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Hidetora Hanada

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Hidetora Hanada
Personal information
NationalityJapanese
Born (2001-10-30) October 30, 2001 (age 23)
Wakayama, Japan
College football career
Colorado State Rams – No. 93
PositionDefensive tackle
Class
Redshirt
Redshirt
Senior
Personal information
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight280 lb (127 kg)
Career history
College
High schoolWakayama Commercial High School (Wakayama)
Medal record
Representing  Japan
Men's sumo
World Games
Gold medal – first place 2022 Birmingham Heavyweight

Hidetora Hanada (花田 秀虎, Hanada Hidetora), born October 30, 2001) is a Japanese gridiron football defensive tackle and former amateur sumo wrestler for the Colorado State Rams.

Early life

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Hanada was born in Wakayama Prefecture. Influenced by his father, who won a national wrestling tournament in college, and his mother, a judo instructor, he has experienced a variety of martial arts since his childhood and has been devoted to sumo. He won the local wantaku sumo when he was in the second grade of elementary school.[1]

Amateur sumo career

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While attending Wakayama Commercial High School, Hanada achieved consecutive championships in the indiscriminate level at the World Junior Sumo Championships in 2018 and 2019.[1]

After graduating from high school, he went to Nippon Sport Science University and won the 2020 All Japan Sumo Championship.[2] He became the second amateur yokozuna in a freshman in 36 years since Hisashi Keita in 1984.[2]

At the 2022 World Games, he won the heavyweight final, defeating Daiki Nakamura, a first-year senior at university.[3]

College career

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Hanada has been interested in American football and the NFL since his junior high school days, and in March 2022 he participated in a joint X-League tryout despite having no experience in American football.[4]

Initially, Hanada was hoping to become a yokozuna in sumo and then try to challenge the NFL, but in September 2022, he announced that he would stop balancing his sumo with sumo and focus on American football to challenge the NFL, stating that he wanted to challenge himself to see how much he could do when he was young and in his prime.[1][5] He remained in the sumo club of Nippon Sport Science University but was effectively left off, and sumo practice was completed for the time being. In the future, he aims to become a "dual-wielding style" between the NFL and the yokozuna.[1][6]

In January 2023, Hanada was selected for the All-Japan Selection for the Dream Bowl, a friendly game against the Ivy League, but he did not participate in the game.[7] In February of the same year, he participated in the CFL combine held in Japan and in March in Canada.[8][9]

It was decided that he took a leave of absence from Nippon Sport Science University in July 2023 and transferred to Colorado State University, playing for the Rams football team.[10][11]

Personal life

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Although Hanada has a similar name and background to Masaru Hanada, a professional sumo wrestler who competed as Wakanohana Masaru and has experience in American football, he is not related to him.[1] However, Hanada revealed that he met Wakanohana in 2022 and received advice.[12]

In February 2025, Hanada himself announced on Instagram that he had signed a NIL contract with WWE.[13][14]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "「えっ？ なぜ相撲をやめるの？」大学1年でアマ横綱…相撲界で"無敵の21歳"（体重130kg）が驚きの決断「大谷翔平や大坂なおみを目指したい」（一野洋）". Number Web - ナンバー (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  2. ^ a b "日体大・花田 36年ぶり大学1年生でアマ横綱 「勝つために来て勝ちました」 - スポニチ Sponichi Annex スポーツ". スポニチ Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  3. ^ "花田秀虎、石井さくら、奥富夕夏が世界一 ワールドゲームズ相撲競技第1日 - スポニチ Sponichi Annex スポーツ". スポニチ Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  4. ^ "アマ横綱の日体大２年・花田秀虎、アメフト初心者も１対１で吹っ飛ばした Ｘリーグトライアウト". スポーツ報知 (in Japanese). 2022-03-07. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  5. ^ "20年アマ横綱の花田秀虎がアメフト専念「人生懸けてやりたい」日本人初NFL選手へ本格的挑戦 - スポーツ : 日刊スポーツ". nikkansports.com. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  6. ^ 新弟子検査受検の年齢制限はアマチュア相撲の実績を加味しても24歳までであり、現行規定においてこれを実現させるにはまず2024-2025年シーズンまでにNFLデビューをした上で2025年9月場所までに新弟子検査を受検しなければならない。またこれまでに獲得した付出資格は失効するため、実業団などに復帰して新たに資格を満たさない限りは前相撲からの大相撲デビューとなる
  7. ^ "元アマ横綱の花田出番なし「パフォーマンスも考えていたが」 アメフト全日本は逆転負け/デイリースポーツ online". デイリースポーツ online (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  8. ^ 公式サイト, Xリーグ. "CFL国内コンバインに元アマ横綱の花田秀虎ら20名が参加 視察したCFL運営トップが日本人選手を高評価「強くて速い」 | Xリーグ 公式サイト". Xleague (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  9. ^ 公式サイト, Xリーグ. "【CFLコンバイン】2023年CFLコンバイン始まる CFLとのインタビューでは花田秀虎選手が爆笑を誘う | Xリーグ 公式サイト". Xleague (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  10. ^ "【アメフト】米挑戦の元アマ横綱・花田秀虎「かなりわくわくしている」渡米前に心境を明かす" (in Japanese). 日刊スポーツ. July 30, 2023.
  11. ^ "Sumo wrestler Hidetora Hanada from Japan to play college football for Colorado State". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
  12. ^ "【アメフト】元アマ横綱の花田秀虎がNFL入りの夢へ渡米、同姓の花田虎上さんとの写真もアップ" (in Japanese). 日刊スポーツ. July 30, 2023.
  13. ^ "torajiro.hanada". Instagram.
  14. ^ "ＷＷＥとＮＩＬ契約って？ 元アマ横綱「プロレスラーになるという意味ではない」と断言 ＮＦＬ入りを目指して米大学アメフト挑戦中/デイリースポーツ online". デイリースポーツ online (in Japanese). 2025-04-08. Retrieved 2025-04-08.
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