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Football
edit(I retroactively added this after mistakenly editing it directly onto the actual article page. To see the sources I added, see Asian Americans in sports#References #21 to #58.)
In the 1920s, Arthur Matsu, a Japanese-Scottish quarterback, starred at The College of William & Mary, captaining the team and receiving national acclaim for his athleticism as a "triple-threat man" skilled at running, passing, and punting. In addition, Walter "Sneeze" Achiu, a Chinese-Hawaiian halfback, earned 1925 All-American honors at the University of Dayton. Matsu and Achiu would go on to play together for the NFL's Dayton Triangles in 1928, becoming the first Asian-Americans to play in the NFL.
In 1962, half-Filipino Roman Gabriel, a two-time all-American quarterback at NC State, was selected with both the second overall pick in the 1962 NFL draft by the Los Angeles Rams and the first overall pick in the same year's AFL draft by the Oakland Raiders. Gabriel went on to play 16 seasons for the Rams and Philadelphia Eagles, including an NFL MVP-winning season in 1969.
In 1986, John Lee, a Korean-born placekicker, was drafted by the then-St. Louis Cardinals in the 2nd round of the NFL Draft after earning back-to-back first-team All-American honors for UCLA, becoming the first Korean to play in the NFL.
In 1992, Korean-American Eugene Chung, an All-American offensive tackle at Virginia Tech, was drafted by the New England Patriots in the first round of the NFL Draft. Chung played
In 1998, Vietnamese-American Dat Nguyen, a senior middle linebacker for the Texas A&M Aggies, earned unanimous All-American honors and won both the Bednarik Award, awarded to the top defensive player in college football, and the Lombardi Award. Nguyen was the Aggies' leading tackler in each of his four seasons, and still holds the school record with 517 career tackles. Nguyen was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys (becoming the first Vietnamese-American to be drafted) and played seven seasons, earning second-team All-Pro honors in 2003.
Hines Ward, a Korean-American born in Seoul, South Korea and raised in the Atlanta area, played wide receiver for the Georgia Bulldogs before being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1998. Ward caught 1,000 career passes for 12,083 yards over 14 seasons with the Steelers, winning both Super Bowl XL and Super Bowl XLIII. He is best remembered for his performance in Super Bowl XL, when he caught 5 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown to earn Super Bowl MVP honors.
Two former standout defensive players for the Bill Belichick-era New England Patriots are of partial Asian descent. Linebacker Tedy Bruschi, who played for the Patriots from 1996 to 2008 – winning three Super Bowls and making two All-Pro teams – is half-Filipino, while safety Patrick Chung, who is Chinese-Jamaican, was also a three-time Super Bowl champion across 10 seasons with New England between 2009 and 2019.
In 2010, Ed Wang, an offensive tackle at Virginia Tech, was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the 5th round of the NFL Draft, becoming the first full-blooded Chinese player be drafted and play in the NFL.
Younghoe Koo, a Korean-born kicker, was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2020 after leading the NFL in scoring for the Atlanta Falcons. Koo, who also gained attention after successfully converting three onside kicks in a single game in 2019, is the fourth player in NFL history to have been born in South Korea.
In 2018, quarterback Kyler Murray, who is of partial Korean descent, won the Heisman Trophy while leading Oklahoma to a 12-2 record, a Big 12 conference title, and the College Football Playoff. Murray was selected with the 1st overall pick of the 2019 NFL draft by the Arizona Cardinals, going on to win the 2019 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award, make the Pro Bowl twice, and lead the Cardinals to the playoffs once.
Five years later, quarterback Jayden Daniels, who is of partial Japanese descent, won the 2023 Heisman Trophy while playing for LSU. He was selected second overall by the Washington Commanders in the 2024 NFL draft. Daniels won the 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year award and began wearing a Japanese flag on his helmet during the 2025 season.
Other current NFL players with Asian ancestry include Korean-American safety Kyle Hamilton, a two-time All-Pro; Chinese-American safety Taylor Rapp, who won Super Bowl LVI with the Rams; and Filipino-American safety Cam Bynum.
Norm Chow, who is Chinese-Hawaiian, was a longtime college offensive assistant well-known for developing quarterbacks. Chow won the 2002 Broyles Award (given to the top assistant coach in college football) as USC's offensive coordinator. That season, USC quarterback Carson Palmer won the Heisman Trophy and became the first overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft. In addition to Palmer, Chow also developed fellow USC Heisman winner Matt Leinart; BYU quarterbacks Jim McMahon, Steve Young, and Heisman winner Ty Detmer while serving as BYU's offensive playcaller; and Philip Rivers while serving as NC State offensive coordinator. Chow also served as Hawaii head coach from 2012 to 2015, Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator from 2005 to 2007, and UCLA offensive coordinator from 2008 and 2010.
In 2021, Marcus Freeman, a Korean-American former linebacker who played for Ohio State and the Chicago Bears, was promoted from Notre Dame defensive coordinator to head coach. Freeman led the Fighting Irish to a 43-11 total record in his first four seasons as head coach. In 2024, Freeman won the Bear Bryant Coach of the Year Award for leading Notre Dame to the CFP National Championship game, where they lost to Ohio State to finish as national runner-up. Freeman is the first Asian-American and African-American coach to reach the Division 1 national championship game.