Former Kerala Santosh Trophy footballer James Fenn dies in US
ALAPUUZHA: Former Kerala Santosh Trophy football player James Fenn, who played for Mohun Bagan for three years in the 1960s, has died at Colorado Springs in the USA due to age-related problems.
He was 87 and is survived by his son.
"My uncle passed away in Colorado Springs in the US on Sunday. It's because of age-related issues," his nephew Sherry Mani said from Kerala.
The native of Thathampally in Alappuzha had been a star player of Kerala in the 1950s.
He began his senior career with KSRTC before moving to other top clubs in the country, including Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan and East Bengal.
His performance for Kerala in the 1955 Santosh Trophy held in Kochi, where he troubled the visiting West Bengal side with his skills, paved the way for his move to Kolkata.
For three years, Fenn was part of an exciting Rajasthan Club, playing alongside the legendary Jarnail Singh.
Fenn returned to Kerala in the colours of Bengal.
Kerala's then minister TV Thomas invited him to join the KSRTC team.
He accepted the invitation but returned to Kolkata in 1959, where he played a year for East Bengal and then for arch-rivals Mohun Bagan for three years.
He retired in 1966 and became the coach of Rajasthan Club, where he served for eight years.
Later, Fenn turned to business and following the demise of his wife Stella in 1998, he left for the US to live with his son.