Dhyan Chand
Hockey Player

Indian Allahabad, United Provinces, British India

Quick Info

Profession	Hockey Player
Nationality	Indian
Date of Birth	29/08/1905
Age	74 years (died on 03, Dec, 1979)
Birthplace	Allahabad, United Provinces, British India
Date of Death	03/12/1979

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Bio/Wiki

Real Name	Dhyan Singh
Nickname(s)	The Wizard, The Magician, Hockey Wizard, Chand

Physical Stats & More

Height	170 cm (5' 7")
Weight	70 kg (154 lbs)
Eye Color	Dark Brown
Hair Color	Black

Educational Qualification(s)

Education	6th class

Personal Life

Religion	Hindu
Caste	Rajput
Food Habit	Non-Vegetarian
Signature	N/A
Hobbies	Cooking Hunting Fishing Photography Playing Billiards Cricket Carrom
Controversy	Once, when in the Netherlands, the authorities wanted to check if there was a magnet inside his stick and hence broke his hockey stick

Relationships & More

Marital Status	Married
Marriage Date	1936

Family

Spouse

Janaki Devi

Children

Son(s)	Brij Mohan Sohan Singh Raj Kumar Ashok Kumar (Hockey Player) Umesh Kumar Devinder Singh Virender Singh
Daughter	None

Parents

Father	Subedar Sameshwar Dutt Singh
Mother	Sharadha Singh

Siblings

Brother	Mool Singh (Hawaldar) Roop Singh (Hockey Player)
Sister	None

Career

Field Hockey

International Debut	New Zealand Tour (April 1926)
Domestic/State Team	Jhansi Heroes
Nature on field	Energetic
Coach/Mentor	Subedar-Major Bhole Tiwari (First Mentor) Pankaj Gupta (First Coach)
Favourite Match Played	The 1933 Beighton Cup final between Calcutta Customs and Jhansi Heroes
Records	He has scored around 1000 goals in his career, out of which 400 were in International Matches. He has 3 Olympic gold medals to his credit. He was the leading goal-scorer at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics with 14 goals and also in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. In the 1935 tour of New Zealand and Australia, Dhyan Chand scored a massive 201 goals in just 43 matches, a world record. Scored around 1000 goals in his career, out of which over 400 were in International Matches Won 3 Olympic gold medals Scored 11 goals in 5 matches at the 1936 Berlin Olympics Scored 37 goals in 12 matches across three Olympic editions In the 1935 tour of New Zealand and Australia, scored 201 goals in 43 matches Scored 133 goals during India's victorious world tour of 1932 Scored 8 goals in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics final against the United States
Awards, Honours, Achievements	Won the gold medals in the 1928, 1932 and the 1936 Olympic Games Awarded Padma Bhushan in 1955 Won gold medals in the 1928 Amsterdam, 1932 Los Angeles, and 1936 Berlin Olympic Games Captain of the Indian hockey team at the 1936 Berlin Olympics Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi renamed in his honour in 2002 Indian National Sports Day celebrated on his birthday, 29 August
International Career Span	1926-1948
International Matches	185
International Goals	Over 400
Total Career Goals	Over 1000

Army

Service/Branch	British Indian Army Indian Army
Service-Years	1922–1956
Unit	Punjab Regiment
Joined As	Sepoy (in 1922)
Retired As	Major (in 1956)

Favourites

Food	Mutton and Fish Dishes
Dessert	Halwa dripping with ghee
Drink	Milk

Some Lesser Known Facts

1. Dhyan Chand, known as the greatest player in hockey history.
2. He discovered field hockey only after joining the army.
3. Had to leave school early due to his family's army transfers.
4. At just 14 years old, scored 4 goals in his debut match.
5. Was invited to join the army after impressing officials with his skills.
6. Participated in his first National match in 1925.
7. Achieved a hat-trick in his first International Debut match.
8. India clinched gold at the 1928 and 1932 Olympics.
9. Even Don Bradman admired him in 1935.
10. Given an offer by Adolf Hitler to join the German Army.
11. Retired at age 51 after his final international match in 1948.
12. Received the Dhyan Chand Award and an Indian Postal Stamp.
13. Indian National Sports Day is celebrated yearly on his birthday, 29 August.
14. India won the field hockey gold in seven out of eight Summer Olympics between 1928 and 1964.

Information on this page is collected from public sources and may not be 100% accurate. Report an error

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