STANFORD, Calif. -- Tsuyoshi Kawata stood outside Jim Harbaugh's office, took a deep breath, knocked on the door, and entered.
It was the spring of 2007, and Kawata was visiting the Bay Area from his native Japan. A lifelong football fan, he stopped in on a Stanford spring practice at the invitation of a friend. He had never met Harbaugh, who was preparing for his first season as the Cardinal's head coach, though he was familiar with him from his playing days as an NFL quarterback. Kawata could barely speak English, but he was looking for an entry point into coaching in the United States.