Judo in the United States however, the lecture had little effect on mainstream judo growth. The first American to actually study judo was Prof. Ladd from Yale University, in 1889. He trained at the Kodokan in Japan for about ten years; by 1908 about 13 Americans were training there. In 1919, Prof. John Dewey of Columbia University came to visit Prof. Ladd and Master Kano, many years later he took his knowledge back to Columbia and began the first U.S. college judo program. While some students were training in Japan there was some action in the U.S. Perhaps one of the most important figures in
USA Judo in domestic and international judo competitions, and the promotion and growth of the sport of judo in the United States." USA Judo USA Judo is a non-profit organization which represents from all areas of U.S. judo practitioners, including athletes, coaches, referees and others. The organization is managed by a staff of seven at the USA Judo National Office which is located at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Keith Bryant is the CEO/Executive Director of USA Judo as of August 2016. Mark C. Hill replaced Lance Nading as Board President in 2017. MISSION: "As a National Governing