Shigeru Konno (金野 滋, Konno Shigeru, 7 July 1922 – 1 April 2007), more often known by his nickname of Shiggy Konno, was a noted figure in post-war rugby union in Japan for over fifty years. He was a strong advocate of amateurism in the game.[1]
Biography edit
Konno was educated in England at Rokeby Preparatory School, and was a fluent English speaker.[1] He attended Doshisha University[2] At Doshisha, he played as a prop.[3] Konno trained to be one of the last kamikaze pilots in World War II, but never flew a mission.[4]
In 1952, Konno took his first job in rugby administration, acting as liaison for a touring Oxford University side.[2] In 1968, Konno helped set up the Asian Rugby Football Union, being at various times Secretary General, Director, and Honorary Chairman.[2] In 1969, he became Director of the Japan Rugby Football Union, and in 1972 its chairman, a position he held until 1994.[2] He held various other posts in the JRFU until 2007.[2] Between 1991 and 2000, Konno was Japan's representative on the International Rugby Board, the world governing body of the sport.[2]
Konno-san was awarded an OBE in 1985 by Queen Elizabeth II, for his services to rugby, and also for helping improve Anglo-Japanese relations.[2]
His funeral was held at Kōshōden in Zōjō-ji temple in Tokyo.
Honors edit
- In 2019, World Rugby inducted Konno to its Hall of Fame, alongside Richie McCaw, Os du Randt, Peter Fatialofa, Graham Henry, and Diego Ormaechea.[5]
References edit
- ^ a b Bath, Richard (ed.) The Complete Book of Rugby (Seven Oaks Ltd, 1997 ISBN 1-86200-013-1), p70
- ^ a b c d e f g TOKYO (April 2003) Shiggy Konno Passes Away at Age of 84, retrieved 7 September 2009
- ^ Asian Championship reaches its 40th birthday Archived 29 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine, on IRB dot com retrieved 7 September 2009
- ^ "Jackson column: Kamikaze man 'Shiggy' has made real impact". 16 October 2019.
- ^ New rugbiers in the Hall of Fame