Would Hawai'i sports be the same without the McLachlin name? The first inkling of the family's influence on local sports began more than 30 years ago, long before Chris was broadcast into Hawai'i homes or Parker was on the PGA Tour. Combined, the McLachlins played a part in 23 prep state championships at Punahou that span four decades.

"They are the first family of Hawai'i championship athletics," said K5 sports director Jim Leahey. "You have a mother who is All-America, a father with numerous championships (as a coach), sons who are all-state, all-ILH.

"And their house, he's opened his doors to house people for the summer, he really is the kind of person who spreads the wealth. Not just for him and his family, but for everyone."

Chris and Beth McLachlin, already married, arrived in Honolulu in 1970 when Chris took a job at Punahou School to teach and coach.

Then, it was Beth who was making her mark as an All-American for the University of Hawai'i volleyball team in 1974 and 1975. Dave Shoji was in his first season as coach in 1975 and was recommended for the job to Dr. Donnis Thompson by Chris, who coached Punahou basketball with Shoji and was a coach and recruiter with the early UH volleyball teams.

"He had a lot to do with what the Wahine are today," said Shoji, who called Chris "a mentor."

After Beth completed her career with UH she went on to captain the U.S. Olympic team in 1976. That same year she began coaching volleyball at La Pietra, where she was the athletic director for 25 years before retiring from that position in 2000.

"Beth has had quite an impact as a player and coach as well, and she's a role model for women and confidante for young women," Shoji said.

Meanwhile, in that time, Chris was already four state volleyball championships into his coaching career at Punahou, to go along with one in basketball. Chris, who was with Punahou for 37 years, would finish his coaching career with 11 volleyball and three basketball state championships.

"Chris' coaching career is really legendary," Shoji said. "He has many, many state titles in basketball and volleyball and that just speaks for itself, and he's been out of coaching for a while but still helps players with the mental side of the game."

Although his job as a color commentator on K5 could lead many to believe that television is main foray into sports, "it's a coin-flip" about what he's better at, Leahey said.

Sports was an integral part of the McLachlin household for children Parker, Bekka and Spencer.

"I think just growing up, we were always so exposed to everything that had a ball with it," Parker said. "I remember countless hours of being a gym rat from when I could walk."

They all would embrace volleyball, but each also picked his or her own sport. Parker chose golf, Bekka, rhythmic gymnastics and Spencer, volleyball.

"Beth and I both came from an athletic background in high school and college, and we were both coaching and teaching physical education, so some kind of ball was always around," Chris said. "They were always a part of the landscape. The rest of the family didn't have a whole lot of choice."

Parker, 30, found the individuality of golf enticing, and helped lead the Buffanblu to three team state titles. He also won an individual title in 1996. But he didn't stray far from the family sport, and played for Punahou's varsity volleyball team, which won three state championships while he was there.

Parker went on to play golf at UCLA before turning pro. He is in his third year on the PGA Tour.

Recently, Parker donated $24,000 to the Hawai'i High School Hall of Honor, of which he and Spencer are inductees, because the program honors three things his parents instilled in he and his siblings: athletics, academics and community service.

Bekka, 27, competed in rhythmic gymnastics and was on track to join the national team before a coaching setback forced her to take another look at volleyball. She was named Punahou's most inspirational player for volleyball in her senior year and went on to earn a volleyball scholarship at Salt Lake Community College. She is a teacher in California.

Spencer, 21, completed a prestigious prep career as a two-time Advertiser State Player of the Year in volleyball and the Interscholastic League of Ho-nolulu co-Player of the Year in basketball. He led the Buffanblu to three state titles in volleyball and was named the National Player of the Year by Volleyball Magazine.

Spencer is now a junior outside hitter for Stanford.

Because the McLachlins are such a sports-minded family, they took the lessons they learned from the court or course and applied them to their family dynamic as well.

"Teamwork is so important," Beth said. "Whether it's sports or family, we all learn to pitch in and support each other."

Spencer added: "My dad had always been a strong enforcer of the team first and he coached all of us, even my mom, before any of us were born. It goes back to his John Wooden ways of just preaching team first, and we all bought into it."

In the 1980s, Chris began broadcasting volleyball games on K5, making him instantly recognizable.

"Because dad was on TV, it was one of those things where it made the island that much smaller," Parker said. "People would see him in the super market or we would go to a movie and people would just come up to him ... he's one of those guys where he was so affable and friendly, he would stand there for 10 minutes and talk to the person and find out how they were all interconnected. By the time we got to being in high school, it was just kind of this joke, where it was how many people would stop him and we'd keep a running tally."

Chris' television partner, play-by-play announcer Jim Leahey, said Chris "is, in my opinion, the finest volleyball color man in television. He knows the game, and won championships with his coaching, and he studies the game. He keeps working with the latest trends in the game of volleyball."

Like Chris, Spencer and Parker receive a majority of the spotlight, but the first child to follow directly in Chris and Beth's coaching footsteps is Bekka, who recently coached the junior varsity program at Desert Hot Springs (Calif.) High School.

"I think from a very young age I always told my brothers what to do," Bekka said. "My parents told me I would either be a lawyer or a teacher.

"I love teaching and working with kids and making a difference in their lives. I saw the impact my parents had. They have kids who graduated 20 years ago who still come around. Seeing that is what inspired me."

Like her father, who would coach the Stanford men's volleyball club team for which he played, Bekka took over as coach for the men's club team at Salt Lake Community College.

Chris sees Spencer eventually coaching as well. Spencer remembers at an early age how much of an impact a good coach could make when his father took that role in his life.

"I think I realized that my dad was a pretty special coach when I was really young because he coached my second grade basketball team and I had other soccer coaches before and I realized how good he was," Spencer said. "I didn't start playing volleyball until fourth or fifth grade and I heard many stories about my mom and how (people) don't remember her being blocked. I knew I had two really good role models at an early age."

Sports played an integral role in the ups and downs of family life.

Both Beth and Chris endured shocking life events. In 2007, Beth broke a vertebrae in her neck while demonstrating a backflip on a trampoline for her class. A year later, Chris suffered a stroke.

"I think the kids know we're both athletes, so when something physical happens they don't panic as much," Beth said. "I know they were all worried but they are proud that we are strong and we can come back. Sometimes your attitude is 100 percent how you heal from things. Some people, when bad things happen to them, it shatters them, but athletes take it as a challenge."

Having athletic parents taught the children important lessons.

"I think Dad was more of the disciplinarian ... he sort of taught you how to work," Parker said. "He taught you the meaning of hard work.

"Mom was the competitive one; she was the one who was intensely competitive. I think that's where Spencer and I get our competitiveness from. We get our will to win from Mom. I think Dad is more of the person who is going to strategize, but Mom was like, 'I don't care how, I'm going to get it done.' It's widely acknowledged in our family."