| No. 16, 10[1] | |
| Date of birth | (1954-05-03)May 3, 1954 (age 70) |
|---|---|
| Place of birth | Bathurst, New Brunswick, Canada |
| Career information | |
| CFL status | National |
| Position(s) | WR |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) |
| Weight | 172 lb (78 kg) |
| Canada university | York |
| CFL draft | 1976 / round: 1 / pick: 6 |
| Drafted by | Ottawa Rough Riders |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1976–1978 | Ottawa Rough Riders |
| 1979 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
| Career highlights and awards | |
William Hatanaka (born May 3, 1954) is a Canadian former professionalfootballwide receiver who played four seasons in theCanadian Football League (CFL) with theOttawa Rough Riders andHamilton Tiger-Cats. He was selected by the Rough Riders in the first round of the1976 CFL draft after playingCIAU football atYork University. He was a member of the Rough Riders team that won the64th Grey Cup, where he scored the first punt return touchdown in Grey Cup history.
William Hatanaka was born on May 3, 1954, inBathurst, New Brunswick, Canada, to a Japanese-Canadian mother, and a Scottish andMétis father.[1][2] His father was a professional boxer who died in a plane crash before Hatanaka was born.[2] His mother later married a Japanese-Canadian man.[2] His parents spent time in an internment camp during theinternment of Japanese Canadians duringWorld War II.[3][2]
Hatanaka playedCIS football for theYork Lions ofYork University.[1] He earnedOUAA all-star honors while with the Lions.[4] He graduated with honours from York in 1977 with aBachelor of Arts in sociology and economics.[5] He was inducted into the school's athletics hall of fame in 2001.[4]
Hatanaka was selected by theOttawa Rough Riders in the first round, with the sixth overall pick, of the1976 CFL draft.[1] He played in five games during his rookie year in 1976, returning 15 punts for 173 yards and nine kickoffs for 211 yards.[1] On November 28, 1976, he returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown in the64th Grey Cup against theSaskatchewan Roughriders.[3][6] The Ottawa Rough Riders went on to win by a score of 23–20.[6] Hatanaka's punt return touchdown was the first in Grey Cup history.[7] He appeared in 15 games for the Rough Riders in 1977, recording 20 receptions for 318 yards and two touchdowns, 42 punt returns for 441 yards, and 23 kickoff returns for 576 yards.[1] The Rough Riders finished the 1977 season with an 8–8 record.[8] Hatanaka played in six games during the 1978 season, totaling one catch for eight yards, six kickoff returns for 115 yards, and 11 punt returns for 36 yards.[1]
Hatanaka appeared in four games for theHamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL in 1979, returning nine kickoffs for 224 yards and 16 punts for 69 yards.[1]
Hatanaka attended the Advanced Management Program atHarvard Business School, and has served on the Board of Governors atYork University.[9] He has also served as the chair of theOntario Health agency's board of directors.[10][11] He has been the chief operating officer of wealth management at theRoyal Bank of Canada, a senior executive in charge of global wealth and asset management atToronto-Dominion Bank (TD Bank), and the inaugural chair of TD Bank's diversity leadership council.[3]