Sports
Navraj Singh Bassi: Football's New Rough Rider
by GUR KIRPAL SINGH ASHK
Navraj Singh Bassi of Vancouver (British Columbia, Canada) will be making history when he takes the field in the Canadian Football League (CFL) with his patka on.
The 6-foot-6-inch-tall Sikh footballer will play for Grey Cup champions, the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
If he plays in his team's match against the B.C. Lions on July 4, 2008, he will be the first Sikh to play football with a patka. Till now, the headgear was considered a hindrance among Sikhs who wanted to play this game.
Interestingly, Navraj's brother, Pavan Singh, is a super heavyweight boxing champion and his father, Kulwinder Singh, supports Navraj's passion for the game.
Kulwinder said, "We are very excited that he will be given an opportunity to showcase his talent and by the grace of God, he will excel in the sport he has loved since he was a child".
Talking about the team, Pavan said, "Saskatchewan coaches are really impressed with his abilities and Navraj is really enjoying the team atmosphere".
Notably, Navraj has played on both sides of the ball, as an offensive lineman as well as a defensive lineman, but the Saskatchewan Roughriders, who are very excited to have him on their team, hope to use him on both the D-Line and as a blocking tight-end.
Harbans Singh, former president of Ontario Sikh and Gurudwara Council, says that Sikh-Canadians and Sikh-Americans living in the CFL area were very eagerly waiting for the match and a large number of them would be in Vancouver to cheer for Navraj.
Navraj, who weighs 294 pounds, attended college at the University of Oregon. Despite receiving more than forty offers for football scholarships, the North Delta Secondary School player chose to stay in the northwest to remain close to his family. He played a few seasons with the Oregon Ducks.
A leading Sikh-Canadian broadcaster in Canada, Kuldeep Singh Deepak, said with pride: "We have registered our community's presence on the football field also".
[Courtesy: TNN]
June 9, 2008
Conversation about this article
1: Savraj (West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.A.), June 12, 2008, 9:28 AM.
We've heard about Navraj for many years now - it's great to see that he's taking the field so we can get some new photos of him! Congrats, Navraj!