<p>Bengaluru: Legendary Ammanda Vasu Uthaiah, who passed away at 83 after following a brief illness on Thursday, was considered by many as a pioneer in promoting hockey across Coorg and subsequently Karnataka.</p><p>Hailing from Virajpet, a town in Kodagu, Uthaiah carved a niche for himself in the competition-heavy Indian national hockey team from the late 1960s to 1970s. It was no mean feat by Uthaiah, a stylish player who excelled in the left half back position, amid intense competition for places.</p><p>Uthaiah, a recipient of Dusshera Puraskara Koda and the Silver Jubilee award of Karnataka, was a part of the 1970 Asian Games squad that won silver, but missed out on making the cut for the 1968 Mexico Olympics.</p>.Asian Games missed opportunity, will book Paris Olympic ticket in qualifiers: Women's hockey coach Schopman.<p>Uthaiah also played for Madras Engineer Group and Centre hockey team for close to one and a half decades, playing almost all the First Grade hockey tournaments in the country.</p>.<p>He later turned up for the BEML Bangalore hockey team, winning a couple of KSHA Super Division titles. </p>.<p>Karnataka Hockey president AB Subbaiah spoke about the impact Uthaiah's contributions had in kick-starting a hockey revolution in Coorg and Karnataka.</p>.<p>"He (Uthaiah) can be considered as Coorg's first established hockey player to have played a major tournament and inspired the next generation of players," Subbaiah said.</p>.<p>"From what I have understood after speaking to Uthaiah's contemporaries, he was a very skilled player with a never-say-die attitude. A good tackler, and someone with a calm head," Subbaiah added.</p>.<p>"As a person, he used to guide and support us and share his pearls of wisdom, and was very passionate about hockey and players coming up from Coorg and Karnataka.</p>.<p>"Even after his retirement, he would actively organise tournaments and headed the Kodava Samaj Sports Committee," Subbaiah revealed.</p>.<p>Uthaiah is survived by a son and a daughter.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: Legendary Ammanda Vasu Uthaiah, who passed away at 83 after following a brief illness on Thursday, was considered by many as a pioneer in promoting hockey across Coorg and subsequently Karnataka.</p><p>Hailing from Virajpet, a town in Kodagu, Uthaiah carved a niche for himself in the competition-heavy Indian national hockey team from the late 1960s to 1970s. It was no mean feat by Uthaiah, a stylish player who excelled in the left half back position, amid intense competition for places.</p><p>Uthaiah, a recipient of Dusshera Puraskara Koda and the Silver Jubilee award of Karnataka, was a part of the 1970 Asian Games squad that won silver, but missed out on making the cut for the 1968 Mexico Olympics.</p>.Asian Games missed opportunity, will book Paris Olympic ticket in qualifiers: Women's hockey coach Schopman.<p>Uthaiah also played for Madras Engineer Group and Centre hockey team for close to one and a half decades, playing almost all the First Grade hockey tournaments in the country.</p>.<p>He later turned up for the BEML Bangalore hockey team, winning a couple of KSHA Super Division titles. </p>.<p>Karnataka Hockey president AB Subbaiah spoke about the impact Uthaiah's contributions had in kick-starting a hockey revolution in Coorg and Karnataka.</p>.<p>"He (Uthaiah) can be considered as Coorg's first established hockey player to have played a major tournament and inspired the next generation of players," Subbaiah said.</p>.<p>"From what I have understood after speaking to Uthaiah's contemporaries, he was a very skilled player with a never-say-die attitude. A good tackler, and someone with a calm head," Subbaiah added.</p>.<p>"As a person, he used to guide and support us and share his pearls of wisdom, and was very passionate about hockey and players coming up from Coorg and Karnataka.</p>.<p>"Even after his retirement, he would actively organise tournaments and headed the Kodava Samaj Sports Committee," Subbaiah revealed.</p>.<p>Uthaiah is survived by a son and a daughter.</p>