Umapati Kumar


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.

Personal life

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. By 1916, he completed his matriculation from Kishanganj Higher English School, and represented the school team in interschool football tournament. and came to Kolkata. In 1919, Kumar married Sailabala Devi and in 1920, he graduated from the Scottish Church College. One of his son, Bishwanath Kumar, was a sportsperson and represented Mohun Bagan alongside playing cricket and hockey.

Playing career

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, 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, Bimal Mukherjee, Satu Chowdhury, Balaidas Chatterjee, Karuna Bhattacharya, Dr. Sanmatha Dutta. He predominantly played inside left for the club with Syed Abdus Samad, and retired in 1936. In 1923, he was part of the Mohun Bagan team that defeated both the Calcutta Football League and IFA Shield winner Calcutta FC. 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 for two consecutive seasons in 1926 and 1927. He was also an integral part of the IFA XI which toured Ceylon and South Africa in the 1930s. On 4 July 1936, he played for India against visiting Chinese team in their 1–1 draw in Calcutta.
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. 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.

Playing style

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. 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".

Post-playing career

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. He later joined the governing body of the Indian Football Association and also served as president of the Calcutta Referees' Association.

Death and legacy

Kumar died on 20 November 1992 in Calcutta, aged 94. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation paid tribute to him by renaming a road "Umapati Kumar Sarani".

Honours

Mohun Bagan
  • Coochbehar Cup: 1916, 1931, 1935, 1936
  • Asanullah Cup runner-up: 1916
  • Rovers Cup runner-up: 1923
  • IFA Shield runner-up: 1923
Individual