Don Nomura
| Don Nomura | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Donald Engel May 17, 1957 Chūō, Tokyo |
| Nationality | Japanese/American |
| Other names | Katsuaki Ito /Katsuaki don Nomura /Don Nomura/ Don Engel |
| Alma mater | St. Mary's Int'l, Chofu High School, graduated Zama High School '75 California State Polytechnic University, Pomona(75-77) |
| Occupation | sports agent |
| Employer | KDN Management, KDN Japan |
| Known for | Enabling Hideo Nomo Alfonso Soriano to move from NPB to MLBHIdeki Irabu (NPB-MLB) Masato Yoshii (NPB-MLB) Akinori Otsuka (NPB-MLB) Katsuhiro Maeda (NPB-MLB) Yutaka Enatsu (NPB-MLB) Jack Howell (MLB-NPB) Doug DeCInces (MLB-NPB) Ben Oglivie (MLB-NPB) Tony Barnette (MLN-NPB) Mac Suzuki(MLB-NPB) Yu Darvish (NPB-MLB) Hisashi Iwakuma (NPB-MLB) Kenta Maeda (NPB-MLB) and many others |
| Home town | Tokyo, Japan |
| Parent(s) | Yoshie Itō Alvin George Engel Katsuya Nomura (stepfather) |
Don Katsuaki Nomura (団 野村 Dan Nomura, born Donald Engel, May 17, 1957), is a sports agent who primarily represents Japanese baseball players.
Don Nomura was born Donald Engel at St. Luke's International Hospital in Chūō, Tokyo. Born to a Jewish American father and a Japanese mother, Yoshie Itō left the family when Don was six, leaving Alvin George Engel to care for him and his younger brother Kenneth. He attended St. Mary's International School, a private, English-speaking Catholic school in Tokyo, until he was kicked out for fighting at the age of 16. Don then attended Chofu High then to Zama High School, where he played baseball, and graduated in 1975. During this time, he began visiting his mother, who had changed her name to Sachiyo and married NPB catcher and manager Katsuya Nomura. After completing high school, Don enrolled at California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, California where he studied and played baseball from 1975–77.
In 1977, at the age of 21, the Japanese Home Ministry would no longer allow Don to hold a dual US–Japan citizenship, requiring him to choose one. He chose Japanese citizenship. Don's decision was influenced by a NPB restriction that allowed only two foreign players per team at the time. He then assumed the name Katsuaki Itō (Itou Katsuaki) until his stepfather adopted him that same year, at which time he took the name Don Katsuki Nomura. Commenting on his new Japanese name, Nomura remarked, "It helped me get into places and meet people". He began playing on a minor league team affiliated with the Yakult Swallows the next year as a utility infielder. In 1981, he was released after playing four seasons with the team because of poor performance. That same year, Nomura's 62-year-old father, Alvin Engel, committed suicide in Hawaii via carbon monoxide poisoning. Nomura traveled to Hawaii to pick up his father's ashes and returned them to Japan.
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