A new star has emerged in the student American football world: Nihon University Phoenix quarterback Taiki Hayashi, who played a major role in Nihon University winning the school's first Koshien Bowl crown in 27 years and advancing to the Rice Bowl national championship held on Jan. 3.
Wearing No. 10, the number reserved for the top player, Hayashi has made significant contributions to bringing the prestigious school back to prominence.
In the Rice Bowl, in which Nihon University went up against the corporate league champion Fujitsu Frontiers, Hayashi showed off a strong arm by completing a 65-yard pass on a long throw and running past opponents with nimble footwork.
In the end, Fujitsu showed off its superior talent as Nihon University lost 37-9. Fujitsu head coach Satoshi Fujita gave Hayashi high marks, saying: "He has a strong arm and speed. He is a promising player."
Influenced by his father, who played at Kobe Gakuin University, Hayashi belonged to a football club in Osaka Taisho High School in Osaka. However, the club had a small roster.
"The club always lost first-round games. Since the team could not win, I felt that it would be difficult to [continue my playing career] at the university level," Hayashi said. However, Nihon University coach Shoei Hasegawa saw Hayashi's high talent level and strongly recommended he keep playing at university, and Hayashi made the decision to enter the school.
Honing his skills
Hayashi stands 174 centimeters and weighs 78 kilograms. He somehow managed to keep up with the hard practices at the university, in which players are run to their physical limits, and that helped polish his technique. "I lost about 10 kilograms, which helped improve my speed and cutting," Hayashi said.
In the Koshien Bowl, Hayashi ran for 113 yards as a passing quarterback, and led players from Kwansei Gakuin University, which was going for back-to-back championships, on a wild chase.
Hayashi earned the season MVP (the Mills Cup) and won the MVP of the Koshien Bowl, becoming the first freshman to receive either honor.
Nihon University also has other first-year students who performed well, including wide receiver Hirotsugu Hayashi and running back Song Minjae.
"I told the other freshman we should stir things up from year one. I want to play with no fear of pressure from wearing No. 10," Taiki Hayashi said.
Nihon University is a powerhouse in the football world, once posting five consecutive Koshien Bowl victories.
"I want to create a new tradition with my teammates," said Hayashi, who will play a leading role on the team.
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