YouTube taught a Japanese teen how to kick field goals. Now he’s in the NFL.
Kansei Matsuzawa, 27, became the first Japanese-born player ever signed by an NFL team when he agreed to a deal as an undrafted free agent with the Raiders.
COSTA MESA, Calif. — Kansei Matsuzawa made up his mind to become an NFL kicker knowing almost nothing about the NFL.
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It was 2018. Matsuzawa was 19, lived in Japan and had never kicked a football. He knew two players — Joe Montana and Tom Brady — and not a single rule.
A million high schoolers play football annually in the U.S., and nearly 80,000 go on to play in college. Between active rosters and practice squads, there are only around five dozen placekicking jobs in the NFL.
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Rating: 5
Updated: 1 month ago