The Fujitsu Frontiers are an American football team located in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan. They are a member of the X-League.
| Established | 1985 |
|---|---|
| Based in | Kawasaki, Kanagawa |
| Home field | Kawasaki Stadium |
| Head coach | Hiroshi Yamamoto |
| General manager | Takahide Yamada |
| Owner(s) | Hiroyuki Ono |
| League | X-League |
| Division | X1 Super |
| Colors | FUJITSU Red, black, and white[1] |
| Mascot(s) | Fronti the wolf |
| Japan X Bowl Titles | 9 (2014, 2016-19, 2021-23 & 2024 |
| Division titles | 10 (2000, 2002, 2007, 2009, 2013-2018) |
| Website | http://sports.jp.fujitsu.com/frontiers/ |
Team history
edit- 1985 Team was founded by the Fujitsu Group.
- 1986 Promoted from X2 to X1.
- 1992 Pearl Bowl runner-up
- 2000 Won first divisional title.
- 2002 Japan X Bowl runner-up.
- 2005 Satoshi Fujita hired as head coach.
- 2006 Won 1st Pearl Bowl Championship.
- 2009 Japan X Bowl runner-up
- 2010 Won second Pearl Bowl Championship.
- 2014 Won 1st X-League title and 1st National title.
- 2015 Japan X Bowl Runner-up.
- 2016 Won 2nd X-League & National title.
Seasons
edit| X-League Champions (1987–present) | Division Champions | Final Stage/Semifinals Berth | Wild Card /2nd Stage Berth |
| Season | Division | Regular Season | Post Season Results | Awards | Head coaches | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | Wins | Losses | Ties | |||||
| 1997 | East | 4th | 2 | 3 | 0 | Kurt Rose | ||
| 1998 | Central | 4th | 2 | 2 | 1 | Kurt Rose | ||
| 1999 | Central | 3rd | 3 | 2 | 0 | Kurt Rose | ||
| 2000 | East | 1st | 5 | 0 | 0 | Won Wild Card match (at Nissan Prince Tokyo) Lost semi-finals match (Matsushita Electric Works) |
Kurt Rose | |
| 2001 | East | 2nd | 4 | 2 | 0 | Lost Wild Card match (at Recruit) 14-24 | Kurt Rose | |
| 2002 | East | 1st | 5 | 0 | 0 | Won Wild Card match (Onward) 20-17 Won Semi-finals match (at Matsushita Electric Works) 7-0 Lost Tokyo Super Bowl XVI (at Recruit) 7-14 |
Kurt Rose | |
| 2003 | East | 3rd | 4 | 2 | 1 | Kurt Rose | ||
| 2004 | Central | 4th | 2 | 3 | 0 | Shima | ||
| 2005 | East | 3rd | 3 | 3 | 0 | Satoshi Fujita | ||
| 2006 | Central | 3rd | 5 | 2 | 0 | Satoshi Fujita | ||
| 2007 | East | 1st | 6 | 1 | 0 | Won Semifinals match (Onward) 31-21 Lost Japan X Bowl XXI (Matsushita Denko) 13-33 |
Satoshi Fujita | |
| 2008 | East | 2nd | 7 | 2 | 0 | Lost Wild Card match (Kashima) 19-21 | Satoshi Fujita | |
| 2009 | East | 1st | 7 | 1 | 0 | Won 2nd stage match (Nihon Unisys) 61-0 Won 2nd Stage match (Asahi Soft Drinks) 43-21 Won Final stage match (Asahi Beer) 31-21 Lost Japan X Bowl XXIII (Kashima) 14-21 |
Satoshi Fujita | |
| 2010 | Central | 2nd | 8 | 1 | 0 | Won 2nd stage match (Asahi Beer) 34-3 Lost 2nd stage match (Panasonic Denko) 6-23 |
Satoshi Fujita | |
| 2011 | East | 2nd | 6 | 1 | 0 | Won 2nd stage match (Asahi Beer) 58-14 Won 2nd stage match (Panasonic) 24-10 Won Final stage match (Nojima Sagamihara) 38-3 Lost Japan X Bowl XXV (Obic) 17-24 |
Satoshi Fujita | |
| 2012 | Central | 2nd | 7 | 1 | 0 | Won 2nd stage match (at As One) 27-9 Lost 2nd stage match (at Kashima) 15-27 Lost final stage match (at Kashima) 14-24 |
Satoshi Fujita | |
| 2013 | East | 1st | 7 | 1 | 0 | Won 2nd stage match (at As One) 55-0[2] Won 2nd stage match (Nojima Sagamihara) 45-24[3] Won Final stage match (Panasonic) 28-13[4] Lost Japan X Bowl XXVII (at Obic) 16-24 |
Keiya Hiramoto (MVP) Junpei Yoshimoto (ROY) |
