Living The Dream

Photo by Lawrence Tabudlo

There doesn’t seem to be anything that can distract Kansei Matsuzawa — even temporarily — from his dream.

Except maybe YouTube.

And, specifically, Japanese sketch comedy.

“I love Japanese comedy,” says the usually hyperfocused placekicker for the University of Hawaiʻi Rainbow Warriors football team. “It helps me to get away from football.”

Apparently, even the most dedicated players need an escape at times, and in YouTube, the Tokyo-born Matsuzawa has found welcome relief through a bit of homegrown, late-night laughter.

“Sometimes I talk too much English and I have headache every night. So the Japanese shows help me,” he admits.

In recent years, YouTube has been an especially good friend to him. It’s where he learned how to cut his own hair in order to save money for college. It’s also where he went to improve his grasp of the English language.

But most importantly, the online platform is where he first sourced videos about how to kick the pigskin.

And what a kicker he’s turned out to be.

This season has been a record-setting one for the soon-to-turn-27-year-old player nicknamed “Tokyo Toe.” (His birthday is Jan. 8.)

Entering this week’s Sheraton Hawaiʻi Bowl — a Christmas Eve showdown between the UH Rainbow Warriors and the California Golden Bears at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex in Mānoa — Matsuzawa has been college football’s most reliable and accurate kicker, converting a staggering 96% of his field goals (25 of 26) and all 33 of his extra points. Along the way, he matched a Football Bowl Subdivision record with 25-straight field goals, with his only miss coming on a 30-yard attempt against Wyoming on Nov. 29. He also nailed 100% of his kicks from more than 40 yards (11-for-11), which tied him for seventh-best nationally.

By eliminating distractions and training his mind to have a laser-like focus, Matsuzawa has made booting the ball through the uprights almost automatic. He attributes this uncanny ability to following a daily routine that includes visualization techniques and positive affirmations learned from sports psychologists at the university.

“It’s not easy to put yourself into this situation every time,” he says of his kicking duties. “You need to follow your routine every time. To prepare for the game, basically I’m going to do the same thing every day.”

Repetition off the field has led to consistent results on the field and, consequently, the accolades have flowed his way.

Last week, Matsuzawa scooped up his latest award after being named to the 2025 Associated Press All-America first team. It’s a prestigious honor, and marks only the second time in nearly 40 years that a Rainbow Warrior has received such a distinction. (Al Noga was the first to do so in 1986.) The award also comes on the heels of Matsuzawa being named to three other All-American first teams: American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp Football Foundation and CBS Sports.

He calls his first-team selections “an honor for myself, my family and (in) representing the state of Hawaiʻi.” But while appreciative of the recognition, Matsuzawa adds that personal accolades are not why he plays the game.

“I never chase honors. I just like to live day by day — just focus on my kicks, one at a time,” he says.

These days, his attention is squarely on the Golden Bears. Playing in a bowl game “was one of my goals before the season,” says the kicker, and should the contest come down to his leg, he’ll gladly let his gifted toe do the talking.

That means that even if the game’s outcome is riding on a long field goal attempt, Matsuzawa — whose farthest successful kick came from 52 yards out earlier this season — believes he’ll make it.

“Yeah, of course,” says the strapping 6-foot-2, 200-pound kicker, oozing with confidence. “I’m not worried about distance.”

Nor is he worried about his future.

Matsuzawa could technically apply for another year of NCAA eligibility, but he is expected to declare for the NFL Draft in the coming weeks. Should he choose to go this route, it would be yet another example of his ability to stay the course and not be distracted from his objective.

“(The) NFL is always my dream,” he says. “Because of the NFL, it’s the reason why I started playing football.”

Matsuzawa’s pathway to American football began in 2018 with a trip to the United States, where the then 19-year-old attended his first NFL game in the Bay Area. There, the raucous atmosphere at Oakland Coliseum made an indelible impression on him. When he returned to Tokyo, he realized he was seriously intrigued by the gridiron sport.

At the time, Matsuzawa needed something to be interested in. He had been in a funk and was struggling for direction in his life. Much of his youth was spent on soccer fields and he had high hopes of playing the sport professionally, thanks in part to the athletic genes inherited from his parents.

