​​Uchida has a celebrated life as a coach, educator, mentor and student advocate. Internationally recognized as the grandfather of American judo, he began coaching judo as a student in 1940. After serving in World War II, he returned in 1946 and has been an integral contributor to his alma mater for more than 75 years. In 1962 he organized the first National Collegiate Judo Association (NJCA) Championships, in which the Spartans won the first 17 team titles and now possess more than 50. During the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, he coached the U.S. judo team to a bronze medal. He has trained domestic and international Olympic athletes, attending more than 10 Olympic Games as a coach or mentor. Now 103 years old, he remains a revered member of San José State, as exemplified by Uchida Hall, the building and judo team dojo bearing his name. “We are on this earth for a short period of time, and we want to leave a better world for future generations,” Uchida says. SJSU has dominated the sport nationally and has won more competitions than the rest of the country combined.