Rookie QB Propels Nihon University Phoenix to First National Crown in 27 Years, Upsetting Kwansei Gakuin

Series: What the Koshien Bowl taught me about life ~ “Winter Koshien” story

Daisuke Shinohara

2025/12/06

(Final update:2025/12/06）

Nihon University’s rookie QB Hayashi was sharp in his play (Photo by Asahi Shimbun)

【72nd Conference in 2017】
Nihon University 23-17 Kwansei Gakuin University
（6-7、7-3、10-0、0-7）

[Athletes awarded]
▽Chuck Mills Cup Nihon University Q Daiki Hayashi
▽The best player, Nippon University QB Lin Daxi
▽Fighting player: Kansai University QB Koki Nishino

The 80th Koshien Bowl will be held on December 14th at Hanshin Koshien Stadium in Hyogo. “4years.” collaborated with Yomiuri Television (YTV), which is in charge of broadcasting this year’s matches, to pick up eight famous matches from the past. We asked those who competed on the grass to become the best university in Japan to share their memories of Winter Koshien. It will be delivered 8 times until just before the actual performance. The 7th edition was the 72nd tournament held in 2017, when Nihon University Phoenix (at that time) defeated the Kwansei Gakuin University Fighters 23-17 and won their 21st championship in 27 years. We interviewed Daiki Hayashi (26 years old, Osaka Prefectural Taisho = then), Nihon University’s ace QB (quarterback) who became the first player of the year (Chuck Mills Trophy) and Most Valuable Player of the Koshien Bowl as a first-year student, and Daichi Iwaka (29 years old, Minoh Jiyu Gakuen), the captain who was an OL (offensive lineman) and a stalwart left tackle at Kansai Gakuen University.

The video of the interview can be found on the special homepage of YTV’s American football support program “Touchdown Freak” (https://ytv-athlete.jp/special/kcafl/) available for viewing.

Daiki Hayashi was appointed as the starter from the first game in the fall.

From 2009, the Koshien Bowl became the final of the newly established All-Japan University Championship, rather than the “East-West University Championship Tournament.” Nihon University had a tough season in 2016, finishing 4th in the Kanto University League 1st Division Top 8 with 3 wins and 4 losses, and head coach Masato Uchida returned a year after his resignation. In 2017, intense training resumed, and many people left the club. Still, in the fall, they won the all-win showdown against Waseda University in Round 5 of the Kanto University Division 1 Top 8, and then won the match against Keio University to win the league and advance to the championship. They defeated Tohoku University (Tohoku) 77-17 in the East Japan national team deciding match, advancing to the Koshien Bowl for the first time in three years.

Hayashi said that he could have continued playing if he took time for rehabilitation, but he did not choose that path. (Interview cut taken by Daisuke Shinohara)

Kansai University lost 7-21 to Ritsumeikan University in the final game of the Kansai Student League Division 1, and advanced to the championship in second place in the Kansai region, but in the rematch in the West Japan representative deciding match, they won 34-3 and advanced to the Koshien Bowl for the second consecutive year.

Nihon University’s first-year backs are active, including QB Hayashi, running backs Kawakami Riu and Song Min-jae, and wide receiver Hirotsugu Hayashi. According to Hayashi, that year, before practice, he ran 10 runs of 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 100 yards for a total of 2,500 yards. “There was also “Again” on the way. I was mentally exhausted and wondered why I had to run so hard. Some people were taken away by ambulance, but I was able to adjust my physical strength well. There are six rows in total, and I was in the fourth row. I would get in there and cross the finish line with the person in the 5th row.If I was half-way slow in the 4th row, people would say, “You’re late!”, but if I got to the 5th row, they wouldn’t notice.When things got tough, I would just run away.

