Balbir Singh Sr. Age, Death, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More
Balbir Singh Sr. Age, Death, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More
ADVERTISEMENT
Quick Infoā
Wife: Sushil
Hometown: Jalandhar, Punjab
Age: 95 Years
| Bio | |
| Full Name | Balbir Singh Dosanjh |
| Profession | Indian Hockey Player  |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Height (approx.) | in centimeters- 173 cm in meters- 1.73 m in Feet Inches- 5ā 8ā |
| Eye Colour | Dark Brown |
| Hair Colour | White |
| Field Hockey | |
| International Debut | In the 1948 London Summer Olympics against Argentina |
| Jersey Number | #13 (India) |
| Domestic Team(s) | ā¢ Punjab University (National) ā¢ Punjab Police (National) ā¢ Punjab State (National) |
| Coach/Mentor | Harbail Singh |
| Nature on field | Aggressive |
| Position | Centre-forward |
| Awards & Achievements | ā¢ Member of 3 times Olympic Gold Medal winning teams (1948, 1952, and 1956 Olympic Games). ā¢ Member of 2 times Silver Medal winning teams at the Asian Games (1958 & 1962). ā¢ First sports person to be honoured with the Padma Shri Award (1957).  ā¢ In 1958, Balbir, along with Gurdev Singh, was featured on a stamp issued by the Dominican Republic to commemorate the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. ā¢ In 1982, he lit the Sacred Flame at the New Delhi Asian Games. ā¢ In 1982, the Patriot newspaper adjudged him the Indian Sportsperson of the Century. ā¢ In 2006, he was named the Best Sikh Hockey Player. ā¢ In 2015, Hockey India conferred him with the Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award. |
| Career Turning Point | In the 1948 London Summer Olympics, when he scored 6 goals (including a hat-trick) against Argentina. |
| Records | ā¢ Olympic record for most goals scored in men's hockey final by an individual. ā¢ The only Indian among 16 legends chosen by the International Olympic Committee across modern Olympic history. |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 10 October 1924 (Friday) |
| Birthplace | Haripur Khalsa, Punjab |
| Date of Death | 25 May 2020 (Monday) |
| Time of Death | 6:30 am check sources The Hindu |
| Place of Death | Fortis Hospital, Mohali, Punjab |
| Age (at the time of death) | 95 Years |
| Death Cause | He died after battling multiple health issues. check sources The Hindu |
| Zodiac sign | Libra |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Jalandhar, Punjab |
| School | Dev Samaj High School, Moga, Punjab, India |
| College | ā¢ DM College, Moga, Punjab, India ā¢ Sikh National College, Lahore, Pakistan ā¢ Khalsa College, Amritsar |
| Family | Father- Dalip Singh Dosanjh (Freedom Fighter) Mother- Name Not Known Brother- Not Known Sister- Not Known |
| Religion | Sikhism |
| Residence | Burnaby (Canada); Chandigarh (India) |
| Hobbies | Reading, Listening to Music |
| Favourite Things | |
| Hockey Player(s) | Ali Iqtidar Shah (Dara), Mohd Azam, Dhyan Chand |
| Girls, Family & More | |
| Marital Status (at the time of death) | Married |
| Wife | Sushil (m. 1946)  |
| Children | Daughter- Sushbir Sons- Kanwalbir, Karanbir, Gurbir  |
Some Lesser Known Facts About Balbir Singh Sr.
Did Balbir Singh Sr. drink alcohol:? Yes
He was born in Haripur Khalsa; a small village in the Jalandhar district of Punjab.
His father Dalip Singh Dosanjh was a Freedom Fighter.
Harbail Singh, the then coach of Khalsa College Hockey Team, was the first person who spotted Balbir as a promising Hockey player.
It was HarbailĀ who frequently insisted on the transfer of Balbir fromĀ Sikh National College, Lahore to Khalsa College, Amritsar.
In 1942, he was transferred to Khalsa College and began intensiveĀ training under Harbailās guidance.
In 1942, he was selected in the Punjab University Hockey Team and under his captaincy, the Team wonĀ All India Inter-University titles 3Ā years in a row: 1943, 1944, and 1945.
He has been aĀ member ofĀ the last team of āUndivided Punjabā that won the title at the 1947 National Championships.
After the partition of India in the year 1947, he moved to Ludhiana along with his family where he got a posting in the Punjab Police.
For 20 years (1941-1961), he captained the Punjab Police Hockey Team.
Playing in his first International Match at the 1948 London Summer Olympics, he scored 6 goals (including a hat-trick) against Argentina.
In 1952, he became the vice-captain of the Menās Indian Hockey Team for the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.
He was Indiaās āFlag Bearerā during the āOpening Ceremonyā at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.
Balbir Singh with the Indian Flag
At the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, he again scored a hat-trick against Britain in the semi-final, which India won by 3-1.
At the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, he scored 5 goals against the Netherlands in the final match and set a new Olympic record of maximum goals scored by an individual in the menās Hockey Final Match.
At the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, he scored 13 goals in total, which wasĀ 69.23% of the teamās goals.
He captained theĀ 1956 Olympic team at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. However, he got injured in the opening match against Argentina after scoring 5 goals. The rest of the group matches were captained by Randhir Singh Gentle.
In 1971, he coached the Indian Hockey team for the World Cup.
He was the Manager of the Indian Hockey team, which emerged victorious in the 1975 World Cup heldĀ in Kuala Lumpur.
He also served asĀ Chief of the Directorate of Sports in Punjab.
Balbir wrote two books ā his autobiography, āThe Golden Hat Trickā (1977), and āThe Golden Yardstick: In Quest of Hockey Excellenceā (2008).
!
Dhyan Chand Age, Death Cause, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & MoreDhyan Chand Age, Death Cause, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More
!
Sardar Singh Age, Caste, Girlfriend, Wife, Family, Biography & MoreSardar Singh Age, Caste, Girlfriend, Wife, Family, Biography & More
!
Sandeep Singh Age, Wife, Family, Biography, Story & MoreSandeep Singh Age, Wife, Family, Biography, Story & More
!
Dhanraj Pillay Height, Weight, Age, Family, Biography, Facts & MoreDhanraj Pillay Height, Weight, Age, Family, Biography, Facts & More
!
Harjeet Singh (Hockey Player) Height, Weight, Age, Biography, Family, Facts & MoreHarjeet Singh (Hockey Player) Height, Weight, Age, Biography, Family, Facts & More
!
Prakashi Tomar (Sharp Shooter) Wiki, Age, Husband, Family, Biography & MorePrakashi Tomar (Sharp Shooter) Wiki, Age, Husband, Family, Biography & More
!
Budhia Singh Age, Biography & MoreBudhia Singh Age, Biography & More
!
Parkash Singh Badal (Politician) Age, Biography, Wife & MoreParkash Singh Badal (Politician) Age, Biography, Wife & More