Saburō Kawabuchi facts for kids
Kawabuchi in 1964
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Saburo Kawabuchi | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | December 3, 1936 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Takaishi, Osaka, Japan | ||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Forward | ||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1952–1954 | Mikunigaoka High School | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1957–1960 | Waseda University | ||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||
| 1961–1970 | Furukawa Electric | 68 | (10) | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | 68 | (10) | |||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1958–1965 | Japan | 26 | (8) | ||||||||||||||||
| Teams managed | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1973–1975 | Japan | ||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Saburo Kawabuchi (川淵 三郎, Kawabuchi Saburō, born December 3, 1936) is a famous Japanese football player and manager. He played for and also managed the Japan national team. He is known for starting the J.League, which is Japan's professional football league. He was also the president of the Japan Football Association from 2002 to 2008.
Contents
Saburo Kawabuchi's Early Life and Education
Saburo Kawabuchi was born in Takaishi, Japan, on December 3, 1936. When he was younger, in elementary and junior high school, he played baseball. Later, at Mikunigaoka High School in Osaka, he joined the football team.
He finished high school in 1955. In 1957, he went to Waseda University to study commerce. He continued to play football for the university team. He earned a bachelor's degree in commerce from Waseda University.
Playing Career: Club and National Teams
Club Football with Furukawa Electric
After university, Kawabuchi joined the Furukawa Electric team. This was during the early days of the Japan Soccer League. In the very first season of the league in 1965, he made history. He was the first player to score three goals in one game, which is called a hat-trick. This happened in a match against Nagoya Mutual Bank.
He stopped playing football in 1970. By then, he had played 68 games and scored 10 goals in the league.
Playing for the Japan National Team
Kawabuchi first played for the Japan national team on December 25, 1958. He was still a student at Waseda University when he made his debut against Hong Kong. In that game, he scored two goals!
He played in the 1962 Asian Games. In 1964, he was chosen to play for Japan in the 1964 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo. He even scored a goal in Japan's first match against Argentina at those Olympics. He played 26 games for Japan and scored 8 goals before he stopped playing for the national team in 1965.
Coaching and Leading Japanese Football
Becoming a Coach and Manager
After he stopped playing, Kawabuchi became a coach for Furukawa Electric in 1970. From 1973 to 1975, he was the manager of the team.
In 1980, he was chosen to manage the Japan national team. He took over just before the 1982 World Cup qualification games. He managed the team until March 1981.
Founding the J.League and Leading Football Associations
In 1991, Saburo Kawabuchi became the first chairman of the J.League. This was a very important step because the J.League was Japan's first professional football league. He helped make football a major sport in Japan.
In 2002, he stepped down as J.League chairman. He then became the 10th president of the Japan Football Association, which is the main organization for football in Japan. He held this important role until 2008. He also served as president of the Japan Basketball Association for a short time from 2015 to 2016.
Awards and Recognition
Kawabuchi has received many honors for his contributions to sports. In 2006, he received the FIFA Order of Merit, which is a high award from FIFA, the world football governing body. In 2008, he was also added to the Japan Football Hall of Fame.
Saburo Kawabuchi's Later Years
Saburo Kawabuchi continues to be involved in sports. He is a councilor for the committee organizing the 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo.
Club Statistics
| Club performance | League | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals |
| Japan | League | |||
| 1965 | Furukawa Electric | JSL Division 1 | 14 | 3 |
| 1966 | 14 | 4 | ||
| 1967 | 14 | 1 | ||
| 1968 | 14 | 1 | ||
| 1969 | 12 | 1 | ||
| 1970 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 68 | 10 | ||
National Team Statistics
| Japan national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 1958 | 2 | 2 |
| 1959 | 9 | 3 |
| 1960 | 1 | 0 |
| 1961 | 6 | 1 |
| 1962 | 6 | 2 |
| 1963 | 0 | 0 |
| 1964 | 0 | 0 |
| 1965 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 26 | 8 |
Awards and Honours
- Japan Soccer League Silver Ball (Assist Leader): 1966
- Japan Football Hall of Fame: Inducted in 2008
- Order of the Rising Sun, 2nd Class, Gold and Silver Star: 2009
- Person of Cultural Merit: 2015
- Order of Culture: 2023
Books
- J's career – With Japan football, Nihon Keizai Shimbun Shuppan, 2009
See also
In Spanish: Saburo Kawabuchi para niños