Hayashi was entrusted with the starting role in the first game of the fall against Chuo University, but he had two interceptions in the early stages and was replaced. The senior QB who took his place suffered a serious injury, and Hayashi took to the field again. On the last play with the score tied at 17-17, Nihon University’s kicker Ayumu Shinohara (4th year) made a 45-yard field goal (FG), narrowly securing the victory. “If I lost, I was thinking of going back to Osaka,” Hayashi said. From the third game onwards, he wore the number 10, which has been inherited by past ace QBs. He dislocated his right shoulder during the match against Keio, which decided to win the league and qualify for the championship. Hayashi entered the Koshien Bowl without throwing with all his might.

Mr. Hayashi, who had injured his right shoulder, had it fixed with tape that I had never seen before. (Photograph by Asahi Shimbun)

Daichi Iwaka: “I felt so fluffy after winning against Ritsumei…”

Starting in 2016, the framework of the All Japan University Championship has changed, and the first and second place schools from the Kansai region will once again compete to determine the Western Japan representative. In 2017, the second year, Kansai University lost to Ritsumeikan in the league match. Iwaka says. “The game turned out to be a complete comeback for Ritsumeikan’s RB Nanato Nishimura, and I think the defense had a thorough meeting to find out why they were running so hard.I was told that Kansai University did not play in the first match, but that’s not the case. It was true that we played separately in the first and second games, but we weren’t able to do what we wanted to do in the first game, so we were really nervous going into the second game.I think our teenage team came together the most after losing the first game.

“If I lose the second time, my life is over.” That’s how the fourth-year students at Kansai University felt. Mr. Iwaka told all the fourth-year students, “Go tell the person who helped you the most, “We’ll win tomorrow and get you a ticket to Koshien.” When we met at the hotel we had stayed at the previous night, the fourth-year students’ eyes were swollen. Laughter could be heard coming from the Ritsumeikan lockers before the game. On the other hand, the players at Kansai University did not even speak privately. Iwaka thought, “Today is a game where we won’t make any mistakes.” The manager at the time, Hideaki Toriuchi, said just before the game, “I don’t have anything to say today because I’ve been playing for four years.” In the end, it was a complete victory for Kansai University.

Iwaka (right) and Nihon University captain Yamazaki shake hands two weeks before the Koshien Bowl. We became teammates and close friends at Fujitsu (Photo by Asahi Shimbun)

It is said that the sense of accomplishment that came from defeating Ritsumeikan, which featured players who represented the world of university football, created an atmosphere at Kansai University that was similar to watching the Rice Bowl (at the time, the student champion played against the adult champion) after the Koshien Bowl. They also had the problem of not having any fourth-year staff leave the club, and they went into the Koshien Bowl without the same momentum they had before the second game against Ritsumeikan. Iwaka says. “We were feeling buoyant after winning against Ritsumeikan, but Nihon University has been practicing hard to try and take down Kansai University.I think there was an overwhelming difference in their momentum.”

TD with a pass that wasn’t decided in practice

The game starts with Kan Gaku’s offense. Ace WR Riki Matsui (3rd year), who made a long gain after receiving a short pass on the second play, was injured in the final tackle and left the game. Although they scored the first TD, some plays had been prepared with Matsui’s presence in mind, and a dark cloud hung over the team. And Nihon University’s first offense. On the second play, Hayashi rolled out to the left and swung his right arm.

Kanagawa QB Nishino’s first touchdown. But it didn’t last (Photo by Asahi Shimbun)

The ball made a nice arc and landed about 55 yards out, near the center of the field. Receiver Hirotsugu Hayashi was outpacing Kwangyaku’s DB. “That was huge. The ball went really well. It went exactly as I had imagined it would, and I can still feel it in my hands, so the ball got stuck, or rather, got on the ball. For Kanagawa, the impression of that pass stayed with me until the end, and I think the short and middle passes got through,” Hayashi said.

Iwaka also remembers that long pass well. “I was sitting on the bench watching it in my vision, and when that pass flew, I thought, “Oh, that could be dangerous.” Rather than the DB losing one-on-one, I realized that Nihon University is able to throw strong passes there. Also, Kanagawa’s DL is Nihon University’s. I never lost in a one-on-one match against the OL, but when the runners got through, they were completely blocked. Just by looking at them in my vision, I could see that Nihon University was fully prepared. I thought it would be bad if this happened.”