Satoshi Fujita |
| 2014 | East | 1st | 8 | 1 | 0 | Won 2nd stage match (Asahi Beer) 65-0[5] Won 2nd stage match (at Panasonic ) 48-24[6] Won Final stage match (Obic) 27-17[7] Won Japan X Bowl XXVIII (IBM) 44-10[8] Won 68th Rice Bowl National Championship game (at Kwansei Gakuin) 33-24 |
Gino Gordon (MVP) Colby Cameron (ROY) |
Satoshi Fujita |
| 2015 | East | 1st | 7 | 0 | 0 | Won 2nd stage match (at Elecom Kobe) 28-7 Won 2nd Stage match (Lixil Deers) 34-24[9] Won Final stage match (Obic) 27-6[10] Lost Japan X Bowl XXIX (Panasonic) 21-24 |
Satoshi Fujita | |
| 2016 | East | 1st | 8 | 1 | 0 | Won Quarterfinals match (Asahi Soft Drinks) 42-6[11] Won Semi-finals match (IBM) 28-26[12] Won Japan X Bowl XXX (Obic) 16-3[13] Won 70th Rice Bowl National Championship game (at Kwansei Gakuin) 30-13 |
Colby Cameron (MVP) | Satoshi Fujita |
| 2017 | East | 1st | 7 | 2 | 0 | Won Quarterfinals match (Elecom Kobe) 47-17 Won Semifinals match (Obic) 7-0[14] Won Japan X Bowl XXXI (IBM) 63-23 Won 71st Rice Bowl National Championship (Nihon U.) 37-9 |
Satoshi Fujita | |
| 2018 | East | 1st | 8 | 1 | 0 | Won Quarterfinals match (All Mitsubishi) 35-7 Won Semifinals match (Obic) 13-10[15] Won Japan X Bowl XXXII (IBM) 35-18 Won 72nd Rice Bowl National Championship (at Kwansei Gakuin U.) 52-17 |
Trashaun Nixon (MVP) Michael Birdsong (ROY) |
Satoshi Fujita |
| 2019 | X1 Super | 1st | 9 | 1 | 0 | Won Semifinals match (Elecom Kobe) 31-13 Won Japan X Bowl XXXIII (Panasonic) 28-26 Won 73rd Rice Bowl National Championship (Kwansei Gakuin U.) 38-14 |
Samajie Grant (X1 Super ROY & MVP) | Hiroshi Yamamoto |
| 2020 | X1 Super | 1st | 3 | 0 | 0 | Lost Japan X Bowl XXXIV (Obic) 7-13 | Hiroshi Yamamoto | |
| 2021 | X1 Super | 2nd | 6 | 1 | 0 | Won Semifinals match (Obic) 17-10 Won 75th Rice Bowl National Championship Game (Panasonic) 24-18 |
Hiroshi Yamamoto | |
| 2022 | X1 Super Div. B | 1st | 7 | 0 | 0 | Won Quarterfinals match (Asahi Beer) 65-3 Won Semifinals match (Elecom Kobe) 39-21 Won 76th Rice Bowl National Championship Game (Panasonic) 29-21 |
Trashaun Nixon (X1 Super MVP) | Hiroshi Yamamoto |
| 2023 | X1 Super Div. B | 1st | 6 | 1 | 1 | Won Quarterfinals match (Tokyo Gas) 10-3 Won Semifinals match (Obic) 24-17 Won 77th Rice Bowl National Championship Game (Panasonic) 16-10 |
Hiroshi Yamamoto | |
| Total | 152 | 34 | 3 | (1997–2023, includes only regular season) | ||||
| 45 | 14 | 0 | (1997–2023, includes only playoffs) | |||||
| 197 | 48 | 3 | (1997–2023, includes both regular season and playoffs) | |||||
Head coaches
edit| Coach | Years | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Kurt Rose | 1997-2003 | 28-12 (.700) |
| Shima | 2004 | 2-3 (.400) |
| Satoshi Fujita | 2005-2018 | 125-27 (.822) |
| Yo Yamamoto | 2019-present | 42-4-1 (.913) |
Current Import Players
edit| Jersey # | Name | Position | Years with the team | Alma Mater | Achievements |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #0 | Joe Mathis | OLB | 2018-19, 2021-present | Washington | 3X All X-League Team member (2018, 2020 and 2022) |
| #2 | Trashaun Nixon | OLB/RB | 2015-18, 2020-present | New Mexico State | 2x X-League MVP award (2018 & 2022) 5x All X-League Team member (2016-17 & 2020-22) |
| #40 | Al-Rilwan Adeyemi | CB | 2013-present | San Diego | 10x All X-League Team member (2013-17, 2020-22) |
| #4 | Samajie Grant | RB/WR | 2019-present | Arizona | X1 Super Rookie of the Year (2019) X1 Super MVP (2019) X Bowl MVP (2019) 2x All X-League Super Team member (2019 & 2020) |
