1988 Olympic Coach Rusty Kanokogi Passes Away

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) - USA Judo and the international judo community lost a dear friend and a pioneer of the women's judo movement on Saturday when 1988 Olympic Coach Rena "Rusty" Kanokogi (Brooklyn, N.Y.) passed away at the age of 74 following a battle with cancer.  

Nicknamed the "Mother of Judo" by the thousands of women and girls whose way she paved into the sport, Kanokogi is widely credited with helping bring women's judo into the Olympic Games for the first time in 1988 - the same year she also was the Head Women's Coach of the U.S. Olympic Team.  Kanokogi also was instrumental in the creation of the first Women's World Judo Championships which were held in 1980 in New York City.   

"Rusty inspired the sports world to think differently about the notion of women in competitive sports and her legacy will live on for generations of athletes to come," said USA Judo President Lance Nading (Denver, Colo.)  "Having my own daughter who loves the sport of judo, I am especially reminded of her contribution to young female judo athletes everywhere.  I hesitate to think where women in judo and other Olympic sports would be today if it were not for the fully inclusive notion that Rusty fought for relentlessly every day - that men and woman are truly equal to pursue their dreams within the same sports and set of rules." 

The first woman in the United States to receive the ranking of seventh-degree black belt, Kanokogi was a leader in the sport at all levels.  The president of New York Judo, Inc., Kanokogi was actively involved in growing judo throughout her home state as well as the rest of the nation, both as a coach and as an international level referee.  

"Those who knew Rusty knew she lived for judo and told it like it was and you had to love her for it because when she did you knew she really cared and the funny thing is that she was right most of the time. That is why she was respected and will be missed," said USA Judo CEO Jose H. Rodriguez (Colorado Springs, Colo.) "She lived and breathed judo to the very end. Even while going through treatment and being in pain and discomfort she never stopped caring for the business of New York State Judo."

Kanokogi was one of the top judo coaches in the nation during the 1980s, leading up to her appointment as Head Women's Coach at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea, and her impact on her athletes at the time continues to this day.

"Rusty was the Gloria Steinem of judo and women's judo would not be where it is today without her relentless efforts.  She never took no for an answer and she was always able to convince you that there was a way to get the job done," said Corinne Shigemoto (Bastrop, Texas), a 1986 World Team member who went on to coach at the 1996 Olympic Games.  "It was always an adventure when you traveled with Rusty, whether it was getting stuck in an elevator in Japan, accidentally finding yourself at a coed natural spring spa in Hungary or being chased around by a random man in Poland.  In my heart I know she's now on her greatest adventure and she will be missed tremendously." 

At a time when women were banned from competing in the sport, Kanokogi disguised herself as a man to compete as a member of the Brooklyn Central YMCA Team.  After winning the 1959 New York State YMCA Judo Championships, Kanokogi was forced to surrender her gold medal when her identity as a woman was discovered.  In August of this year - 50 years after she beat her male opponents - Kanokogi was presented with her medal during a special ceremony at the Brooklyn YMCA.   

Kanokogi used these early experiences as motivation to encourage participation in women's sports and her impact reached not just to the judo community, but to a breadth of sports through her role as a member of the Women's Sports Foundation Board of Trustees from 1996-2001.

"Rusty was one of the greatest influencers in the world of women's sports and a person who never really received the acclaim and recognition she so richly deserved," Women's Sports Foundation Founder Billie Jean King said in a tribute on Saturday.  "Nothing thrilled Rusty more than helping others - especially the children. She said that helping a child who thinks he or she can't do something and then showing them that they CAN DO IT, was one of the greatest feelings in her life. So many of us were touched by her generosity, dedication and unconditional friendship... Rusty Kanokogi was one of a kind, a true leader, an inspirational woman of influence and one of the most generous souls I have ever known and I know she made a difference in my life and in the lives of so many others."

The NBC commentator for judo at the 2004 Olympic Games, Kanokogi received countless honors during her career, including an induction into the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame in 1994; the John Osako Award from the USA Judo Referee Commission in 2007; and the International Judo Federation Bronze Medal Award in 2001. 

On Nov. 24, 2008, Kanokogi also received prestigious "Emperor's Award of the Rising Sun."  This award, the highest honor bestowed to a foreigner by the Japanese government, is given to an individual whose work has had an extraordinarily positive impact on Japanese society. Kanokogi was one of a select group of people to receive the award in 2008 that also included Americans Tommy Lasorda and Walter Mondale. 

Kanokogi is survived by husband Ryohei Kanokogi and children Jean and Ted Kanokogi.  

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made to the Rusty Kanokogi Fund for the Advancement of Women's Judo, administered by the Women's Sports Foundation.  The fund was established in January to provide direct financial assistance to aspiring athletes with successful competitive records who have the potential to achieve even higher performance levels and rankings.

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