Inder Singh
Inder Singh was born on 23rd December 1943 at Phagwara in Punjab. Right from his School days
in Phagwara, he played foot ball. Impressed with his talent in the game, he was selected by Leaders Club
Jalandhar. In 1974 he joined JCT Football Club and lead it to the finals of the Durand Cup. Two Durand
Cups Tournaments in 1975 and 1983 were won by the Club. S. Inder Singh then played for his state of
Punjab in the Santosh Trophy which was won by them in 1974-75. The team finished the tournament having
scored 46 goals, with Singh scoring 23 of them, a record that still stands. The team beat Bengal in the final
6-0, with Singh scoring a hat-trick. He Captained the Indian Team in 1969, 1973 and 1975 and won several
International matches with brilliant performance. Impressed by his performance in 1973 against Thailand,
the Malaysian Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rehman requested him to play for the Malaysian National
Team but he politely declined by saying that he wants to play for his state and country. When he left the
game in 1975, he was made manager by JCT Mill.
He managed that team for 16 years till 2001. In this period,
the club won the Federation Cup twice, and also the inaugural season of National Football League (1996-
97). Following his spell as a manager of his former club, he was made the Honorary Secretary of the Punjab
Football Association, a post that he held from 2001- to 2011. He is definitely a role-model football player of
India. He is living in Phagwara, Punjab.