Gyo Shojima

Shojima has been named to the Athletic Director's Academic Honor Roll in six consecutive academic quarters since Spring 2016 quarter.

An Geography and Environmental Studies major, Shojima began taking classes at UCLA in September 2015. As a Bruin, Shojima redshirted his first year and contributed on the scout team; earning a scout player award in week 4 against University of Arizona.

Upon graduating high school in 2012, he was selected onto the Japanese National football team to compete in the IFAF U-19 World Cup hosted at Austin, Texas from June 30 to July 8.

On September 30, 2010, he subdued an armed robber at a gas station. Shojima thanks his martial arts background and football experience for this accomplishment.

In his third and final year at UCLA, Shojima saw action as a reserve center during week 2 against University of Hawaii and started in all 13 games as a special teams performer. In the season opener against Texas A&M, UCLA Bruins overcame a 34-point deficit, the largest comeback in school history and the second-most ever in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). After defeating California in their regular season finale, the Bruins became bowl-eligible and stayed undefeated at home for the first time since 2005. Although Bruins were defeated by the Kansas State Wildcats in the 2017 Cactus Bowl, Shojima once again had the honor of becoming the first Japanese player to play in the Division I FBS Bowl Game.

Tatsuaki Gyo Shojima (庄島 辰尭 born August 18, 1993) is an American Football Center. He played college football for the UCLA Bruins as a walk-on student-athlete under head coach Jim Mora. As a redshirt junior, Shojima became the first Japanese-born student-athlete of full Japanese heritage, nationality and citizenship to play in NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) game.