Saburō Kawabuchi

Kawabuchi was born in Takaishi on December 3, 1936.[https://web.archive.org/web/20200417211635/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ka/saburo-kawabuchi-1.html Saburo Kawabuchi]. sports-reference.com At first, when he was in Takaishi elementary school and Takaishi Junior high school, he played baseball. He was on to Mikunigaoka High School, Osaka and became a member of football team at the high school. He graduated from Mikunigaoka High School, Osaka in 1955. He went on to Waseda University School of commerce in 1957. He played for the Waseda University football team. He earned a bachelor of arts degree in commerce from Waseda University.

After graduating from Waseda University, Kawabuchi played for Furukawa Electric, in the early days of the Japan Soccer League. In the initial league season, he was the first player to score a hat-trick, against Nagoya Mutual Bank.[http://homepage1.nifty.com/kisch/football/lea/j_01.html Japan Soccer League 1965] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911072304/http://homepage1.nifty.com/kisch/football/lea/j_01.html |date=2015-09-11}}. Homepage1.nifty.com. Retrieved on May 30, 2015. He retired in 1970, having played 68 games and scored 10 goals in the league.

On December 25, 1958, when Kawabuchi was a Waseda University student, he debuted and scored 2 goals for Japan national team against Hong Kong. In 1962, he played at 1962 Asian Games. In 1964, he was selected Japan for 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. At 1964 Summer Olympics, he scored a goal in first match against Argentina. He also played at 1962 Asian Games. He played 26 games and scored 8 goals for Japan until 1965.[http://www.jfootball-db.com/en/players/kawabuchi_saburo.html Japan National Football Team Database]

After retirement, Kawabuchi became a coach for Furukawa Electric in 1970. In 1973, he became a manager and managed until 1975. Just before 1982 World Cup qualification in December 1980, he was named manager for the Japan national team and replaced Masashi Watanabe, who suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage. Kawabuchi managed Japan at the 1982 World Cup qualification and managed until March 1981.

In 1991, he was named the inaugural chairman of the J.League, as the first professional league in Japan. In 1991, he also became the first chairman of the J.League. In 2002, he resigned as chairman of the J.League and became the 10th president of the Japan Football Association as Shunichiro Okano's successor. Kawabuchi served until 2008. He also served as president of the Japan Basketball Association from May 2015 to June 2016.

In 2006, he received the FIFA Order of Merit. In 2008, he was also selected for the Japan Football Hall of Fame.

Kawabuchi serves as a councilor on the organizing committee for the 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. He had been requested by former Prime Minister Yoshirō Mori to succeed him as committee chairperson in February 2021, but Kawabuchi later said that he would not accept the request.{{cite web |url=https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/02/5a9acbe64b18-breaking-news-olympic-minister-vows-to-restore-trust-after-moris-resignation.html|title=Tokyo Olympics head quits over sexism row with no successor in sight|date=12 February 2021|publisher=Kyodo News|access-date=12 February 2021}}

• Japan Soccer League Silver Ball (Assist Leader): 1966
• Japan Football Hall of Fame: Inducted in 2008{{cite web |url= https://www.jfa.jp/eng/about_jfa/hall_of_fame/member/KAWABUCHI_Saburo.html|title= KAWABUCHI Saburo|access-date= February 21, 2024|work= Japan Football Association}}
• Order of the Rising Sun, 2nd Class, Gold and Silver Star: 2009
• Person of Cultural Merit: 2015{{cite web |url= https://www.jfa.jp/about_jfa/news/00007782/|title= 川淵三郎最高顧問が2015年度の文化功労者に顕彰|access-date= April 26, 2024|work= JFA}}
• Order of Culture: 2023{{cite web |url= https://www.jiji.com/jc/article?k=2023102100173&g=soc|title= 塩野七生さんら7人文化勲章＝功労者に北大路欣也さんら|access-date= October 21, 2023|work= Jiji Press}}

• J's career – With Japan football, Nihon Keizai Shimbun Shuppan, 2009

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• {{FIFA player|173080}}
• {{NFT|20857}}
• [http://www.jfootball-db.com/en/players/kawabuchi_saburo.html Japan National Football Team Database]
• [http://www.jfa.jp/eng/about_jfa/hall_of_fame/member/KAWABUCHI_Saburo.html Japan Football Hall of Fame] at Japan Football Association

{{Japan football squad 1964 Summer Olympics}}

{{Japan national football team managers}}

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Category:1936 births

Category:Living people

Category:Waseda University alumni

Category:Association football people from Osaka Prefecture

Category:Japanese men's footballers

Category:Japan men's international footballers

Category:Japan Soccer League players

Category:JEF United Chiba players

Category:Olympic footballers for Japan

Category:Footballers at the 1964 Summer Olympics

Category:Footballers at the 1962 Asian Games

Category:Japanese football managers

Category:Japan national football team managers

Category:Persons of Cultural Merit

Category:Recipients of the Order of Culture

Category:Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, 2nd class

Category:Men's association football forwards

Category:People from Takaishi, Osaka

Category:Asian Games competitors for Japan

Category:Presidents of the Japan Football Association

Category:Basketball executives

Category:20th-century Japanese sportsmen