Jefferson's Knight shining in first season of Japanese professional football league
Dec. 27—Boogie Knight has wanted to play in the National Football League since he was 5.
The Jefferson graduate hasn't made the NFL, but is prospering with the Asahi Soft Drink Challengers.
The Challengers are an American football team located in Amagasaki, Hyogo, Japan.
They are a member of the X-League, which is a professional football league.
The league was founded in 1971 as the Japan American Football League, and changed its name to the X League in 1997.
There are four divisions (X1 Super, X1 Area, X2, and X3) among which there is promotion and relegation.
Knight, a wide receiver, led the league with 39 receptions for 455 yards and five touchdowns.
"The league is very balanced, my team was a little more pass heavy this year because we have the best receiving core in the league," said Knight, who still holds the Ashtabula County career-rushing record.
He was a first-team all-pro, and selected as rookie and receiver of the year.
"This means a lot because I wrote these goals down in July and read them every day of the season," Knight said of the awards.
He also made the all-star team.
"We play the Ivy League all-star team at the end of January on ESPN." Knight said.
The Japanese National Football Association's Dream Japan Bowl is scheduled for Jan. 21 at National Stadium in Tokyo.
Knight is enjoying his time on the field.
"It is awesome to play football in Japan, I loved every minute of my rookie season," he said. "The fans are extremely into it, wearing jerseys of there favorite players, brining signs to the games. After games, almost all the fans wait for players to get autographs and pictures."
Game rules are based on NCAA college division, with the exception of the length of quarters, which are 12 minutes instead of 15 during the first stage of the season.
"The only difference is that after the game, win or lose, the team captains go to the other teams side and bow to the team, and then the teams bow to each other and then to their crowd," Knight said.
The top tier, X1 Super, includes 12 teams split into two divisions of six teams, who play a five-game regular season.
At the end of the X1 Super season, the top four teams in each division head into the quarterfinals then the semifinals.
The winners of the semifinals advance advance to the Japan X Bowl.
Each team has four Americans and almost every American in the league spent time in the NFL.
Knight started at The Ohio State University, then transferred to Akron and Louisiana-Monroe to complete his collegiate career.
He ended up with 107 career receptions for 1,342 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns; 40 carries for 197 yards; 68 kick returns for 1,310 yards and 200 punt return yards with one score.
However, Knight wasn't drafted in the 2023 NFL draft and didn't sign as an undrafted free agent.
After exploring options, the Japanese Football League entered the equation.
Away from the field, Knight likes his new environment.
"Life in Japan is great, I love it, it's so peaceful and everyone is so nice," he said. "The food is amazing, and everything is half the price of what it is in America. The only thing I really miss is my family."
Knight still has his sights on the NFL, but it won't be quite yet.
"I re-signed another contract to play in Japan again," he said."My goal is to make the NFL, so I will continue to play in Japan until the NFL opportunity presents itself."
