Hidetora Hanada, former sumo wrestler, honored by Colorado State with name on jersey in Japanese

When Hidetora Hanada, a star sumo wrestler from Japan, announced that he was going to play college football at Colorado State it made waves in his home country.

Hanada was on track to become a professional at the highest rank in sumo wrestling, and his departure signaled a new start.

It also signaled a pause on a promising and honorable career in his native land.

On Oct. 28, in a game against Air Force played in the snow, Hanada began to get his first real action and recorded his first collegiate tackles. He finished the game with three stops.

A week later, he was awarded a unique honor by the program: His name was printed on the back of his jersey in Japanese, highlighting his heritage and letting everyone know about the journey the talented redshirt junior has been on.

“For the rest of the season, Hidetora Hanada’s nameplate will have his name written in kanji,” the football program’s official account tweeted in Japanese. “We want him to remember home! He is a great addition to our team!”

Hanada responded in kind on Twitter, saying, “I’m really happy to be able to play in this uniform. I really appreciate everyone at CSU.”

The 6-foot-1, 280-pound tackle has certainly come along quickly after enrolling in the summer.

Hanada first earned the eyes of football coaches when he was working out for a semi-pro football team in Japan called the IBM Big Blue. He later attended a CFL combine in Edmonton, where things really began to take off for him.

Shortly after, he was on his way to Colorado State to try his hand at American football. And make no mistake about it, Hanada had an incredibly bright future in sumo wrestling, making his move a shock to many.

“Changing my focus to football might have disappointed some but I’d like to prove to them that I’m challenging something new and (will be) successful at it on the global stage,” Hanada told The Denver Post earlier this year. “I’m thinking of each one of them all the time while pushing myself to the new challenge every day.”

If his current trajectory is any indication, Hanada will get what he wanted out of college football. He’s rapidly improving and finding his way onto the field for the Rams.

The latest honor will likely only provide further encouragement.

Hanada explained his desire to play college football to The Denver Post.

“While competing sumo in Japan, I started thinking that I wanted to fight many strong athletes worldwide,” Hanada said. “Football is the most popular sport in the United States and I wanted to see how I can compete in that environment. I wanted to see my limit. That’s why I decided to challenge football.”