Kohei Matsuda ("Car Guy")

    * Died: July 10, 2002

Kohei Matsuda was the grandson of Mazda Motor Corporation founder Jujiro Matsuda. He is mostly famous for introducing the rotary engine to Japan. In 1970, Matsuda became the owner of the Hiroshima Carp. In 1972, Hiroshima started a training camp in the United States. They are one of the few Japanese clubs to have done so. Matsuda is credited with initiating an aggressive scouting system to find new talent. The team won six Central League pennants and three Nippon Series titles under his ownership.

Matsuda died of stomach cancer in Tokyo on July 10, 2002. He was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame the following year.