Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Umapati Kumar | ||
Date of birth | 8 February 1898 | ||
Place of birth | Burdwan, Bengal Presidency, British India | ||
Date of death | 20 November 1992 94) | (aged||
Place of death | Calcutta, West Bengal, India | ||
Position(s) | Inside forward | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1916–1936 | Mohun Bagan | ||
International career | |||
1923–1936 | India | ||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Umapati Kumar was a former footballer who played mostly as an inside forward. As a footballer, he represented India in international football, and Mohun Bagan AC in the Calcutta Football League. [1] [2] [3]
Umapati Kumar was born on 8 February 1898 in Chagram, located in the Burdwan district of West Bengal. His father Rajanikanta Kumar was a barrister in Kishanganj, Purnia district, Bihar. The Kumar family was having their hereditary Khagra Nawab Estate Zamindari during Presidency rule under British Raj. [4] By 1916, he completed his matriculation from Kishanganj Higher English School, and represented the school team in interschool football tournament. [4] and came to Kolkata. In 1919, Kumar married Sailabala Devi and in 1920, he graduated from the Scottish Church College. [5] One of his son, Bishwanath Kumar, was a sportsperson and represented Mohun Bagan alongside playing cricket and hockey. [4]
Umapati Kumar is best remembered for his long and cherished career with Mohun Bagan AC. He joined the club as a youngster in 1916 and would continue to don the Green & Maroon jersey for more than two decades. Earlier coached by Dukhiram Majumder, [6] [7] Kumar played alongside some of the stars from Mohun Bagan's famous 1911 IFA Shield winning team, as well as later icons including Gostha Pal, [8] [9] Bimal Mukherjee, Satu Chowdhury, Balaidas Chatterjee, [10] [11] Karuna Bhattacharya, [12] Dr. Sanmatha Dutta. [13] He predominantly played inside left for the club with Syed Abdus Samad, [14] and retired in 1936. [15] In 1923, he was part of the Mohun Bagan team that defeated both the Calcutta Football League and IFA Shield winner Calcutta FC. [16] In the same year, they met Calcutta FC again in the final of IFA Shield in their 3–0 defeat.
Kumar was also a regular participant in exhibition matches that took place in Kolkata like Indians vs Europeans and Civilians vs Military. Kumar captained the Indian team in these matches for four consecutive seasons and the Civilian team (which would also contain Europeans) for two consecutive seasons in 1926 and 1927. [17] He was also an integral part of the IFA XI which toured Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and South Africa in the 1930s. [17] [18] On 4 July 1936, he played for India against visiting Chinese team in their 1–1 draw in Calcutta. [19]
With Mohun Bagan, Umapati Kumar won Coochbehar Trophy six times and a host of other trophies. He was also the captain of the side which reached the 1923 IFA Shield final. [5] After retirement, he remained closely associated with Mohun Bagan till his death, serving in a number of positions such as secretary, general secretary, treasurer and vice-president. [17]
Umapati Kumar was one of the most skillful players of his generation and was well known for his passing range. He is often considered to be the first Indian footballer to have perfected the art of through passes. [20] He was an intelligent, elegant footballer who was supremely fit. Despite playing without boots, kneecaps or anklets for most of his career Umapati Kumar never suffered from a long term injury. Amrita Bazar Patrika once remarked that Kumar's skills and crafts were "as smooth as muslin".
After retiring from football, Kumar went on to began his administrative career in his club Mohun Bagan and served as both the football secretary and president. [4] He later joined the governing body of the Indian Football Association (IFA) and also served as president of the Calcutta Referees' Association. [4]
Kumar died on 20 November 1992 in Calcutta, aged 94. [4] The Kolkata Municipal Corporation paid tribute to him by renaming a road "Umapati Kumar Sarani". [4]
Individual
Mohun Bagan Athletic Club is an Indian professional sports club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. Founded in 1889, its football section—Mohun Bagan SG—is one of the oldest in India and Asia. The Club is most notable for its victory over the East Yorkshire Regiment in the 1911 IFA Shield final. This victory made Mohun Bagan the first all-Indian club to win a championship over a British club and was a major moment during India's push for independence.
