Sensei Frank T. Hirai was born on December 30, 1950 in Twin Falls, Idaho. At the age of 12, Sensei Hirai joined the newly-formed Twin Falls Judo Club and became one of nine original members of the club. He earned his shodan in 1969 and enrolled at Idaho State University in Pocatello. Frank organized and taught the first judo class offered at ISU. He received his Master’s degree in sociology in 1975 and returned as sensei for the Twin Falls – CSI Judo Club with Guy Matsuoka Sensei and Wesley Dobbs Sensei, the founders of the club. Frank became the head sensei for the club in the mid-1980. He was a fiery competitor, an outstanding instructor and a national-caliber referee. Frank was the 1987 and 1988 Intermountain Yushoki Championship Twin Falls-CSI Judo Teams. He served as the Intermountain YDK junior, high school, collegiate and senior national coach numerous times in his career. As a Class C referee he worked many national tournaments. He was promoted to yodan in 1988.
On May 18, 1991, while driving from a judo tournament in McCall, Idaho, Hirai Sensei was killed by a drunk driver. In 1994 the annual Twin Falls-CSI Judo Tournament was named in his honor. Additionally, members of the Intermountain YDK met in 1994 to dedicate a beautiful memorial at the College of Southern Idaho to Sensei Frank T. Hirai. His strong judo spirit lives on in the minds and hearts of all Intermountain judoka.