Yosh Uchida celebrates during his 103rd birthday gala at Signia by Hilton in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, March 11, 2023. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose State judo alumni held a 103rd birthday gala Saturday evening for the school’s legendary coach, Yosh Uchida, a great promoter of the sport in the United States over the last 70-plus years.
Uchida helped organize the inaugural collegiate national championship in the sport, a Spartans win in 1962. San Jose State has gone on to win more than 40 men’s titles and more than 20 women’s crowns at the event.
Former San Jose Mayor Sam