Palakkad: Yesteryear Malayali footballer, SS Narayan, 86, who represented India in two Olympics, passed away at his residence in Thane, Mumbai on Thursday.
The native of Ottapalam in the Palakkad district, who was also called Babu Narayan, had taken part in the 1956 and 1960 Olympics as a goalkeeper.
Though he was from Kerala, Narayan had made a name for himself in Mumbai (Bombay then), playing for Matunga Students and Indian Gymkhana FC. After three years with Caltex, he moved to Tata Sports Club, for whom he played for over a decade.
He also was part of the Santosh Trophy-winning Maharashtra team of 1964. It is believed that he was also a good basketball player and had represented Maharashtra in basketball as well.
Narayan, however, is best remembered for participating in the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne that remains India's best outing at the Summer Games, finishing fourth.
He was also part of the national team that competed four years later in Rome, which incidentally is the last time an Indian football team qualified for the Olympics.
