When Tomoya Machino started playing football at Kyoto University, he was new to the game and wanted to play a position he thought was cool.
Machino, a former high school baseball player, was a lot thinner back then and never envisioned becoming an offensive lineman. Shortly after joining the school¡¯s football team, the Gangsters, he submitted his position requests in the following order: tight end, wide receiver and offensive lineman. Noting that one of his taller teammates played wideout, the 197-cm Machino believed taller players would be chosen for the receiving corps.
¡°They score touchdowns and stuff like that and look cool, don¡¯t they?¡± Machino told the Japan Times in a Zoom interview late last month. ¡°I wanted to play that position at the time.¡±
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