Teslim Balogun

Tesilimi Olawale Ayinde "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.

Teslim Balogun
Personal information
Full name Tesilimi Olawale Ayinde Balogun[1]
Date of birth 1927
Place of birth Nigeria
Date of death (1972-07-30)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 ? (?)
National team
1948–1960 Nigeria ? (?)
Teams managed
1968 Nigeria (coach)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

Playing career

Educated in Port Harcourt and graduating from St. Mary's Catholic School,[2] 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.[3] During his time in Nigeria, Balogun won the Challenge Cup a total of five times in seven finals.[3] He was the first player to have a hat-trick in the competition, in Pan Bank's 6-1 rout of Warri in 1953.[4] After originally touring with a Nigerian select team in 1949, Balogun returned to the UK in August 1955 to sign with Peterborough United.[5] However, Balogun never made a league appearance for Peterborough,[6] 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.[7] 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.[4]

Coaching career

Balogun became the first African to qualify as a professional coach.[3] He was a coach for Nigeria at the 1968 Summer Olympics.[3]

Legacy

The Teslim Balogun Stadium in the Nigerian city of Lagos is named in his honour.[3] 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.[8]

Personal life

Balogun was nicknamed "Thunder" because of his powerful shot,[9] and was also known as "Balinga" for a similar reason.[3] During his time touring schools to coach youngesters, he was nicknamed "Baba Ball."[3]

Balogun died in his sleep on 30 July 1972, at the age of 45.[3] He had eight children.[3]

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