Jimmy George
{{short description|Indian volleyball player}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox volleyball biography
| name = Jimmy George
| image = File:Jimmy george.jpg
| caption = Jimmy George smashing the ball
| nickname =
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1955|03|08}}
| birth_place = Thundiyil, Peravoor, Kannur, Kerala, India
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1987|11|30|1955|03|08}}
| spike =
| block =
| position =
| currentnumber =
| currentclub =
| college = St. Thomas College, Palai
Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram
| height = {{height|m=1.87}}
| weight = {{convert|78|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
| fullname = Jimmy George
| hometown = Kerala, India
| years = 1979–1982
1982–1986
1986–1987
| clubs = Abu Dhabi Sports Club
Pallavolo Treviso
Pallavolo Gabeca
| nationalyears =
| nationalteam = India
| updated =
| medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry|{{IND}}}}{{MedalCompetition|Asian Games}} {{MedalBronze|1986 Seoul|Team Competition}}
| medaltemplates-expand = no
}}
Jimmy George (8 March 1955 – 30 November 1987) was an Indian volleyball player and captain of the Indian national volleyball team.{{Cite web |last=Wangchuk |first=Rinchen Norbu |date=2022-11-28 |title=Lesser-Known Story of How India's Greatest Volleyball Player Became a Favourite in Italy |url=https://www.thebetterindia.com/304289/why-italy-remembers-jimmy-george-india-greatest-best-volleyball-player-asian-games/ |access-date=2023-03-17 |website=The Better India |language=en-US}} Often dubbed the God of Indian volleyball, he is considered as one of the greatest volleyball players of all time.{{cite news|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/remembering-jimmy-who-soared-higher-than-anyone-before-or-since/494080/0|title=A commentary in the Indian Express|date=26 July 2009|publisher=The Indian Express|accessdate=6 October 2011}}
He learned volleyball from his father. In 1979, he became the first Indian to become a professional volleyball player and played for multiple clubs outside the country, most notably in Italy.{{Cite web |date=2022-11-30 |title=Remembering Jimmy George, India's Volleyball Hero Who Left Us Too Soon & Is Now A Fading Memory |url=https://www.indiatimes.com/sports/remembering-jimmy-george-indias-volleyball-hero-who-left-us-too-soon-and-is-now-a-fading-memory-501723.html |access-date=2023-03-17 |website=IndiaTimes |language=en-IN}} He still remains the youngest volleyball player to receive the Arjuna Award, one of India's highest national sporting awards.{{Cite web |date=2020-08-28 |title=Past Masters of Indian Sports: Jimmy George – volleyball legend who pursued excellence on and off the court |url=https://www.firstpost.com/sports/past-masters-of-indian-sports-jimmy-george-volleyball-legend-who-pursued-excellence-on-and-off-the-court-8754621.html |access-date=2023-03-17 |website=Firstpost |language=en}}
Career
Jimmy George was born to the Kudakkachira family, at Thundiyil near Peravoor in Kannur, as the second son of George Joseph and Mary George. He learned to play volleyball from his father, a former university-level player.{{Cite news |date=2012-11-29 |title=JIMMY still stands tall |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/JIMMY-still-stands-tall/article15616482.ece |access-date=2023-03-17 |issn=0971-751X}} Jimmy played for St. Joseph's High School, Peravoor and in 1970, became a member of the University of Calicut volleyball team. In 1971, at the age of 16, he secured a berth in the Kerala State team and went on to represent the State nine times.{{cn|date=October 2024}} In 1973, he joined St. Thomas College, Pala and represented the University of Kerala from 1973 to 1976. The team won all four All India Inter-University Championship titles during these four years. He became the captain of the team in 1973.{{cn|date=October 2024}}
In 1976, Jimmy was in his first year of medical college before joining the Kerala Police where he remained a member of the Kerala Police team until his death. He took leave from the Kerala Police in 1979 and went to the Persian Gulf to play for Abu Dhabi Sports Club.{{Cite web |title=Jimmy George: The volleyball player from Kerala who became an international star |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/sport/story/19850715-jimmy-george-the-volleyball-player-from-kerala-who-became-an-international-star-770199-2013-12-23 |access-date=2023-03-17 |website=India Today |date=24 December 2013 |language=en}} In 1982, he left Abu Dhabi to join the Italian Volleyball League and played for Coletto Treviso, of Treviso for a season. He then switched to System Impiani and played for them in 1983–84. He returned to India and rejoined Kerala Police where played his last Nationals at Kanpur in 1985.