Former Import Players
| Name | Position | Years with the team | Alma Mater | Achievements |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Birdsong | QB | 2018-2020 | Tennessee Tech | X-League ROY (2018) X1 Super MVP (2020) All X-League Super Team member (2020) |
| Colby Cameron | QB | 2014-2017 | Louisiana Tech | X-League MVP award (2016) X-League ROY award (2014) 2x All X-League Team member (2014 & 2016) |
| Gino Gordon[16] | RB | 2013-2017 | Harvard | X-League MVP award (2014) 3x All X-League Team member (2014, 2016-17) |
| Austin Flynn | DE | 2014 | Arkansas | |
| Andrew Seumalo | DE | 2013 | Oregon State | |
| Brad Brennan | WR | 2002-2011 | Arizona | 2x All X-League Team member (2004 and 2009) |
References
edit- ^ "X-League profile, Fujitsu Frontiers". April 17, 2015. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
- ^ "Frontiers open 2nd stage with a bang, blast Black Eagles". xleague.com. November 5, 2013. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
- ^ Ikezaka, Hiroshi (November 17, 2013). "Frontiers down Rise in X League regular-season finale". japantimes.co.jp. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
- ^ "Frontiers flatten Impulse, earn 5th shot at elusive title". xleague.com. December 6, 2013. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
- ^ Marantz, Ken (November 3, 2014). "Fujitsu batters Asahi Beer from the air and ground". xleague.com. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
- ^ "Fujitsu pounds Panasonic, advances as lone unbeaten team". xleague.com. November 23, 2014. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
- ^ Ikezaka, Hiroshi (November 30, 2014). "Four-time defending champion Obic Seagulls eliminated from X League title chase". japantimes.co.jp. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
- ^ Marantz, Ken (December 16, 2014). "Gordon's 4 TDs lift Fujitsu to rout of IBM, 1st Japan X Bowl triumph". xleague.com. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
- ^ Ikezaka, Hiroshi (November 15, 2015). "Cameron leads Frontiers to win over Deers". japantimes.co.jp. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
- ^ Marantz, Ken (December 1, 2015). "Fast and furious Frontiers cruise past Seagulls, into Japan X Bowl". xleague.com. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
- ^ Marantz, Ken (November 13, 2016). "Unbeatens Fujitsu, Obic progress to semifinals in similar style". xleague.com. Retrieved November 20, 2016.
- ^ Marantz, Ken (November 29, 2016). "Cameron drives, Nishimura kicks Fujitsu in Japan X Bowl". xleague.com. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
- ^ Marantz, Ken (December 14, 2016). "Frontiers regain league crown as defense grounds Seagulls in Japan X Bowl". xleague.com. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
- ^ Marantz, Ken (November 27, 2017). "Cameron runs hot, Fujitsu defense stops Obic cold as Frontiers march back into Japan X Bowl". xleague.com. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
- ^ Marantz, Ken (November 25, 2018). "Flash News: Defending champion Fujitsu, IBM set up rematch in Japan X Bowl". xleague.com. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
- ^ Nagatsuka, Kaz (September 25, 2013). "Harvard grad Gordon hoping to make impact for Frontiers". japantimes.co.jp. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
External links
edit- Official website (Japanese)