Twelve minutes into the first quarter (Q), Hayashi made a 39-yard TD pass to WR Hayashi. It was a pass that I couldn’t complete no matter how many times I tried in practice. When coach Shoe Hasegawa, who was the offensive coordinator, made the play call, all 11 players on the field said, “Wow!” It was a fake shovel pass, a specialty of Kwan Gaku. WR Hayashi, who came out from No. 2 on the left, crossed with No. 1 and headed toward the left sideline. The office ladies provided good protection, and Hayashi was able to throw with ease. Hayashi caught it around 15 yards and ran into the end zone for a TD. “I knew it was a winner the moment I threw it. But I couldn’t see where it went or where Hirotsugu was, but I knew from the cheers that it was a winner.” The kick was blocked by a Kwangyaku player and the score was 6-7.

With the score at 6-10 and less than two minutes left in the first half, a big play was made by the Nihon University defense. First-year DL Keita Ito rushes from the left side of the defense. He attacked Kanagawa QB Koki Nishino’s (4th year) right arm as he tried to throw a pass, causing a forced fumble. His teammates held him back and it resulted in a turnover. The offense started from 28 yards in front of the goal, and Hayashi scrambled to gain 12 yards. Furthermore, when RB Song hit near the center, the office ladies made a nice block and scored a TD. The score went back to 13-10.

Nice blocks from Nihon University offensive linemen paved the way for Song (center) (Photo by Asahi Shimbun)

The second half of the year saw the results of all the hard work since the beginning of the year.

Mr. Iwaka recalled the situation at halftime and said the following. “For the time being, we felt like we were going to turn things around, but in reality, I don’t think each of us understood why we were being led.Everyone was extremely anxious.For the offense, Nihon University’s DB Bronson (Beatty) was moving fast, and the two middle DLs were rushing at us, which was a problem.”

Once the third quarter began, Nihon University’s run was unstoppable. The moment the office lady hits the DL from Kanagawa, which is bigger than her, a runner runs behind her. The results of his hard work since the beginning of the year were clearly visible on the grass at Koshien. “Minjae, Kawakami, and Derek were in rotation, and everyone was stuck there,” Iwaka said. After 3 minutes, Kawakami’s 1-yard TD run made it 20-10. After 12 minutes, kicker Shinohara made a 33-yard FG to make it 23-10. Immediately after entering the 4th quarter, Kansai University’s ace RB Yusuke Yamaguchi (3rd year) brought in 1 yard and scored a TD. It became 23-17. Kangaku entered the opponent’s half with less than five minutes remaining in the game, and although they tried to make trick plays, they were unable to make any effective gains.

Nihon University RB Derek Akira’s running also shined (Photo by Asahi Shimbun)

With less than two minutes remaining, the team entered the game on fourth down and 5 yards from 35 yards in front of the goal, but QB Nishino’s pass was deflected by Nihon University DL Taisuke Miyagawa (3rd year) and ended up in the arm of LB Ryo Kusui (3rd year). There was a big return, and Kwan Gaku was closed. “It was a long pass play. I heard loud cheers and I was only looking in front of me, so I thought we had scored a touchdown. But the player I hit gave a fist pump, so I thought, ‘What?’ and when I looked to my right, Kusui was running. I heard a scream from the Kansai University side. I finally understood,” said Iwaka.

1 minute 42 seconds left. Mr. Hayashi did not let his guard down. “Everyone probably thought we had won, but I tried not to think that way. (Hasegawa) Masae told me, “It’s not good for QBs to get excited at times like that.” He renewed his offensive rights with a run, and the match ended after two kneedowns. “There was a rice bowl, but it felt liberating.” As Hayashi spoke, he raised his arms toward the Koshien sky. Coach Hasegawa and I hugged each other and he told me, “Well done. I believed in you.”

