Rena Kanokogi, 74, passes away; Billie Jean King pays tribute to women's sports pioneer
Saturday, November 21, 2009 -
On Saturday, November 21, 2009,
Rena “Rusty” Kanokogi passed away in New York City following a valiant battle with cancer. She was 74. Kanokogi, nicknamed “the mother of U.S. women’s judo,” is a former member of the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Board of Trustees (1996-2001) and was the current chair of the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame Alumnae Association. She held a seventh-degree black belt in judo, making her the highest-ranking American woman in the sport. In 1991, Kanokogi was named to the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame. She is survived by her husband, Ryohei, her daughter, Jean, her son, Ted and two grandchildren, Ken and Amy.
Born in the tough neighborhoods of Coney Island, New York, Kanokogi was a fighter from birth. As early as adolescence, she was the head of a street gang called the Apaches. By taking her fight from the street to the mat, Kanokogi found her true passion: judo. She fell in love with the sport, not for the self-defense it afforded, but because it calmed her down --- she already knew how to defend herself. She decided to channel her immense reserve of energy into this sport that instilled self-control. Coming from an environment where “you were either the hammer or the nail,” she recognized that she loved striking.
It was the sport that brought her to the 1959 New York State YMCA Judo Championships as a member of the Brooklyn Central YMCA team. However, the judges forced her to forfeit her gold medal when they discovered that she was a woman competing in disguise as a man. Kanokogi used this incident as personal motivation to fight for equality for
women in sports and went on to become arguably the most influential force in women’s competitive judo.
Just this past August, at a special ceremony at the Brooklyn YMCA, Kanokogi was awarded with the same medal that was taken away from her 50 years prior.
In the mid-1970s Kanokogi shifted from competing to teaching, refereeing and advocating full-time. She and her husband, Ryohei, who she met while competing in Japan, opened judo training centers throughout Brooklyn. There, she reveled in witnessing the physical and mental transformations of her young students.
Due largely to Kanokogi’s efforts, women's judo became an Olympic sport in 1988. She was the NBC sport expert commentator at the 2004 Olympic Games for judo.
In January of 2009, the creation of the
Rusty Kanokogi Fund for the Advancement of U.S. Women’s Judo was announced. The fund, created through the generosity of the Richard and Pamela Ader Foundation, helps U.S. female judokas finance travel and training.
In 2004, Kanokogi recalled the early days of the Women's Sports Foundation with great fondness and gratitude, and marveled at the persistence and drive of founder Billie Jean King. The support she felt from the organization was much needed. “It was like belonging to a church,” she said.
Saturday, Billie Jean King gave her own tribute to the women’s sports pioneer:
"It is with great sadness that we face today knowing that our friend and colleague Rusty Kanokogi has passed away.
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.
Working behind the scenes, Rusty brought judo for women to the United States and, in my opinion, she is responsible for securing a place for Women’s Judo in the Olympics. She is the “Mother of Judo” in this country and around the world.
She once told me of how special it was to walk in the opening ceremonies at the Seoul Olympics in 1988 and realize that not only were there more women competing in judo at the most elite, international level, these women were being recognized – maybe for the first time – as champions – as greats in their sport. Their day had finally arrived.
Rusty held a 7th degree black belt in Judo and was the first American woman to reach this level in the sport. She first started competing in judo leagues in the 1950s when women were barred from competition. In disguise she competed as a member of an all-men’s team until she was discovered and disqualified. The International Judo Federation recognized her with their prestigious World Pioneer of Women’s Judo award and in 2007 the USA Judo Referee Commission voted unanimously to award her the John Osako Award for excellence in refereeing.
One year ago this week, she was honored by the Japanese government with the “Emperor’s Honor of the Rising Sun.” I was fortunate enough to attend the ceremony and share the experience with Rusty and her family. Then, this past October, Rusty joined women athletes from around the world at the annual Women’s Sports Foundation Salute to Women in Sports dinner in New York. It was so touching to see Rusty greeted by these world-class athletes as we knew it might be her last appearance with the Foundation.
Long a part of the Women’s Sports Foundation, Rusty was inducted into the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1991 and received the Foundation’s President’s Award in 1991. She was a member of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees from 1996 – 2001.
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. Today, as we celebrate everything Rusty did for us; our hearts go out to her two children, her grandchildren and especially her loving and caring husband Kano, who stood with her from the very beginning to the very end.
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."
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.
Members of the International Community Pay Tribute to Rusty Kanokogi