{{cite web |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/JIMMY-still-stands-tall/article15616482.ece |title=JIMMY still stands tall |last=Rayan |first=Stan |publisher=The Hindu |date=November 29, 2012 |website=The Hindu Metroplus |access-date=November 29, 2012 | quote=He, along with Jose and Jimmy, played in the 1976 Kolkata National and again, along with Jimmy in the 1985 Kanpur National}} Jimmy went back to Italy to play for Arrital team and for 1987–88 season, he signed with Eurostyle-Eurosiba, a top division club based in Montichiari, Brescia.{{cite web |title=Jimmy George |url=http://sportal.nic.in/legenddetails.asp?sno=667&moduleid=&maincatid=59&subid=0&comid=55 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080514040141/http://sportal.nic.in/legenddetails.asp?sno=667&moduleid=&maincatid=59&subid=0&comid=55 |archivedate=2008-05-14 |accessdate=2008-07-22 |publisher=Indian Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports}}
Jimmy played for India's national volleyball team in the Asian Games in Tehran (1974), Bangkok (1978) and in Seoul (1986) where India won the bronze medal. He was captain of the Indian team that played at Saudi Arabia in 1985, and led the team to victory in India Gold Cup International Volleyball Tournament at Hyderabad in 1986.{{Cite web |last=Joseph |first=Naveen Ravi |title=Remembering Jimmy George – The man who rose higher than everyone |url=https://www.sportskeeda.com/volleyball/remembering-jimmy-george-the-man-who-rose-higher-than-everyone |access-date=2023-03-17 |website=www.sportskeeda.com |date=6 June 2014 |language=en-us}}
Awards and honours
At age 21, Jimmy George was the youngest volleyball player to win the Arjuna Award. He was given the G.V. Raja Award in 1975 and won the Manorama Award, for the best sportsman of Kerala, in 1976. He was judged the best player in the Persian Gulf region while playing for Abu Dhabi Sports Club, from 1979–1982. He played as a professional in Italy from 1982–1984 and 1985–1987, and in his prime was considered one of the best attackers of the world. In 2000, Malayala Manorama, a newspaper in Malayalam, honored him as the best sportsman of Kerala of the 20th century.{{cite web |url=http://www.edubilla.com/award/arjuna-award/jimmy-george/ |title=Jimmy George Arjuna Award Awarded In 1976 | quote=In 2000, Malayala manorama newspaper honored him as the best sportsman of Kerala of the 20th century}}
Death and legacy
George died in a car accident in Italy on 30 November 1987, at the age of 32.{{Cite web |title=Jimmy George - Indian volleyball maverick who charmed his way from Kerala to Milan |url=https://olympics.com/en/news/jimmy-george-indian-volleyball-god |access-date=2022-09-28 |website=Olympics.com |language=en-us}} His funeral ceremony was attended by thousands of people from different parts of the state. He was cremated at the cemetery of St. Joseph's Church, Peravoor. Following his death, the Jimmy George Foundation was established, which in 1989 instituted the 'Jimmy George Foundation Award for best sportsperson of Kerala
George is considered one of the greatest volleyball players of all-time, particularly among Indian players.{{cite web|last=Menon|first=Anirudh|url=https://www.espn.com/olympics/volleyball/story/_/id/39062802/jimmy-george-remembering-greatest-indian-volleyball-italy|title=As Indian volleyball meets Italian, remembering the GOAT: Jimmy George|publisher=ESPN|date=December 7, 2023|accessdate=March 21, 2025}} The Government of Kerala named an indoor stadium at Thiruvananthapuram after him, which was later developed into a sports hub. At St. Thomas College, Pala, a volleyball stadium is named after him, as were a stadium of St. Joseph's Higher Secondary School and a road at Peravoor. At Kannur, the District Headquarters, Police Department named its conference hall in the name of Jimmy George. In Italy, an indoor stadium called PalaGeorge was dedicated to him at Montichiari, Brescia, and an annual junior tournament is organized in his memory. Since 1989, the Kerala Volleyball League of North America organizes the Jimmy George Super Trophy Volleyball Tournament.{{Cite web |title=Jimmy George Memorial Super Trophy Volleyball Tournament 2008 |url=http://www.kvlna.com/first_champions.html |access-date=2023-03-17 |website=www.kvlna.com}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.youtube.com/user/sebastiangeorge2 A Collection of Jimmy's Videos] on YouTube
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20111001000706/http://www.hindu.com/2009/12/01/stories/2009120150340200.htm A news article in The Hindu on Jimmy George]
{{DEFAULTSORT:George, Jimmy}}
Category:Asian Games bronze medalists for India
Category:Asian Games medalists in volleyball
Category:Indian men's volleyball players
Category:Medalists at the 1986 Asian Games
Category:People from Kannur district
Category:Recipients of the Arjuna Award
Category:Volleyball players at the 1974 Asian Games
Category:Volleyball players at the 1978 Asian Games