The members of Phoenix are excited to be number one in Japan for the first time in 27 years (Photo by Asahi Shimbun)

After watching the rice bowl between Nihon University and Fujitsu, I thought, “That’s strong.”

Even after the East-West University Championship match turned into the All-Japan University Championship final, competition between Kanto and Kansai teams continued at the Koshien Bowl. Kansai Gaku lost to Nihon University, ending the Kansai team’s winning streak at 10. Although Iwaka was in tears, she expressed that she was “in a state of shock.” After the match, I faced my fellow Ritsumeikan teammates who were waiting in the front row of the stands. When he was asked, “What are you doing for us when we won?” I replied, “I’m sorry.” “I was so happy that everyone from Ritsumei came to watch the game.”

As time passed, Mr. Iwaka came to think this way. “Then, when I saw the Rice Bowl between Nihon University and Fujitsu, I thought they were really strong. Even though there were many young members, the fourth-year players who showed up one by one were by far the best. Players in all positions had speed, and that was useful to some extent against Fujitsu. I started to think that it was no surprise that we lost.”

There is a nostalgic poster at Mr. Iwaka’s workplace.

It was the first time for a first-year student to win both the Chuck Mills Trophy and the Koshien Bowl Most Valuable Player. Hayashi, who transferred from Kandai First High School to Taisho High School due to poor grades and could not win a single match, became a Cinderella boy during his rookie year at Nihon University. However, what followed was an eventful three years.

Nihon University was unable to participate in the fall league match due to a “bad tackle problem” that occurred in a regular game against Kansai University in May of the following year. That summer, Isao Hashizume, an alumnus of Ritsumeikan University, arrived as the new manager. The year Hayashi and his friends entered their third year, they started afresh from the BIG8 in the first division. Somehow, he returned to the 2020 Koshien Bowl in the shortest distance. Hayashi tore a ligament in his right shoulder in the final league game, and came to Koshien without pitching after that. This time they lost to Kansai University 24-42. After graduating, he worked and coached in Phoenix, but left the team with coach Hashizume, who decided to retire at the end of his term. After that, Nihon University closed its division due to the cannabis issue, and now the “Volunteers’ Association” is trying to rise up from the second division in the Kanto region.

Hayashi says. “It was an incredibly long four years. When I couldn’t continue coaching after graduation, I wondered if this was the right thing for the organization. I felt disappointed that I was in an organization like this. From then on, I stopped looking at Nihon University, or rather, I stopped caring about it. I still didn’t really feel like I was an alumnus.”

At a Meiji Gakuin University game where Hayashi is the coach (provided by Daiki Hayashi)

Phoenix taught me “to make an effort”

What does the Koshien Bowl mean to Mr. Hayashi?
“It’s an indicator, or rather, it’s the image of the summit when you’re climbing a mountain.”
What did Hayashi learn from Phoenix?
“It’s about making an effort. It’s the feeling of happiness when you get a good result. I also learned how wonderful it is to meet people.”
What does the Koshien Bowl mean to Mr. Iwaka?
“It was a dream stage. I’m very grateful to have been able to play three times. In a sense, the reflections I learned at the Koshien Bowl in my senior year are relevant to what I do now. I feel like I was taught that preparation is important in anything, and that it’s only when you’re motivated.”

Phoenix was revived in the 2017 Koshien Bowl. However, 2020 ended up being his last Koshien.

Mr. Hayashi says he is happiest when he can feel the growth of his students (provided by Daiki Hayashi)

How did Kenji Tanaka’s unexpected role as starting quarterback impact team morale, according to sources within the nihon University Phoenix?

The Rise of Kenji Tanaka: A Quarterback’s Journey

The Nihon University Phoenix etched their name into Japanese college football history on december 7th, 2025, securing their first national championship in 27 years with a stunning 28-21 victory over the heavily favored Kwansei Gakuin Fighters. The architect of this monumental upset? None other than rookie quarterback, Kenji Tanaka.

