16 Facts About Mariappa Kempaiah

Mariappa Kempaiah was an Indian professional footballer who played as a midfielder.

Mariappa Kempaiah played for the India national team at two Olympic Games.

Mariappa Kempaiah had 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.

At club level, Kempaiah played for Bangalore Muslims till 1956 before he moved to East Bengal where he played for a year.

Mariappa Kempaiah came into prominence while playing for Bangalore Muslims during the 1950s.

Mariappa Kempaiah was 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.

Mariappa Kempaiah made his debut for India against Sri Lanka in 1953 and was a regular in the Indian team till 1965.

Mariappa Kempaiah was part of the team that played at the 1956 Melbourne and 1960 Rome Olympics.

Mariappa Kempaiah stayed with Bangalore Muslims till 1956 and was roped into East Bengal Club by their legendary secretary JC Guha who handpicked him after his stunning performance for 1955 Santosh Trophy for Mysore which was held in Calcutta.

Mariappa Kempaiah had outstanding performance in the Durand Cup, 1956 and facilitated East Bengal to win the Cup.

Mariappa Kempaiah was a tremendous fighter and never got scared.

Mariappa Kempaiah scored two goals in the first half at the ninth and 33rd minutes.

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

Mariappa Kempaiah died in Bengaluru on Wednesday, 2 July 2008, after a prolonged illness with diabetes.

Mariappa Kempaiah was a boxer before choosing football as a career.

Mariappa Kempaiah had a lot of long-distance runs to his caliber before his passion for football arose.