Toyoji Takahashi

Toyoji Takahashi
Personal information
Full name	Toyoji Takahashi
Date of birth	September , 1915
Place of birth	Tokyo, Japan
Date of death	March 5, 1940 (aged 24)
Place of death	Tateyama, Chiba, Japan
Playing position	Forward
Youth career
	Team
	Tokyo Imperial University

Toyoji Takahashi (高橋豊二, Takahashi Toyoji, September 1915 – March 5, 1940) was a Japanese football player. His grandfather Korekiyo Takahashi was a Prime Minister of Japan.

Biography[change | change source]

In 1936, when Takahashi was a Tokyo Imperial University student, he was selected the Japan national team for 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, but he did not play in the match. At this competition, Japan completed a come-from-behind victory first game against Sweden. The first victory in Olympics for the Japan and the historic victory over one of the powerhouses became later known as "Miracle of Berlin" (ベルリンの奇跡) in Japan. In 2016, this team was selected Japan Football Hall of Fame.

After graduating from Tokyo Imperial University, Takahashi served in Imperial Japanese Navy. However on March 5, 1940, he died in an accident during training in Tateyama at the age of 26. He was the first dead member of his football team from the 1936 Olympics.