| Jimmy George | ||||||||||||
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 Jimmy George smashing the ball | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||
| Full name | Jimmy George | |||||||||||
| Born | (1955-03-08)8 March 1955 Thundiyil,Peravoor,Kannur,Kerala, India | |||||||||||
| Died | 30 November 1987(1987-11-30) (aged 32) | |||||||||||
| Hometown | Kerala, India | |||||||||||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft1+1⁄2 in) | |||||||||||
| Weight | 78 kg (172 lb) | |||||||||||
| College / University | St. Thomas College, Palai Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram | |||||||||||
| Career | ||||||||||||
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| National team | ||||||||||||
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Honours
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Jimmy George (8 March 1955 – 30 November 1987) was an Indian volleyball player and captain of theIndian national volleyball team.[1] Often dubbed the God of Indian volleyball, he is considered as one of the greatest volleyball players of all time.[2]
He learned volleyball from his father. In 1979, he became the first Indian to become a professional volleyball player and played for multiple clubs outside the country, most notably in Italy.[3] He still remains the youngest volleyball player to receive theArjuna Award, one of India's highest national sporting awards.[4]
Jimmy George was born to the Kudakkachira family, at Thundiyil nearPeravoor inKannur, as the second son of George Joseph and Mary George. He learned to play volleyball from his father, a former university-level player.[5] Jimmy played for St. Joseph's High School, Peravoor and in 1970, became a member of theUniversity of Calicut volleyball team. In 1971, at the age of 16, he secured a berth in the Kerala State team and went on to represent the State nine times.[citation needed] In 1973, he joinedSt. Thomas College, Pala and represented theUniversity of Kerala from 1973 to 1976. The team won all four All India Inter-University Championship titles during these four years. He became the captain of the team in 1973.[citation needed]
In 1976, Jimmy was in his first year of medical college before joining theKerala Police where he remained a member of the Kerala Police team until his death. He took leave from the Kerala Police in 1979 and went tothe Persian Gulf to play for Abu Dhabi Sports Club.[6] In 1982, he left Abu Dhabi to join theItalian Volleyball League and played forColetto Treviso, ofTreviso for a season. He then switched toSystem Impiani and played for them in 1983–84. He returned to India and rejoined Kerala Police where played his last Nationals atKanpur in 1985.[7] Jimmy went back to Italy to play forArrital team and for 1987–88 season, he signed withEurostyle-Eurosiba, a top division club based inMontichiari,Brescia.[8]
Jimmy played for India's national volleyball team in theAsian Games inTehran (1974),Bangkok (1978) and inSeoul (1986) where India won the bronze medal. He was captain of the Indian team that played atSaudi Arabia in 1985, and led the team to victory in India Gold Cup International Volleyball Tournament atHyderabad in 1986.[9]
At age 21, Jimmy George was the youngest volleyball player to win theArjuna Award.[3] He was given theG.V. Raja Award in 1975 and won the Manorama Award, for the best sportsman of Kerala, in 1976. He was judged the best player in the Persian Gulf region while playing for Abu Dhabi Sports Club, from 1979–1982. He played as a professional in Italy from 1982–1984 and 1985–1987, and in his prime was considered one of the best attackers of the world. In 2000,Malayala Manorama, a newspaper in Malayalam, honored him as the best sportsman of Kerala of the 20th century.[10]
George died in a car accident in Italy on 30 November 1987, at the age of 32.[11] His funeral ceremony was attended by thousands of people from different parts of the state. He was cremated at the cemetery of St. Joseph's Church, Peravoor. Following his death, theJimmy George Foundation was established, which in 1989 instituted the 'Jimmy George Foundation Award for best sportsperson of Kerala'. The foundation also makes available cash awards at St. Joseph's High School, Peravoor, and atDevagiri College.[12]
George is considered one of the greatest volleyball players of all-time, particularly among Indian players.[13] TheGovernment of Kerala namedan indoor stadium atThiruvananthapuram after him, which was later developed into a sports hub. AtSt. Thomas College, Pala, a volleyball stadium is named after him, as were a stadium of St. Joseph's Higher Secondary School and a road at Peravoor. At Kannur, the District Headquarters, Police Department named its conference hall in the name of Jimmy George. In Italy, an indoor stadium calledPalaGeorge was dedicated to him atMontichiari,Brescia, and an annual junior tournament is organized in his memory.[2] Since 1989, the Kerala Volleyball League of North America organizes the Jimmy George Super Trophy Volleyball Tournament.[14]
He, along with Jose and Jimmy, played in the 1976 Kolkata National and again, along with Jimmy in the 1985 Kanpur National
In 2000, Malayala manorama newspaper honored him as the best sportsman of Kerala of the 20th century
