Katoosh

Katoosh is an expression associated with a forceful physical impact, particularly a hard hit in American football. The expression became closely associated with American football coach and sports broadcaster Larry Price, who used "Katoosh!" as a distinctive call during sports commentary in Hawaii.

The precise origin of the expression is uncertain. According to an account of a story told by Price, the word originated during his years as head football coach at the University of Hawaiʻi, when a player attempting to describe an injury used the word "contusion," which was reportedly mispronounced or misheard as "katoosh." Other recollections have suggested that similar sounds were used to imitate the sound of a major collision in football. The competing explanations have not been independently established.

History

Larry Price was head football coach at the University of Hawaiʻi from 1974 to 1976. He later developed a long career in radio and television broadcasting and became particularly associated with football commentary.

Price joined OC16 during the network's inception in 1989 and became a longtime analyst for Hawaiʻi high school football. According to Spectrum News Hawaiʻi, Price's signature use of "katoosh" to describe bone-jarring hits became part of local football vocabulary. His broadcasting colleagues later recalled that the expression continued to be associated with Price's commentary.

By 2006, "Katoosh" was sufficiently associated with Price to appear in public events and sports terminology. A March 2006 article in MidWeek, titled "Toasting Larry With A ‘Katoosh!,'" reported that people attending a dinner honoring Price used the expression while raising their glasses. The article also referred to an athletic benefit called "The Big Katoosh: Education Through Athletics."

A 2006 Sports Hawaii media guide used the term in connection with the "Larry Price All-Katoosh Team," which recognized high school football players described as the top hitters in the state.

Origin

The exact etymology of "katoosh" has not been established.

In 2026, Spectrum News Hawaiʻi reported a recollection from longtime OC16 broadcaster Felipe Ojastro concerning a story Price had told about the word's origin. According to that account, while Price was head coach at the University of Hawaiʻi, a player approached him during practice to complain about an injury. The player attempted to say "contusion," but the word was reportedly mispronounced or misheard, resulting in "katoosh."

The account is presented as a story told by Price rather than as an independently documented linguistic origin. The available published evidence does not establish when the expression was first used or whether Price originated the sound himself.

A 2006 discussion among Hawaii football fans also contained recollections that "katoosh" or similar expressions had been used to represent the sound or force of a football collision before Price's broadcasting career. Such recollections are not independently verified and do not establish an earlier origin.

Usage and association with Larry Price

Price's use of the expression became a recognizable part of his sports broadcasting persona. In a 2008 MidWeek profile of Price and radio partner Michael W. Perry, Perry described Price as someone who made up expressions, specifically citing "katoosh" as an example.

The expression continued to be identified with Price in later accounts. In 2022, Hawaii News Now described Price as a former coach known for his signature "KATOOSH!" and reported Price's own description of what it meant to be "katooshed."

Following Price's death in 2026, the University of Hawaiʻi described him as a longtime sports commentator known for his signature "katoosh!" call. Spectrum News Hawaiʻi reported that his use of the expression on high school football broadcasts had become part of local football vocabulary.

References

Category:American football terminology Category:Hawaii culture Category:Sports terminology https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2026/03/27/in-memoriam-larry-price/

References

This article "Katoosh" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Katoosh. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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