Wakanohana moves from sumo dohyo to gridiron Shintaro Kano Daily Yomiuri Sportswriter
Masaru Hanada made it big-time on the dohyo. We'll find out if he can do the same on the gridiron.
Hanada, better known as former yokozuna Wakanohana, will make his debut on the football field as a member of the X-League's Onward Skylarks this autumn, the 30-year-old announced Wednesday night in Tokyo.
"It's been a childhood dream of mine to play American football," said Hanada, who ended his injury-marred, 12-year career on March 16 a year ago.
"I went to America to figure out what I needed to realize that dream," he said. "I tried out for several teams, and I discovered I was missing something.
"That something was experience."
In pursuit of his dream, Hanada, who said he still tips the scale at his wrestling weight of 126 kilograms but is 25 centimeters slimmer around the waist, traveled the United States and tried out unsuccessfully for the National Football League's Atlanta Falcons and the Oakland Raiders in May.
"The Falcons, they were honest and said to me I simply didn't have what it takes," he said, adding that he was in absolute awe of NFL players, who were "the size of Akebono but ran at incredible speed."
"Oakland, on the other hand, actually brought their scouts out to take look at me," he said. "And they told me they would invite me to camp, but didn't because I was bound to get hurt because of my lack of experience."
So to gain experience, Hanada returned to Japan earlier this month to locate a possible suitor in the X-League. He was admitted as a Skylark by officials of the Japanese corporate football league on Wednesday, the last day for player registration.
Skylarks manager Toshiyuki Noda said he has no doubt Hanada will be a hit in shoulder pads as he was in a mawashi.
"He possesses great speed and power stemming from his sumo days," said Noda, who initially approached Hanada about playing in the X-League in February. "Not to mention a little bit of overseas experience from trying out in the NFL.
"If he was going to play in Japan, we wanted him to play for us. He just needed some time to test himself in the NFL at first."
Hanada, who tried out as a defensive lineman with the Falcons and Raiders, said he wasn't sure what position he would be playing come September, when the X League fall season opens.