Francis D'mello

Francis D'Mello, affectionately know as "Mickey" during his time at St. Stanislaus High School belonged to the Class of 1972.

A Stanislite from Bazaar Road, he loved playing Hockey and primed his skills under the guidance of school coaches Mr. Cyril Gabriel & Oliver Andrade. He was never forced to play hockey; he loved the game and practiced daily.

Francis was just 17 years old and still in school when he represented India at the 1971 World Cup as a Centre forward. He recollects the pride & job he felt on being selected and it was one of the happiest moments of his life. From 1971 - 1989 he played for Mumbai and for Mahindras from 1973 - 1989. In 1974, at 22 years, he was the proud captain of the Indian hockey team for the Goodwill Tour to Afghanistan where the team was invited to play for the Afghanistan Independence Day celebrations.

Francis was part of the Mahindra's team that won the prestigious Aga Khan Cup which a Mumbai team had won after 14 years. It was one of his greatest achievements in his hockey career. In 1989 Francis D'mello retired from hockey and has worked with Mahindra's for the last 38 years.

He urges youngsters to keep on practicing, even if it means on your own because nothing else will help you reach the top. Francis is saddened at the fact that sports is taking a back seat amongst present day youth as there are just too many distractions today. In them days he says that success was dependant on the player and how interested he was to move forward and make it big. He feels sportsmen of today do not have the passion to succeed at sport.