Within the wide spectrum of sports within the United
States (and the world), there is a fast-increasing number of athletes
of Asian/Asian Pacific American descent of talented athletes that have
received acclaim and recognition. These athletes are divided into various
sports categories that are listed below. Click are the "links"
to discover more information on these talented people.
BRUCE CHEN - Started his career as an Atlanta Braves Pitcher
JIN HO CHO - Started his career as a Boston Red Sox Pitcher
JOHNNY DAMON - American/Thai Outfielder for the Boston Red Sox
and part of the team that eliminated 86 years of frustration by winning
the World Series in 2004.
DANNY GRAVES - He's the first Vietnamese-born man (youngest
son of an Army sergeant & Vietnamese woman) to play major-league baseball.
In his entire nine-year career, he's been baffling batters in a sport
that his countrymen have yet to fully embrace.
SHIGETOSHI HASEGAWA - Anaheim Angels Pitcher (in 2004, playing
with the Seattle Mariners
MASAO KIDA - Started his career as a Detroit Tigers Pitcher
BYUNG-HYUN KIM - Started his career as an Arizona Diamondback
Pitcher
WENDALL KIM - Wendell Kim, who was a coach for Dusty Baker
in San Francisco from 1993-96, joined the Cubs in 2003.
HONG-CHIH KUO - He made up for lost time with a meteoric rise last year (2005) that began at Class A Vero Beach and ended with a September callup to the Major Leagues from Double-A where he has pitched well in the 2006 season for the L.A. Dodgers.
MENK BATEER - Chinese Basketball League’s MVP (2nd Chinese
basketball. Being on San Antonio Spur's roster gives him the chance
to be the first Chinese basketplayer on a NBA
championship team.
HONG WAH KUE - these "Brave Chinese Warriors" were the first
all-Chinese American professional basketball team formed in 1939 to
1941 (WWII) by a white San Francisco accountant. Team of former S.F.
high school all stars toured the U.S. and Canada - sometimes with the
Harlem Globetrotters.
WATARU MISAKA - He was the first Japanese-American to play
professional basketball at the highest level in the United States during
the 1947 season.
NORM CHAO - this coach for 30+ years has been described as
a genius, "architect" of their success and a "brilliant" football
mind as USC's offensive coordinator (2 Heisman Trophy winners - Matt
Leinart & Carson Palmer), assistant coach at Brigham Young University
(developing Jim McMahon, Steve Young, and Ty Detmer), North Carolina
State (Phillip Rivers),
LLOYD LEE - He is the Chicago Bears' assistant coach on defense. He understands the required mathematical brilliance to figure out the dozens of permutations Colts'quarterback Peyton Manning could line up for his explosive offense in the 30 seconds before he snaps the ball. He was a star safety at Dartmouth during their undefeated season that resulted in a championship before being drafted by the San Diego Chargers - where he was cut after one year alternating on the Chargers' practice squad.
He found a job in the back office as a scout for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, trading body crunching for numbers crunching. The Bears also hired him as a Defensive Quality Control coach, which partly means technical stuff, organizing the club's computer data and video cuts. In 2006, the Bears promoted Lee back to the battlefield. Asians in the NFL is a rarity since there are just three NFL players of Asian descent in the league, Pittsburg Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward, who is half-Korean, Tennesee Titans offensive lineman Eugene Amano, who is Filipino, and New York Giants safety Will Demps, who is also half-Korean. There are no Asian head coaches.
EMMANUEL MOODY - In 2006, this half Korean/half Black athlete was a freshman running back for USC
TOBY DAWSON - Korean American Member of the United States Freestyle Ski Team. He spends his days cheating death by flinging his body into the air and performing 360s and rotisserie-style spins — 30 feet above ground.
HYO-JUNG KIM - Speed-skater (Halie Kim) with dreams of representing
the U.S. in the 2006 Olympics in Turin Italy
MICHELLE
KWAN - Championship
Chinese
Ice Skater that is making her mark in other areas befitting her celebrity
status - as noted in various interviews.
In 2005, she is chasing the achievements that Maribel
Vinson Owen accomplished between 1928 to 1937 - winner of a record
nine
U.S. figure skating championships. In 2006 - Secretary
of State Condoleezza Rice announced that she has appointed figure
skating champion Michelle Kwan as the first American Public Diplomacy
Envoy. Kwan,
a five-time World Champion and two-time Olympic medalist joined the
Secretary in the Treaty Room of the U.S. Department of State in Washington,
DC.
SHANNELL NOJI - Shanell is a member of the All Year Figure
Skating Club and trains in Southern California,
ANTON OHNO - World
Cup 2002/2003 Overall Champion, World Cup 2000/2001 Overall Champion,
US Champion 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, Youngest American (age 16)
to win Gold in World Cup, Hungary 1998, Olympics Gold and Silver Medalist
2002
PEGGY OKI - sole woman on Dogtown, CA's groundbreaking Zephyr
Skating Team that was seen in the Sony Pictures Classics' film "Dogtown
and Z-Boys. In addition, she is a well-established graphic
artist.
PEGGY OKI - sole woman on Dogtown, CA's groundbreaking Zephyr
Skating Team that was seen in the Sony Pictures Classics' film "Dogtown
and Z-Boys. In addition, she is a well-established graphic
artist.