“My dad used to play baseball and a little bit of American football in Japan,” Matsuzawa says. “And my mom was really athletic. She did a lot — like swimming, baseball, volleyball. So, my athletic ability comes from both sides.”

Yet after starring as a striker at Makuhari Sogo High School in Chiba, he whiffed on his college entrance exams and that meant, in part, no more soccer.

“Once I left my country (for the U.S. trip), I kind of felt angry because I couldn’t do anything else for myself,” Matsuzawa says.

Which is why the brief sojourn on the West Coast was so important to him. If anything, the Land of Opportunity not only rekindled his fire for competitive sports, but redirected his attention to a viable new alternative: American football.

And that was all the inspiration he needed to return to the U.S. and, as he puts it, “make an accomplishment.”

Of course, there were immediate obstacles.

He didn’t speak English. He also didn’t possess the financial means to pay for an American college education. And finally, few college programs were willing to give a roster spot — let alone a scholarship — to a foreign student with no football experience.

But Matsuzawa was undeterred. Almost immediately, he began working at Morton’s Steakhouse in Japan and, for the next three years, saved his money. He also started watching YouTube videos of professional kickers and began mimicking their steps, foot placement and follow-through. Later, he started sending videos of his growing kicking prowess to stateside junior colleges, hoping for a nibble.

Ultimately, Hocking College in Ohio bit and offered him a chance to walk on. During his second season there, Matsuzawa converted 71% of his field goal attempts (12 of 17) and 94% of his point-after attempts (16 of 17).

Yet even after earning his associate’s degree at the junior college and participating in a number of kicking camps elsewhere to increase his exposure with Division I schools, no college offers came his way. With his savings just about gone, he caught a flight back to Tokyo.

Matsuzawa’s dream appeared to have come to an abrupt end.

The kicker loves his surname, so much so that he debuted it, in kanji, on the nameplate of his UH Rainbow Warrior jersey earlier this season.

He also loves his first name, which he says translates to “kindness and honesty” in English.

Matsuzawa’s life, though, could best be described as focused, determined and persistent.

Those same meanings and characteristics are also a reflection of his parents, who helped shoulder their son’s financial burden to the point of moving into a smaller home just so they could send extra money his way.

“My family sacrificed a lot for me. I was supposed to go to college in Japan and just kind of have some job. But all of a sudden, I told them, ‘I’m going to the U.S. and if I don’t get a scholarship, I’ll need an estimated $100,000 to graduate,” Matsuzawa recalls. “My mom told me, ‘Money is the easiest thing to handle. If we need money, we can borrow from somebody.’”

“Because my family supports me,” he adds, “I was able to do something.”

That something continues today at UH-Mānoa, and much of the credit for Matsuzawa even being in the islands and keeping his dream alive belongs to special teams coordinator Thomas Sheffield.

In 2023, the Rainbow Warriors were looking to add another kicker to its roster and Sheffield began scouring sites for available players. When he saw Matsuzawa on film, he became intrigued.

“I just saw something special in him,” recalls Sheffield. “And one thing I learned from head coach Timmy Chang more than anything is to follow your gut.

“And my gut told me that Kansei could be a really good kicker at this level.”

Beyond Matsuzawa’s natural leg talent, Sheffield was inspired by the kicker’s unyielding pursuit of his goal.

“His story just resonated with me,” the coach says. “If he could overcome all the obstacles that were thrown at him as he created this giant dream for himself, I just thought he could navigate kicking in front of thousands and thousands of people and the pressure would never be too big for him.

“I mean Kansei sees a problem, but instead of running from it, he goes and attacks it,” Sheffield adds. “I think that’s really cool.”

Although UH couldn’t offer him any financial relief, Matsuzawa still chose to walk on. At the conclusion of last season, his faith in the Rainbow Warriors’ program, coupled with his onfield production (he converted 75% of his field goals and all 32 of his extra points in 2024), were rewarded with a scholarship. When Chang delivered the news in his office, Matsuzawa broke down and cried.

The tears, however, didn’t last long. Soon, he was back in focus, going through a list of daily positive affirmations like “just smile,” “help each other” and “whatever happens, just don’t be affected (negatively).”

In Kansei Matsuzawa’s world, there’s no time to lose sight of the destination. After all, life as a professional placekicker awaits. His dream lives on.

As he says, “I’m going to just focus on my job and keep making field goals.”