Talimeren Ao was an Indian footballer and physician from Nagaland. He is best known as the captain of the India national football team in their first ever match after independence. One of the most famous Nagas, he was a figurehead of India's football history, and his name is resonant in the collective memory of the people. He played domestic club football for Mohun Bagan.
Shibdas Bhaduri (1887–1932) was an Indian footballer who captained Mohun Bagan in the historic 1911 IFA Shield final, where they defeated the East Yorkshire Regiment with a score of 2–1 to become the first Indian team to win the competition.
Gostha Behari Pal was an Indian footballer who played as a defender. Nicknamed "the Chinese wall", he was the first captain of the India national team, played during the 1920s and 30s. Spending most of his career in Mohun Bagan, Pal is regarded as the best Indian defender of all time and best player ever to have played for the century-old club.
Sailendra Nath Manna, known popularly as Sailen Manna, was an Indian football player who represented the India national team between 1948 and 1956. Predominantly played as a left-back, Manna is considered as one of the best defenders the country has ever produced. He has represented and captained India in different international competitions, including the Olympics and Asian Games.
The Calcutta Cricket & Football Club (CC&FC) is a multisports club based in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Founded in 1792 as a cricket institution, the football and rugby sections were added when it merged with Calcutta FC in 1965.
The IFA Shield is an annual football competition organized by the Indian Football Association West Bengal. The IFA is the governing body of football in the state of West Bengal, came into existence in 1893. Named after the association, the IFA Shield tournament was started in the same year. It is the third oldest football tournament in India, after Durand Cup and Trades Cup, and the one of the oldest football competitions in the world.
Subimal "Chuni" Goswami was an Indian professional footballer and first-class cricketer. As footballer, he played as a striker or winger, captained both the Mohun Bagan club and the India national team. He also served as the Sheriff of Kolkata. Goswami scored nine goals in 30 international appearances. He was an Olympian, represented India national team at the 1960 Summer Olympics. He also led the team to achieve the gold medal at the 1962 Asian Games, and earn the runners-up position at the 1964 AFC Asian Cup.
Sheoo Mewalal was an Indian footballer in Kolkata. He played as a striker and was known for his fitness, bicycle kicks, and goal-scoring abilities, especially using the rabona kick.
Amal Dutta was a former Indian footballer, coach and football manager. Born in Calcutta, then Bengal Presidency, he is considered as the first professional football coach in the country. A finest thinker of the sport, Dutta had a rivalry with Pradip Kumar Banerjee during his coaching days in Kolkata club football.
Dalhousie Athletic Club is an Indian multi-sports club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. It was established in 1880, during the British rule in India. The club tent is located in Mayo Road, Kolkata Maidan, in Esplanade. Dalhousie competed in the Premier Division of Calcutta Football League for a long time.
Aryan FC is an Indian professional multi-sports club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. The club competes in the Calcutta Football League.
Subrata Bhattacharya is an Indian football manager and former professional footballer. He primarily played as a defender for India national team and spent seventeen years playing for Mohun Bagan. He was the stopper back for Mohun Bagan during 1975 IFA Shield final when East Bengal beat Mohun Bagan 5–0, the biggest ever margin in the Kolkata Derby. He won Indian National Football League for two times as a coach of Mohun Bagan. He was conferred with the Arjuna Award in 1989.
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Balaidas Chatterjee was an Indian footballer and football manager, who played predominantly as defender. He became the first head coach of the India national team and guided them at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. During his playing days, Chatterjee played for Mohun Bagan in various domestic competitions.
Karuna Sankar Bhattacharya (1909–1979) was a former Indian footballer who represented and captained the India national football team and Mohun Bagan, a football club in Kolkata. The Karuna Bhattacharya Award is given to the best player of Mohun Bagan in every season. On 11 July 2015 Mohun Bagan conferred the "Mohun Bagan Ratna" to Karuna Bhattacharya. He was the first captain of the India national football team during their first officially recognised match in the international tour of Australia against the Australia national football team in 1938.
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The Trades Cup is an Indian football tournament held in Kolkata and organised by Indian Football Association. Incorporated in 1889, it is the second oldest football tournament in Asia and oldest football tournament in Kolkata. It is the traditional curtain raiser for the Kolkata football season.
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