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 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1952–1954 | Mikunigaoka High School | ||||||||||||||||||
| College career | |||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1957–1960 | Waseda University | ||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1961–1970 | Furukawa Electric | 68 | (10) | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | 68 | (10) | |||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1958–1965 | Japan | 26 | (8) | ||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1973–1975 | Furukawa Electric | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1980–1981 | Japan | ||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||
Saburo Kawabuchi (川淵 三郎, Kawabuchi Saburō, born December 3, 1936) is a famous Japanese football player and manager. He played for and later managed the Japanese national team. He is also known for creating the J.League, which is Japan's main professional football league. From 2002 to 2008, he was the president of the Japan Football Association.
Contents
Early Life and Football Beginnings
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 switched to playing football.
After high school, he went to Waseda University to study commerce. He continued to play football for the university team. He earned his degree from Waseda University in 1960.
Playing Career in Japan
After finishing university, Kawabuchi joined the Furukawa Electric football team. This was during the early days of the Japan Soccer League, which was a new league. In the very first season of the league in 1965, he made history. He was the first player to score a "hat-trick," which means scoring three goals in one game. He scored these goals against Nagoya Mutual Bank. Kawabuchi played for Furukawa Electric until 1970. During his time in the league, he played 68 games and scored 10 goals.
Playing for the National Team
Saburo Kawabuchi also played for the Japanese national team. He made his first appearance on December 25, 1958, while he was still a university student. In that first game against Hong Kong, he scored two goals!
He represented Japan in important events like the 1962 Asian Games. In 1964, he was chosen to play for Japan at the Summer Olympics held in Tokyo. At those Olympics, he scored a goal in Japan's first match against Argentina. He played a total of 26 games for Japan and scored 8 goals before he stopped playing for the national team in 1965.
Coaching and Leadership Roles
After he stopped playing football, Kawabuchi became a coach for his old team, Furukawa Electric, in 1970. From 1973 to 1975, he was the team's manager. He also briefly managed the Japanese national team from late 1980 to early 1981. He took over as manager just before the 1982 World Cup qualification games.
In 1991, Kawabuchi took on a very important role. He became the first chairman of the J.League. This was a big step for Japanese football because the J.League was the first professional football league in Japan. He helped make football a popular sport in the country.
In 2002, he stepped down as chairman of the J.League. He then became the 10th president of the Japan Football Association, which is the main organization for football in Japan. He held this position until 2008. He also served as president of the Japan Basketball Association from 2015 to 2016.
Honors and Later Contributions
Saburo Kawabuchi has received many awards for his contributions to sports. In 2006, he was given the FIFA Order of Merit, which is a very high honor from FIFA, the world's football governing body. In 2008, he was also added to the Japan Football Hall of Fame.
He continued to be involved in major sports events. He served as a councilor for the committee that organized the 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo. These games were held in 2021 due to global events.
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
See also
In Spanish: Saburo Kawabuchi para niños
