Mariappa Kempaiah (4 March 1932 – 2 July 2008) was an Indian professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He played for the India national team at two Olympic Games. Known for his "fitness, work rate and commitment", he was considered one of India's best midfielders. He had also played for India in the International Quadrangle Football tournament, played in the now Bangladesh in 1955 and in Asian Games held in Japan in 1958. At club level, Kempaiah played for Bangalore Muslims till 1956 before he moved to East Bengal where he played for a year. Between 1957 and 1965, he played for Mohun Bagan. In the inter-provincial Santosh Trophy, played for Mysore. Playing career Kempaiah came into prominence while playing for Bangalore Muslims during the 1950s. He was subsequently discovered by Syed Abdul Rahim, then coach of the India national team, while Kempaiah played for Mysore in the Santosh Trophy in 1954 in Calcutta (now Kolkata). He made his debut for India against Sri Lanka in 1953 and was a regular in the Indian team till 1965. He was part of the team that played at the 1956 Melbourne and 1960 Rome Olympics. Kempaiah stayed with Bangalore Muslims till 1956 before moving to East Bengal. With them he won the 1956–57 Durand Cup. While at Mohun Bagan, he was teammates of Chuni Goswami, Jarnail Singh and Peter Thangaraj. Goswami said of Kempaiah, "He never got tired. His tackling, blocking and clearing were excellent. It was for these qualities that he had such a long stint in the Indian team." P. K. Banerjee recalled, "He generally played as right half, but was equally proficient in the central midfield position. He was a tremendous fighter and never got scared." 1956, and 1960 Olympics At the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, India attained its best outing at the Games as they reached the semi-finals of the tournament. The team was led by Samar Banerjee and India's most successful coach Syed Abdul Rahim, who coached the team at both the 1952 and 1960 Olympics. Kempaiah, a competent midfielder, played a crucial role in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, where India finished fourth, losing to Bulgaria in the play-off for third place. India reached the first round without playing a scheduled preliminary match. The team received a walkover because Hungary did not play. The team beat hosts Australia 4–2 and reached the semi-finals becoming the first