SAMMY LEE - became the first male diver in history
to win multiple gold medals at the Olympics. In 1948, he
was the first Asian American ever to win
gold and the first male
ever to win two consecutive Olympic gold medals in platform diving,
plus a bronze in springboard diving at the Olympic Games. In 2005,
a book (Sixteen
Years In Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story) was published describing
his story.
KRISTINA LUM - 23 years old swimmer
has won competition awards since 1992 and in 1998 & 1999
was the USOC Sportswoman of the Year and Sullivan Award nominee. She
won the Silver Medal at the 1998 Goodwill
Games despite having a back
injury in late 1997.
HISAKI "CHAKO" HIGUCHI - She was the first Asian woman to
win on the tour when she took the 1977 LPGA Championship
AI MIYAZATO - At 17, she was the first amateur in 30 years
to win on the Japanese women's pro circuit. At 18, in her fourth tournament
since turning pro, she became the youngest player to win on the Japanese
LPGA Tour. She was the first Japanese teen to earn more than $1 million
in a year.
NAREE AND AREE SONG - Thailand's twin wonders Naree and
Aree Song Wongluekiet moved to the US late in 1997 and at 13 played
in their first LPGA Tour event, the Dinah Shore Classic. Both made
the cut and Aree finished tied for 10th.
YUTAKA FUKUFUJI - Los Angeles Kings goalie Yutaka Fukufuji became the first Japanese-born player in the NHL when he replaced Barry Brust in a game against the St. Louis Blues.
PAUL KARIYA - Anaheim Mighty Ducks Winger - in 2004, playing
with the Colorado Rockies(Hockey)
NATASHA KAI - first female from Hawai'i selected to the U.S. National Team, joining an elite group of athletes who will compete in the 2007 World Cup and the 2008 Olympics.
EFREN "BATA" REYES - Referred to as "The Magician" for having made some of the most spectacular shots seen in tournament play. Reyes has won many of the most prestigious nine-ball tournaments, including multiple wins at the Sands Regency Open, the 1994 U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship, the 1995 Pro Tour Championship, and the 2002 ESPN Challenge of Champions. He is also known for having won a two day winner-take-all marathon nine ball event, known as the Color of Money I and the Color of Money II, edging out in the finals another top nine ball player, Earl Strickland. In 2005, he weathered a round robin to challenge the reigning king (Mike Sigel) of the Kevin Trudeau sponsored IPT, who was personally picked by Trudeau from 'retirement' as the best in the world. Reyes bested him easily. He had been inducted in the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame on July 12, 2003.
NORIKO KARIYA - Successful amateur boxer and sister of Paul
Kariya
CHRISTINA KWAN - (Michelle Kwan's cousin) turned professionally
in 2006. As an amateur Christina was a 2004 U.S. National and World
Champion at 95 pounds. As a professional, she will box at 100 pounds
- the junior strawweight divison.
JHOON RHEE -
Guided the UC Davis
Cycling Team to its first national championship, coached the
resident national cycling team at the US Olympic Training Center. He founded and acted as the full-time director of the
Celestial Seasonings Professional Cycling Team. He helped trained Floyd Landis during the Tour de France
HIKARU NAKAMURA - the 16-year-old from White Plains, N.Y.,
won the U.S. Chess Championship, the youngest
player to win the title since 14-year-old Bobby Fischer in 1958.
SHANE KIM - General Manager for MS Game Studio. It is the first time a person of Korean ancestry has reached such a
high-ranking position within MS. MSG is a huge sector of MS that manages the development and supply of Microsoft PC games and game software for the X-box. Kim will lead 1,000 game developers and producers and lead the development and supply of large scale games such as "Halo 2," "Jade Empire," "Fable," and "Dungeon Siege 2."
YO-HWAN LIM - Star online gamers who makes 6 figures playing computer games
THRESH - (aka Dennis Fong) Champion Multiple Player of online
gaming
ALAN YU - Alan Yu (director of artist & repertoire for Electronic Arts.) is the ubiquitous presence and guiding force behind
the annual Game Developers Conference. He is known for bringing together the best and
brightest game developers, creators, and collaborators (including a
few heavy hitters from the industry's corporate suites).
JEFF HO - Culver City native who is a leader as a shaper (today's
bullet boards/high performance boards/airbrushed surfboards) and surfer.
His shop, Jeff Ho's Surfboards and Zephyr Productions, were the basis
of the film "Lords of Dogtown" film based on the story of the Zephyr
competition team focusing on the life stories of Tony Alva, Jay Adams,
and Stacy Peralta.
CHRISTIAN ROSHA HOSOI - Boasting dual citizenship in LA and Hawaii for his 33 years (mirroring a Japanese/Caucasian heritage since his birth in 10/5/67 w/his wife Jennifer Lee), Hosoi started skating at 5 with veterans like Shogo Kubo, Tony Alva, Stacy Peralta, and Jay Adams as models. These were the pioneers of the urethane wheeled revolution; skating ramps and dried pools along with boardwalks and driveways in the late 70's. Hosoi developed as a skater in Venice Beach's Dogtown scene, which has and still plays a huge role in defining skateboarding culture. He has had a long history with drugs, but become a strong Christian through the efforts of his wife and Christopher Swain.
