The Obic Seagulls are an American football team located in the Narashino, Chiba, Japan. They are a member of the X-League. The Obic Seagulls have won over 17 championships during their team history (8 Rice Bowl championships and 9 Japan X Bowl championships) the most of any American football team in Japan.
Team history 1983 Team founded as the "Recruit Seagulls" 1989 Promoted from X2 to X1 1995 Won first Division Title 1996 Won first league and national title. 1998 Won second league and national title. 1999 Following an economic downturn, the team transitioned from a corporate team under Recruit Co., Ltd., to a club team. 2002 Recruit withdraws team sponsorship. Team became a self-supporting club team under the name "Seagulls". 2003 Obic Co., Ltd., becomes new team sponsor. Team name changed to Obic Seagulls. 2005 Won third League and national title. 2012 Went on record as being the 1st club team in Japan (Among currently registered X-League teams) to play in an international exhibition game (Germany/Dresden Monarchs). 2013 Played in an international exhibition game in Dusseldorf, Germany vs. the Dusseldorf Panthers. Became the first Japanese team to win 4 consecutive national championships dating back to 2010. 2014 Played in a sister cities international exhibition game in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, U.S.A. vs. the APDFL(Amateur to Professional Developmental Football League) Blazers.
Seasons X-League champions (1987–present)Division championsFinal Stage/Semifinals BerthWild Card /2nd Stage Berth
SeasonDivision Regular SeasonPostseason resultsAwardsHead coachesFinishWinsLossesTies1988East1st500Eiichi Nakata1989East2nd310Mitsuru Taisha1990East5th131Mitsuru Taisha1991East5th131Mitsuru Taisha1992East2nd311Mitsuru Taisha1993East3rd320David Stant1994East2nd410David Stant1995East1st500Won semi-finals match (Asahi Beer) 33-27Lost Tokyo Super Bowl XIX (Matsushita Denko) 20-54David Stant1996Central1st420Won Wild Card match (Sanwa Bank) 27-0Won semi-finals match (Matsushita Denko) 22-13Won Tokyo Super Bowl XX (Onward) 30-10Won 50th Rice Bowl National Championship game (Kyoto) 19-16David Stant1997Central3rd520David Stant1998Central2nd420Won Wild Card match (Nissan Prince Tokyo) 56-21Won semi-finals match (Asahi Soft Drinks) 21-16Won Tokyo Super Bowl XXII (Asahi Beer) 45-24Won 52nd Rice Bowl National Championship game (Ritsumeikan) 30-16David Stant1999Central2nd420Won Wild Card match (Mycal) 37-7Lost semi-finals match (Kashima) 13-20David Stant2000Central1st600Lost semi-finals match(Asahi Soft Drinks) 15-23Makoto Ohashi2001Central1st500 Won Wild Card match (Fujits) 24-14Lost semi-finals match(at Matsushita Denko) 7-10 OTMakoto Ohashi2002Central1st510 Won semi-finals match (Asahi Soft Drinks) 30-0Won Tokyo Super Bowl XVI (Fujitsu) 14-7Lost 56th Rice Bowl National Championship game (at Ritsumeikan) 13-36Makoto Ohashi2003Central2nd420 Lost Wild Card match (Asahi Soft Drinks) 9-16Makoto Ohashi2004East2nd420 Won Wild Card match (Kashima) 10-3Lost semifinals match (Matsushita Denko) 7-10Makoto Ohashi2005East1st600 Won Semifinals match (Asahi Beer) 13-7Won Japan X Bowl XIX (Matsushita Denko) 25-16Won 59th Rice Bowl National Championship game (Hosei) 47-17 Kevin Jackson (MVP)Makoto Ohashi2006East1st410 Won Wild Card match (Naigai Denki) 74-13Lost semifinals match (Onward) 13-17Makoto Ohashi2007East2nd610 Won Wild Card match (Kashima) 19-13Lost semifinals match (Matsushita Denko) 26-29Makoto Ohashi2008Central2nd620 Lost Wild Card match (Panasonic) 14-20Makoto Ohashi2009East2nd720 Won 2nd stage match (IBM) 21-7Lost 2nd Stage match (Panasonic) 20-23Makoto Ohashi2010Central1st810 Won 2nd stage match (Suita) 56-2Won 2nd stage match (IBM) 55-27Won Final stage match (Kajima) 28-21Won Japan X Bowl XXIV (Panasonic) 20-16Won 64th Rice Bowl National Championship game (at Ritsumeikan) 24-0Makoto Ohashi2011Central1st700Won 2nd stage match (All Mitsubishi) 49-0Won 2nd stage match (Asahi Soft Drinks) 20-13Won