Mariappa Kempaiah

Mariappa Kempaiah (4 March 1932 – 2 February 2008) was an Indian professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He played for the Indian national team at two Olympic Games.[1] Known for his "fitness, work rate and commitment", he was considered one of India's best midfielders.[1][2]

Mariappa Kempaiah
Personal information
Full name Mariappa Kempaiah
Date of birth (1932-03-04)4 March 1932
Place of birth Bangalore, Kingdom of Mysore
(now in Karnataka, India)
Date of death 2 July 2008(2008-07-02) (aged 76)
Place of death Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Position(s) Midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
19??–1956 Bangalore Muslims
1956–1957 East Bengal
1957–1965 Mohun Bagan
National team
1955–1964 India
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

He had also played for India in the International Quadrangle Football tournament, played in the now Bangladesh in 1955 and in Asian Games held in Japan in 1958.[1] At club level, Kempaiah played for Bangalore Muslims till 1956 before he moved to East Bengal where he played for a year. Between 1957 and 1965, he played for Mohun Bagan.[3] In the inter-provincial Santosh Trophy, played for Mysore.[1]

Career

Kempaiah came into prominence while playing for Bangalore Muslims during the 1950s. He was subsequently discovered by Syed Abdul Rahim, then coach of the India national team, while Kempaiah played for Mysore in the Santosh Trophy in 1954 in Calcutta (now Kolkata). He was included in the India side in 1955 for the first time and was a regular in the team till 1965. He was part of the team that played at the 1956 Melbourne and 1960 Rome Olympics.[1]

Kempaiah stayed with Bangalore Muslims till 1956 before moving to East Bengal. With them he won the 1956–57 Durand Cup.[1] While at Mohun Bagan, he was teammates with players such as Chuni Goswami, Jarnail Singh and Peter Thangaraj.[4]

Goswami said of Kempaiah, "He never got tired. His tackling, blocking and clearing were excellent. It was for these qualities that he had such a long stint in the Indian team." P. K. Banerjee recalled, "He generally played as right half, but was equally proficient in the central midfield position. He was a tremendous fighter and never got scared."[5]

Individual honours and appreciations

Kempaiah won numerous awards during his playing career as well as after retirement for his contribution towards Indian football.

The major awards won by him are

  • 1962 Best Wing half Award
  • 1968 Facilitated by the Karnataka chief minister for his achievement in sports.
  • 1983 Award from the Karnataka Football association
  • 2000 Sportsman of the Millennium

Other activities

Kempaiah was a very versatile person. He was a boxer before choosing football as a career. He had a lot of long distance runs to his calibre before his passion for football arose.

References
  1. Kapadia, Novy (15 July 2013). "Mariappa Kempaiah - India's legendary midfielder". Sportskeeda. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  2. Kapadia, Novy (2017). Barefoot to Boots: The Many Lives of Indian Football. Penguin Random House India Private Limited. ISBN 978-93-86815-65-1. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  3. "Mariappa Kempaiah". indianfootball.de. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  4. Mukherjee, Soham (30 April 2020). "1960 -1965: When Chuni Goswami & co propelled Mohun Bagan to the zenith of success". Goal. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  5. "Former footballers recall Kempaiah's dedication and hard work (Lead)". news.webindia123.com. 3 July 2008. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
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