Teslim Balogun
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Tesilimi Olawale Balogun | ||
| Date of birth | 1927 | ||
| Place of birth | Nigeria | ||
| Date of death | 30 July 1972 (aged 45) | ||
| Place of death | Nigeria | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| – | Apapa Bombers | ? | (?) |
| 1947– | Marine Athletics | ? | (?) |
| – | UAC XI | ? | (?) |
| 1949– | Railways XI | ? | (?) |
| 1951– | Jos XI | ? | (?) |
| 1952 | Pan Bank Team | ? | (?) |
| 1953 | Dynamos Club | ? | (?) |
| – | SCOA XI | ? | (?) |
| 1955–1956 | Peterborough United | 0 | (0) |
| 1956 | Skegness Town | ? | (?) |
| 1956–1957 | Queens Park Rangers | 13 | (3) |
| 1957–1958 | Holbeach United | ? | (?) |
| 1959–1961 | Ibadan Lions | ? | (?) |
| Total | ? | (?) | |
| International career | |||
| 1948–1960 | Nigeria | ? | (?) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1968 | Nigeria (coach) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Tesilimi Olawale "Teslim" Balogun (1927 – 30 July 1972) was a Nigerian football player and coach. Balogun played at both professional and international levels as a striker, before becoming Africa's first qualified professional football coach.
Career
Playing career
Educated in Port Harcourt and graduating from St. Mary's Catholic School,[1] Balogun played in his native Nigeria for a number of teams, including Apapa Bombers, Marine Athletics, UAC XI, Railways XI, Jos XI, Pan Bank Team, Dynamos Club and SCOA XI.[2] During his time in Nigeria, Balogun won the Challenge Cup a total of five times in seven finals.[2] He was the first player to have a hat-trick in the competition, in Pan Bank's 6-1 rout of Warri in 1953.[3] After originally touring with a Nigerian select team in 1949, Balogun returned to the UK in August 1955 to sign with Peterborough United.[4] However, Balogun never made a league appearance for Peterborough,[5] and spent time with Skegness Town before signing with Queens Park Rangers, scoring 3 goals in 13 appearances in the Football League during the 1956–57 season.[6] After leaving QPR, Balogun returned to non-League football, playing with Holbeach United.
Balogun was also a member of the Nigerian national side for 12 years.[3]
Coaching career
Balogun became the first African to qualify as a professional coach.[2] He was a coach for Nigeria at the 1968 Summer Olympics.[2]
Legacy
The Teslim Balogun Stadium in the Nigerian city of Lagos is named in his honour.[2] The Teslim Balogun Foundation was founded after his death to assist the families of Nigerian ex-international footballers who may have fallen on hard times.[7]
Personal life
Balogun was nicknamed "Thunder" because of his powerful shot,[8] and was also known as "Balinga" for a similar reason.[2] During his time touring schools to coach youngesters, he was nicknamed "Baba Ball."[2]
Balogun died in his sleep on 30 July 1972, at the age of 45.[2] He had eight children.[2]
References
- ^ "'I Came 4,000 Miles to Score the Greatest Goal of My Life' - Tesi Balogun - Independent Rs". Independent Rs. 11 June 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Meet Teslim". Teslim Balogun Foundation. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
- ^ a b "Teslim Balogun, Nigeria's first professional footballer". Retrieved 14 May 2018.
- ^ Phil Vasili (30 May 2008). "The Occluded History of Black Footballers in Britain". Pitch Invasion. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
- ^ "Profile". Up The Posh!. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
- ^ "QUEENS PARK RANGERS : 1946/47 – 2009/10". Post War English & Scottish Football League A – Z Player's Database. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
- ^ "About". Teslim Balogun Foundation. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
- ^ Chris Green (7 September 2003). "Leaders of the new school". The Observer. Retrieved 6 November 2010.