Lauri Pihkala



Lauri "Tahko" Pihkala (born Gummerus, 5 January 1888 – 20 May 1981) was the inventor of pesäpallo, the Finnish variant of baseball. In 1969 he became one of the first persons to receive an honorary doctorate in Sport Sciences from the University of Jyväskylä, together with president Urho Kekkonen and Professor Kaarina Kari.

Athletics
In the 1910s he became the first Finnish professional coach in athletics, and also worked as a physical education instructor with the Finnish Army.

Pihkala was known for being an avid sports fan, and he developed several outdoor games.

Other
During the Finnish Civil War he was responsible for propaganda in the White Guard flying unit "Devils of Kuhmoinen" of major Hans Kalm.

Pihkala's brother Martti Pihkala was a right-wing political activist. Lauri Pihkala didn't write any political texts in his publications. He tried to integrate Finnish working class to the society and hoped that sports could be one tool there.

Some writers claim that Pihkala should be responsible for a massacre in Harmoinen village in March 1918. This is not true. The murderers belonged to Devils of Kuhmoinen, but Pihkala was not present there.

Memorial of Pihkala by sculptor Nina Sailo was unveiled in 1988 on the south-east side of the Helsinki Olympic Stadium.

Pihkala was a supporter of eugenics with the goal of strengthening Finland’s military.