Final stage match (Kajima 45-20Won Japan X Bowl XXV (Fujitsu) 24-17Won 65th Rice Bowl National Championship game (Kwansei Gakuin) 38-0 Makoto Ohashi2012Central1st900 Won 2nd stage match (Asahi Beer) 69-7Won 2nd stage match (Asahi Soft Drinks) 29-12Won Final stage match (Nojima) 24-10Won Japan X Bowl XXVI (Kajima) 27-24Won 66th Rice Bowl National Championship game (at Kwansei Gakuin) 21-15Noriaki Kinoshita (MVP)Makoto Ohashi2013Central1st610 Won 2nd stage match (Asahi Beer) 21-7Won 2nd stage match (Asahi Soft Drinks) 34-10Won Final stage match (Kajima 21-12Won Japan X Bowl XXVII (Fujitsu) 24-16Won 67th Rice Bowl National Championship game (Kwansei Gakuin) 34-16Noriaki Kinoshita (MVP)Kealakai Maiava (ROY)Makoto Ohashi2014Central2nd720 Won 2nd stage match (Nojima) 44-21Won 2nd stage match (at Elecom) 45-0Lost final stage match (at Fujitsu) 17-27Makoto Ohashi2015East3rd520 Won 2nd stage match (IBM) 34-26Won 2nd stage match (Asahi Soft Drinks) 52-9Lost final stage match (at Fujitsu) 6-27Makoto Ohashi2016Central1st810Won Quarterfinals match (Elecom Kobe) 35-0Won Semifinals match (Panasonic) 9-6 OTLoss Japan X Bowl XXX (at Fujitsu) 3-16 Naoki Kosho2017Central3rd730Won Quarterfinals match (at Nojima Sagamihara) 41-22Lost semifinals match (at Fujitsu) 0-7 Taku Li (ROY)Naoki Kosho2018Central2nd820Won Quarterfinals match (at Nojima Sagamihara) 42-25Lost semifinals match (at Fujitsu) 10-13 Naoki Kosho2019X1 Super2nd1010Lost semifinals match (at Panasonic) 14-24 Naoki Kosho2020X1 Super200Won Japan X Bowl XXXIV (Fujitsu) 13-7Won 74th Rice Bowl National Championship (Kwansei Gakuin U.) 35-18 Makoto Ohashi2021X1 Super3rd520Lost semifinals Match (at Fujitsu) 10-17Makoto Ohashi2022X1 Super Div. B2nd311Won Quarterfinals Match (Nojima Sagamihara) 21-9Lost Semifinals Match (at Panasonic) 10-30Makoto Ohashi2023X1 Super Div. B2nd710Won Quarterfinals Match (Elecom Kobe) 17-7Lost Semifinals Match (at Fujitsu) 17-24Hiroshi Ono2024X1 Super 3rd810Won Quarterfinals Match (Nojima Sagamihara) 20-14Lost Semifinals Match (at Panasonic) 5-24Hiroshi Ono2025X1 Super East1st900Won Quarterfinals Match (Elecom Kobe) 10-7Won Semifinals Match (Tokyo Gas) 35-9Lost 79th Rice Bowl Championship (at Panasonic) 7-9 Pierce Holley (X1 Super ROY)Masakatsu TsukadaTotal199464(1988–2025, includes only regular season)55210(1988–2025, includes only playoffs)254674(1988–2025, includes both regular season and playoffs)
Head coaches CoachYearsRecord Eiichi Nakata 1988 5-0 Mitsuru Taisha 1989-1992 8-8-3 David Stant 1993-1999 39-13 Makoto Ohashi 2000-2015 129-28 Naoki Kosho 2016-present 37-11 Makoto Ohashi 2020-2022 Hiroshi Ono 2023-24 Masakatsu Tsukada 2025-present
Current import players Jersey #NamePositionYears with the teamAlma materAchievements #3 Pierce Holley QB 2025–present Eastern Illinois University X1 Super ROY (2025) #8 Jason Smith CB 2022–present Auburn All X1 Super Team (2025) #85 Holden Huff TE 2018–present Boise State 3x All X-1 Super Team member (2022, 2024, 2025) Former import players NamePositionYears with the teamAlma materAchievements Tyler Kulka QB 2023–2024 Lawrence Tech Cardell Rawlings DL 2022–2023 Wingate All X-League Super team member (2020) Sean Draper CB 2022 University of Iowa 3x All X-League Team member (2019, 2020, 2022) Byron Beatty Jr. DE/LB 2012–2021 Colorado 4x All X-League Team member (2013, 2016, 2019, 2021) Jimmy Laughrea QB 2020–2021 UC Davis Jason Fanaika DL/LB 2019 Utah Skyler Howard QB 2018–2019 West Virginia Kevin Jackson DE 2005–2018 Hawai'i 10x All X-League Team member (2005–2014) 2x JXB MVP (2005, 2013) X League MVP (2005) Ikaika Woolsey QB 2017 Hawai'i Kealakai Maivai OT 2013–2017 UCLA X-League Rookie of the Year (2013), 3x All X-League Team member (2013, 2016, 2017)Jerry Neuheisel QB 2016 UCLA Frank Fernandez C 2012–2015 Harvard 2x All X-League Team member (2008, 2011) Karl Noa DE 2009–2011 Hawai'i All X-League Team member (2011) Jabali Miller CB 2005–2006 San Jose State
References
External links (Japanese)