
Kawahara, Daniel
Japanese Americans
Sports administration
Nisei
Sansei
Baseball
Basketball
California, Southern