Bashir Ahmed (field hockey, born 1941)

Bashir Ahmed (born 1941) is a retired Bangladeshi international field hockey player and is the first Bengali player to represent the Pakistan men's national field hockey team. He was also a prominent football player and referee.

Early life
Bashir Ahmed was born in Mahut-tuli area in Dhaka. He studied in Armanitola Government High School. After he enrolled in the University of Dhaka, he took part in field hockey, football, cricket and athletics. He was an active sportsman during the late '50s and '60s. The Dhaka clubs he played for included Mohammedan Sporting, Victoria Sporting, Brothers Union and National Bank of Pakistan (now Sonali Bank).

National Hockey Championship
Bashir represented East Pakistan in the National Hockey Championship for several years. He was also a member of the East Pakistan Sports Federation's hockey team that won its only match in the history of the championship. This match against Pakistan Navy was played at Karachi on 1 April 1967.

International matches
In 1962, Bashir played two international matches from the Pakistan field hockey team against visiting foreign hockey teams, becoming the first Bengali player to do so. The games were played against teams of Kenya and Holland. Both of these matches were played at Dacca, where Bashir played at right-out position.

Coaching and umpiring
Bashir was the head coach of the Bangladesh men's national field hockey team at the 1978 Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand. He coached Dhaka Mohammedan to the 1977-78 Dhaka Hockey First Division League title. In 1982, Bashir served as the coach of the first ever Bangladesh women. He was also an international hockey umpire and umpired in both the 1985 Men's Hockey Asia Cup and the 1989 Men's Hockey Asia Cup.

Hockey honours
Victoria SC National Bank of Pakistan Sonali Bank Dhaka Mohammedan
 * Atiqullah Cup: 1958
 * Pakistan Hockey League: 1963–64, 1966–67
 * Shaheed Smriti Hockey Tournament: 1976
 * Dhaka Hockey First Division League: 1977–78 (as coach)

Playing career
Bashir began his football career with Dhaka Sporting Club in the Dhaka Second Division League. In 1962, he won four titles with Victoria Sporting Club, including the Dhaka League, Aga Khan Gold Cup, Independence Day Cup, and Mohammad Ali Bogra Shield. In 1959, he was a guest player for the Dhaka Mohammedan team, which became the first East Pakistani club to lift the Aga Khan Gold Cup. He represented East Pakistan at the National Football Championship in 1958, 1959, and 1960, emerging as champions in the latter. Bashir was the vice-captain of Dhaka Division during their National Football Championship triumph in 1961–62. In 1961 and 1963, Bashir represented East Pakistan in exhibition games against Burma and China, scoring during a 1–11 defeat to China in a game held at the Dhaka Stadium on 24 January 1963. He also represented the football teams of both Dhaka University and Jagannath College from 1952 to 1967.

Football honours
Victoria SC Dhaka Mohammedan
 * Dhaka League: 1962
 * Aga Khan Gold Cup: 1962
 * Independence Day Cup: 1962
 * Mohammad Ali Bogra Shield: 1962
 * Dhaka League: 1963, 1965, 1966
 * Aga Khan Gold Cup: 1959 (guest player), 1964
 * Independence Day Cup: 1963, 1966
 * Mohammad Ali Bogra Shield: 1966
 * Liaquat Ali Gold Cup: 1967

East Pakistan
 * National Football Championship: 1960

Dhaka Division
 * National Football Championship: 1961–62

Jagannath College
 * Ronald Shield: 1962

Refereeing career
Bashir was a referee in domestic football. In 2008, he served as the chairman of Bangladesh Football Federation's Referees' Committee.

Awards and accolades

 * Best Sportsperson Award by the East Pakistan Sports Press Association (1966)
 * National Sports Award (1980) in field hockey
 * Grameenphone-Prothom Alo Lifetime Achievement Award (2008)
 * Star Lifetime Award (2016)