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Balbir Singh Sr. Age, Death, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More

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Wife: Sushil
Hometown: Jalandhar, Punjab
Age: 95 Years

Balbir Singh

Bio
Full NameBalbir Singh Dosanjh
ProfessionIndian Hockey Player
Flag of India
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)in centimeters- 173 cm
in meters- 1.73 m
in Feet Inches- 5’ 8”
Eye ColourDark Brown
Hair ColourWhite
Field Hockey
International DebutIn the 1948 London Summer Olympics against Argentina
Jersey Number#13 (India)
Domestic Team(s)• Punjab University (National)
• Punjab Police (National)
• Punjab State (National)
Coach/MentorHarbail Singh
Nature on fieldAggressive
PositionCentre-forward
Awards & Achievements• Member of 3 times Olympic Gold Medal winning teams (1948, 1952, and 1956 Olympic Games).
• Member of 2 times Silver Medal winning teams at the Asian Games (1958 & 1962).
• First sports person to be honoured with the Padma Shri Award (1957).
Balbir Singh with Padma Shri
• In 1958, Balbir, along with Gurdev Singh, was featured on a stamp issued by the Dominican Republic to commemorate the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.
• In 1982, he lit the Sacred Flame at the New Delhi Asian Games.
• In 1982, the Patriot newspaper adjudged him the Indian Sportsperson of the Century.
• In 2006, he was named the Best Sikh Hockey Player.
• In 2015, Hockey India conferred him with the Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award.
Career Turning PointIn the 1948 London Summer Olympics, when he scored 6 goals (including a hat-trick) against Argentina.
Records• Olympic record for most goals scored in men's hockey final by an individual.
• The only Indian among 16 legends chosen by the International Olympic Committee across modern Olympic history.
Personal Life
Date of Birth10 October 1924 (Friday)
BirthplaceHaripur Khalsa, Punjab
Date of Death25 May 2020 (Monday)
Time of Death6:30 am [1]The Hindu
Place of DeathFortis Hospital, Mohali, Punjab
Age (at the time of death)95 Years
Death CauseHe died after battling multiple health issues. [2]The Hindu
Zodiac signLibra
NationalityIndian
HometownJalandhar, Punjab
SchoolDev Samaj High School, Moga, Punjab, India
College• DM College, Moga, Punjab, India
• Sikh National College, Lahore, Pakistan
• Khalsa College, Amritsar
FamilyFather- Dalip Singh Dosanjh (Freedom Fighter)
Mother- Name Not Known
Brother- Not Known
Sister- Not Known
ReligionSikhism
ResidenceBurnaby (Canada); Chandigarh (India)
HobbiesReading, 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
WifeSushil (m. 1946)
Balbir Singh with his wife Sushil
ChildrenDaughter- Sushbir
Sons- Kanwalbir, Karanbir, Gurbir
Balbir Singh with his wife and children

Balbir Singh

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 Harbail who frequently insisted on the transfer of Balbir from Sikh National College, Lahore to Khalsa College, Amritsar.
  • In 1942, he was transferred to Khalsa College and began intensive training under Harbail’s guidance.
  • In 1942, he was selected in the Punjab University Hockey Team and under his captaincy, the Team won All India Inter-University titles 3 years in a row: 1943, 1944, and 1945.
  • He has been a member of the last team of “Undivided Punjab” 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 Men’s Indian Hockey Team for the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.
  • He was India’s “Flag Bearer” during the ‘Opening Ceremony’ at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.

    Balbir Singh with the Indian Flag

    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 men’s Hockey Final Match.
  • At the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, he scored 13 goals in total, which was 69.23% of the team’s goals.
  • He captained the 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 held in Kuala Lumpur.
  • He also served as Chief of the Directorate of Sports in Punjab.
  • Balbir wrote two books – his autobiography, “The Golden Hat Trick” (1977), and “The Golden Yardstick: In Quest of Hockey Excellence” (2008).

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