
P.K Banerjee

His football career started pretty early. He represented Bihar in the 1951 Santosh Trophy as the right winger, aged fifteen. His first club was Jamshedpur Sports Association, where he got enlisted in 1952. In 1954, he came to Calcutta and joined the Aryan in that year, after which he played for the Eastern Railway FC from 1955 to 1967. His participation got Bengal the championship of the Santosh Trophy in 1955. And, for the Eastern Railways FC, he participated in the winning team of 1961 (in Bombay), 1964 (in Guwahati), and of 1966 in Hyderabad in Santosh Trophy. Eastern Railways FC also became the Calcutta Champion in 1958. Mr Banerjee served as the national coach for the Indian football team, assuming his position with the qualifying matches of the Munich Olympic in 1972. As the national team coach, he masterminded India’s bronze medal win in 1970 Asian Games. He served as the national coach for the Indian national football team in the Asian Games of 1970, 1974, 1982 and 1986. He also coached the team for the Merdeka Cup in 1973, 1981, 1982 and in 1986. The team played under his coaching in the Nehru Cups of 1982 and 1986, and also in the Kings Cup

He served as the Technical Director for the SAFF Cup (Margao), where India won the gold medal, and the Olympic Qualifiers in 1999, and the tour of England in 2000. P.K. always maintained a very cordial relationship with his players, which often resulted in the win-at-all-costs attitude. It showed in his success story. The players were ready to die for him on the field. His legendary ‘vocal tonic’ has become part of Maidan folklore. Even players from other sports fraternities had been enthralled by PK’s incredible motivational speeches. P.K., a true public intellectual as he was, had always been vocal in favour of social causes. His football career started pretty early. He represented Bihar in the 1951 Santosh Trophy as the right winger, aged fifteen. His first club was Jamshedpur Sports Association, where he got enlisted in 1952. In 1954, he came to Calcutta and joined the Aryan in that year, after which he played for the Eastern Railway FC from 1955 to 1967. His participation got Bengal the championship of the Santosh Trophy in 1955. And, for the Eastern Railways FC, he participated in the winning team of 1961 (in Bombay), 1964 (in Guwahati), and of 1966 in Hyderabad in Santosh Trophy. Eastern Railways FC also became the Calcutta Champion in 1958.