Pankaj Gupta

Pankaj Kumar Gupta (1899 – 6 March 1971) was one of the earliest Indian sports administrators involved in professional football, hockey and cricket. He is best known for his involvement in professional hockey where he worked variously as a manager, administrator, and referee. His contributions earned him the nickname "Mr. Hockey". He also became the first head coach of the India national football team in 1938, and guided the team in the Indian tour of Australia.

Formative years Gupta was born in Magar Union, Dhaka in 1899.

Starting with Los Angeles Olympic Games in 1932, he was manager or coach of the Indian team or contingent to many sports events in Europe and America. He attended the World Football Congress twice as the Indian delegate, was manager of the Indian football team to Russia Dhyan Chand has narrated many stories about Gupta. Here is one about their drive through the Dutch countryside: "Pankaj Gupta took us for a drive through a small narrow village which lay on our way to Doorn. We saw Dutch women lining up the streets peddling fresh fish caught from the dykes. The Bengali that he was, Pankaj Gupta remarked that the sight reminded him very much of the villages in Bengal. These Dutch women in their colourful costumes and wooden shoes presented a typical rural Dutch scene."

Sports administration Gupta was the Secretary of the Bengal Hockey Association for more than a decade continuously from 1936. He held official positions in Indian Football Association and was active in founding the All India Football Federation. He was Honorary Treasurer of the organisation in its year of inception and was president subsequently. He was instrumental in the founding of the National Cricket Club and the construction of the stadium at Eden Gardens. In the 1944 New Year Honours list, the British government appointed him a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in recognition of his contribution to sports administration.