LINCOLN, Neb. — Wally Yonamine was both the first Japanese American to play for an NFL franchise (the San Francisco 49ers) and the first American to play professional baseball in Japan after World War II.

“Wally Yonamine: The Man Who Changed Japanese Baseball” by Robert Fitts, published by University of Nebraska Press, is the unlikely story of how a shy young man from the sugar plantations of Maui overcame prejudice to integrate two professional sports in two countries.

The book includes an introduction by Sen. Daniel Inouye from Yonamine’s home state.

In 1951, the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants chose Yonamine as the first American to play in Japan during the Allied occupation. He entered Japanese baseball when mistrust of Americans was high — and higher still for Japanese Americans whose parents had left the country a generation earlier.

Without speaking the language, he helped introduce a hustling style of base running, shaking up the game for Japanese players and fans. Along the way, Yonamine endured insults, dodged rocks thrown by fans, initiated riots, and was threatened by yakuza (the Japanese mafia).

He also won batting titles, was named the 1958 MVP, coached and managed for 25 years, and was honored by the emperor of Japan.

Overcoming bigotry and hardship on and off the field, Yonamine became a true national hero and a member of Japan’s Baseball Hall of Fame.

The Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California also inducted him into the Japanese American Sports Hall of Fame along with Wat Misaka (basketball), Tommy Kono (weightlifting), Kristi Yamaguchi (figure skating) and Ann Kiyomura (tennis).

Fitts is the author of “Remembering Japanese Baseball: An Oral History of the Game,” for which he won the 2005 Sporting News–SABR Award for best baseball research.

His latest book has also won praise from those who know the game:

“For over 50 years, Wally Yonamine has been an important bridge between Japanese and American baseball. He brought a new, exciting style of play to Japan and taught us the finer points of the game. I am glad that Americans can finally learn about Wally’s contributions through this outstanding biography.” — Hideki Matsui, New York Yankees outfielder

“Wally Yonamine is one of the most important figures in the long, rich history of baseball in Japan. His life story, from the rustic schoolyards of prewar Maui to modern-day state-of-the-art Tokyo stadiums, is filled with drama and color ... Fitts has done us all this favor with his richly detailed, thoroughly researched, and heartfelt work.” — Robert Whiting, author of “You Gotta Have Wa” and “The Samurai Way of Baseball”

“This book is much more than a smart biography of Wally Yonamine ... it is also a fascinating account of the game and culture of the Japanese national pastime.” — George Gmelch, author of “Baseball without Borders: The International Pastime”

For ordering information, visit www.nebraskapress.unl.edu. Visit the author’s website at www.robsjapanesecards.com.