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Noriaki Kinoshita

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Noriaki Kinoshita
No. 18 – Obic Seagulls
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1982-12-29) December 29, 1982 (age 41)
Osaka, Japan
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:179 lb (81 kg)
Career information
College:Ritsumeikan
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Noriaki Kinoshita
Medal record
Men's American football
Representing  Japan
World Championship
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Austria Team Competition
Silver medal – second place 2015 USA Team Competition

Noriaki Kinoshita (木下 典明, Kinoshita Noriaki), born December 29, 1982) is a Japanese football wide receiver who currently plays for the Obic Seagulls of the X-League. He was signed by the Amsterdam Admirals in 2005. He played college football for the Ritsumeikan Panthers.

Early years

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Kinoshita began playing American football at the age of five, demonstrating early talent. He played in various positions: quarterback, running back, receiver, defensive back and on special teams, before settling as receiver at Ritsumeikan University, after his coach advised him that he would have the best chance in making the team if he stuck with that position.[1]

College career

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He attended Ritsumeikan University, where he majored in business administration and was a standout wide receiver for the Ritsumeikan Panthers. He helped his team reach four Koshien Bowls, winning three, and helping the Panthers win 2 out of those 3 Rice Bowl (Japanese championship) games. He earned Koshien Bowl honors three times (Mills Cup, MVP, NFL Special Award).[2][3][4][5]

Professional career

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Amsterdam Admirals

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He struggled throughout the 2005 season due to an injury early on (broken finger), and difficulties with English conversation and crowd noise. He posted one reception for 12 yards and 21 yards on a single kickoff return. He was a member of the Admirals team that won the first World Bowl in their franchise history; World Bowl XIII.[1][5]

Kinoshita had a standout season in 2006, helping the Amsterdam Admirals ascend to a World Bowl XIV berth for the second year in a row. He led NFL Europa on kickoff returns with an average of 27.9 for a total of 530 yards in 19 attempts with a long of 82 yards, in addition to a 59-yard punt return for a touchdown as well as 12 receptions for a total of 188 yards as a receiver. He was named Special Teams Player of the Week twice and selected to the all-NFL Europa team 2006 as special teams player.[6][7][8]

He returned to the Amsterdam Admirals for his third NFL Europa season. In 2007, Kinoshita led NFL Europa with a 15.9-yard punt return average and ranked third with a 23.2-yard kickoff-return average. He also added 23 receptions for 364 yards and two touchdowns in what would be the final season of NFL Europa.

Atlanta Falcons

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On June 28, Kinoshita signed with his favorite team, the Atlanta Falcons, and competed throughout training camp for a roster spot. "I am very excited to compete at the Falcons' training camp with other great players," says Kinoshita. "It is exciting as a Japanese player to compete with American players, and I want to appeal to the fans in Atlanta. At the same time, I want to show the Japanese people how exciting the great game of football is." He was released by the Falcons at the end of training camp.[9]

On July 23, 2008, Kinoshita was assigned to the Falcons as an International Practice Squad player.[9] Kinoshita is the only Japanese player of the 16 international players to sign onto NFL practice squads.[10]

New York Sentinels

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Along with players such as Adam Archuleta and B. J. Sams, Kinoshita was drafted in the first ever UFL draft by the New York Sentinels.

Obic Seagulls

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As of May 2011, Kinoshita was playing for the Obic Seagulls in Japan's X-League. In 2019, he caught three touchdowns in Obic's 31-15 victory over IBM Big Blue in the Pearl Bowl and was named the game's MVP.[11]

Statistics

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Year Team GP GS Receiving Rushing
Rec Yards YPC TD Att Yds Avg TD
2011 Obic Seagulls 12 12 37 667 18.0 8 7 47 6.7 0
2012 Obic Seagulls 14 14 49 917 18.7 10 8 72 9.0 1
2013 Obic Seagulls 12 12 49 831 17.0 10 3 -3 -1.0 0
2014 Obic Seagulls 12 12 57 1,016 17.8 12 2 2 1.0 1
2015 Obic Seagulls 10 10 23 379 16.5 3 1 2 2.0 0
Total 60 60 215 3,810 17.7 43 21 120 5.7 2

References

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  1. ^ a b World Bowl XIV interview.
  2. ^ Boxscore of 2004 championship game.
  3. ^ Koshien Bowl scores.
  4. ^ Rice Bowl scores.
  5. ^ a b Ritsumeikan University Interview
  6. ^ ALL-NFL Europe League Team 2006.
  7. ^ "2006 NFL Europe stats". Archived from the original on March 28, 2007. Retrieved April 7, 2007.
  8. ^ NFL Europe 2006 leaderboard.
  9. ^ a b Atlanta Falcons Player Page.
  10. ^ ESPN IPS players announced.
  11. ^ "Noriaki Kinoshita's three touchdowns hand Obic third straight Pearl Bowl title". June 17, 2019.
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