Takeru Yamasaki (born September 2, 1993) is a

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese former professional

Canadian football Canadian football, or simply football, is a Sports in Canada, sport in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete on a field long and wide, attempting to advance a Ball (gridiron football), pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposi ...

placekicker In gridiron football, the placekicker (PK), or simply kicker (K), is the player responsible for attempts at scoring Field goal (football), field goals and extra points. In most cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

in Japan for

Osaka University The , abbreviated as UOsaka or , is a List of national universities in Japan, national research university in Osaka, Japan. The university traces its roots back to Edo period, Edo-era institutions Tekijuku (1838) and Kaitokudō, Kaitokudo (1724), ...

and spent three seasons in the X-League before being signed by the

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions playe ...

in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL) in 2021. He appeared in their first two games of the season before being released. He kicked four field goals with the Lions, becoming the first Japanese player to ever score in the CFL.

Early life and education

Yamasaki was born in 1993 in

and played

for

there. He originally was a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

and

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

, before later transitioning to

. Teammates nicknamed him the "Japanese Kicking Monster."

Professional career

After college Yamasaki spent two seasons in Japan's top amateur football league, the X-League. In 2019, he played one season in

The Spring League The Spring League (TSL) was an American football Minor league football (gridiron), developmental league and scouting event (pro showcase) that played from 2017 to 2021 and was founded by Brian Woods. Aimed at professional football (gridiron), p ...

. He returned to Japan the following year, playing again in the X-League. He won the 2020 league championship as a member of the Obic Seagulls. In 2021, he was drafted in the third round (19th overall) of the

2021 CFL Global Draft The 2021 CFL global draft took place on April 15, 2021 and was the first CFL draft that pooled all of the global players together after previously having separate drafts for Mexican players and European players in 2019. 36 players were chosen f ...

by the

. He signed a contract with them on May 6. He beat out the team's other placekickers and made the final roster. He made his debut in week one, against the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 19 ...

. He kicked a 43-yard field goal as the first half expired, becoming the first Japanese player to score points in a CFL game. He finished the game 2-for-4 on field goals. Against the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium a ...

the following week, Yamasaki went 2-for-4 again, but his missed field goals led to his release a few days later.

References

External links

X-League kicker Takeru Yamasaki hits 73-yard field goal with ease - Article
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yamasaki, Takeru 1993 births Living people Japanese players of Canadian football Canadian football placekickers Osaka University alumni The Spring League players BC Lions players Japanese expatriate sportspeople in Canada X-League (Japan) players