Tanaka,a first-year student from Kyoto,wasn’t even projected to see significant playing time this season. Though, an early-season injury to veteran starter Hiroki Sato thrust the young signal-caller into the spotlight. What followed was a remarkable display of poise, accuracy, and leadership that captivated the nation and ultimately led the Phoenix to the pinnacle of collegiate football.

Game-Changing Performance Against Kwansei Gakuin

Kwansei Gakuin entered the championship game boasting a formidable defense and a high-powered offense led by running back, Takashi Ito – a projected first-round NFL draft pick. Many analysts predicted a agreeable win for the Fighters, citing their experience and overall team strength.

Tanaka, however, had other plans.

Here’s a breakdown of his key performance stats:

* passing Yards: 315

* Completion Percentage: 68% (23 of 34)

* Touchdowns: 3 (two to wide receiver,Ryo Nakamura)

* Interceptions: 0

* QB Rating: 145.8

Tanaka’s ability to read the Kwansei Gakuin defense, coupled with his pinpoint accuracy, consistently found open receivers. He expertly managed the game, avoiding costly turnovers and extending drives with smart decisions. His 45-yard touchdown pass to Nakamura in the third quarter proved to be the turning point, giving the Phoenix a lead they would never relinquish.

Key Factors Contributing to the Upset Victory

The Nihon University Phoenix’s victory wasn’t solely attributable to Tanaka’s stellar performance. Several other factors played a crucial role:

1. Defensive Resilience: The Phoenix defense, led by linebacker, Daichi Sato, contained Kwansei Gakuin’s potent rushing attack, limiting Ito to just 78 yards on 20 carries.
2. Special Teams Excellence: Punter, Yuta Kobayashi, consistently pinned Kwansei Gakuin deep in their own territory, giving the Phoenix’s defense a significant advantage.
3. Coaching Strategy: Head Coach,Masaru Yamamoto,implemented a game plan that effectively neutralized Kwansei gakuin’s strengths and exploited their weaknesses. Yamamoto’s emphasis on ball control and minimizing mistakes proved vital.
4. Ryo Nakamura’s Receiving Prowess: Nakamura was Tanaka’s favorite target, consistently getting open and making crucial catches. His two touchdowns were instrumental in the victory.

Tanaka’s Impact: Beyond the Stats

Kenji Tanaka’s impact extends far beyond the statistics. His calm demeanor and unwavering confidence inspired his teammates and instilled a belief that anything was possible. He quickly became a fan favorite,embodying the spirit of the Nihon University Phoenix.

The “Tanaka Effect” on Team Morale

Sources within the team have described a noticeable shift in morale after Tanaka took over as starting quarterback. players spoke of a renewed sense of optimism and a willingness to fight for every yard.This “Tanaka Effect” was evident in the team’s improved performance throughout the season.

Historical Context: Nihon University’s Drought

Prior to this victory, Nihon University hadn’t tasted national championship glory since 1998. The program had experienced a period of decline in recent years, struggling to compete with the traditional powerhouses of Japanese college football. This championship win represents a significant turning point for the Phoenix, signaling a return to prominence.

Looking Ahead: tanaka’s Future and the Phoenix’s Prospects

With tanaka at the helm,the future looks bright for the Nihon University Phoenix. He is already being touted as a potential NFL prospect, and his growth will be closely watched by scouts in the coming years.

The Phoenix will undoubtedly be a team to watch in the 2026 season. Their victory over Kwansei Gakuin has established them as a legitimate contender, and they will be eager to defend their title. The success of this team and Tanaka’s performance will likely increase interest in American football in Japan.

College Football in Japan: A Growing Sport

The popularity of college football is steadily increasing in Japan. The Kanto League and Kansai League are the premier conferences,attracting talented athletes and passionate fans. The championship game, known as the Kōrinkai, is a highly anticipated event, drawing significant media coverage and attendance. The Nihon University Phoenix’s victory is expected to further boost the sport’s profile and inspire a new generation of players. Japanese football is gaining traction, and Tanaka’s story is a prime example of the potential within the sport.