Teslim Balogun

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Teslim Balogun
Personal information
Full name Tesilimi Olawale Ayinde Balogun[1]
Date of birth (1931-03-27)27 March 1931[2]
Place of birth Lagos, Nigeria
Date of death 30 July 1972(1972-07-30) (aged 41)
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
International career
1948–1960 Nigeria
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Tesilimi Olawale Ayinde "Teslim" Balogun (27 March 1931 – 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.

Playing career[edit]

Educated in Port Harcourt and graduating from St. Mary's Catholic School,[3] 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.[4] During his time in Nigeria, Balogun won the Challenge Cup a total of five times in seven finals.[4] He was the first player to have a hat-trick in the competition, in Pan Bank's 6–1 rout of Warri in 1953.[5]

After originally touring with a Nigerian select team in 1949, Balogun returned to the UK in August 1955 to sign with Peterborough United.[6] However, Balogun never made a league appearance for Peterborough,[7] 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.[8] 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.[5]

Coaching career[edit]

Balogun became the first African to qualify as a professional coach.[4] He was a coach for Nigeria at the 1968 Summer Olympics.[4]

Legacy[edit]

The Teslim Balogun Stadium in the Nigerian city of Lagos is named in his honour.[4] 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.[9]

Personal life[edit]

Balogun was nicknamed "Thunder" because of his powerful shot,[10] and was also known as "Balinga" for a similar reason.[4] During his time touring schools to coach youngesters, he was nicknamed "Baba Ball."[4]

Balogun died in his sleep on 30 July 1972, at the age of 45.[4] He had eight children.[4]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Teslim Balogun at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  2. ^ "Teslim Balogun". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  3. ^ "'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.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Meet Teslim". Teslim Balogun Foundation. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
  5. ^ a b "Teslim Balogun, Nigeria's first professional footballer". Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  6. ^ Phil Vasili (30 May 2008). "The Occluded History of Black Footballers in Britain". Pitch Invasion. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
  7. ^ "Profile". Up The Posh!. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
  8. ^ "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.
  9. ^ "About". Teslim Balogun Foundation. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
  10. ^ Chris Green (7 September 2003). "Leaders of the new school". The Observer. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
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