Quick Facts
Biography
Lala Abdul Rashid (June 1, 1922 – March 8, 1989) was a member of Pakistan's gold medal winning 1960 Olympic field hockey team. He played as a goalkeeper throughout the tournament.
Early life and education
Born in Rawalpindi, British India on 1 June 1922, he originated from a Kashmiri Butt family whose parents migrated from Kashmir in early 1900s. He studied at DANNYS high school in Rawalpindi and then joined Gordon College, where he played hockey. After graduation he was selected for Punjab university and played for them in 1942.
International career
Rashid represented Pakistan at the Olympics and was part of the team that won the gold medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics. During the whole tournament only one goal was scored against Pakistan whereas Abdul Rashid was able to stop all the scoring efforts by other teams. Pakistan won the Olympics gold in field hockey for the first time. Abdul Rashid also served as the team coach of the Pakistan in late 1970s. He also held the position of Asian Hockey Federation general for few months, but quickly stepped down. He was highly respected in the hockey world and was instrumental in raising the sport’s profile at an international level, winning an emerging player award in 1960. Rashid died in Rawalpindi on March 2, 1989 at the age of 70.