Sven Tumba facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sven Tumba
Tumba c. 1960
Born	Sven Olof Gunnar Johansson (1931-08-28)28 August 1931 Stockholm, Sweden
Died	1 October 2011(2011-10-01) (aged 80) Stockholm, Sweden
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Ice hockey career Position Centre Shot Left Played for Djurgårdens IF National team  Sweden Playing career 1950–1966 Medal record Representing  Sweden Ice hockey Olympic Games Bronze 1952 Oslo Team Silver 1964 Innsbruck Team World Championships Gold 1953 Zürich/Basel Team Bronze 1954 Stockholm Team Gold 1957 Moscow Team Bronze 1958 Oslo Team Gold 1962 Colorado Springs/Denver Team Silver 1963 Stockholm Team Bronze 1965 Tampere Team
Sven Tumba Personal information Playing position Winger Youth career Viggbyholms IK Senior career* Years Team Apps† (Gls)† 0000–1949 Viggbyholms IK 1949 Åmotfors IF 1950 Viggbyholms IK 1951–1961 Djurgårdens IF 86 (50) National team 1953–1956 Sweden B 3 (5) 1956 Sweden 1 (0) Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Sven Tumba (born Sven Olof Gunnar Johansson; 28 August 1931 – 1 October 2011) was an amazing Swedish athlete. He was famous for playing ice hockey in the 1950s and 1960s. But he was also great at football and golf. He even became a Swedish champion in waterskiing!

Sven Johansson started being called "Tumba" in the 1950s. This was because there were other players with the same last name. He grew up in a Swedish town called Tumba, which is how he got his nickname. In 1965, he and his wife Mona officially changed their family name to Tumba.

After he stopped playing ice hockey, Sven Tumba became a very successful golfer. He designed golf courses and organized golf events. He even helped introduce golf to the former Soviet Union. In 1997, he was added to the IIHF Hall of Fame for his incredible ice hockey career.

Sven Tumba's Ice Hockey Career

Sven Tumba was one of the best ice hockey players from Sweden. He played for many years and won many awards.

Playing for Djurgårdens IF

Tumba playing ice hockey in 1960.

Tumba started playing for the Swedish club Djurgårdens IF in the 1950–51 season. He played for Djurgårdens IF until 1966. During this time, his team won eight Swedish Championships! He was also the top goal scorer in the league for three years.

In 1957, Tumba became the first European player to join an NHL training camp. He trained with the Boston Bruins. The Bruins even offered him a big contract! However, Tumba decided not to take the offer. This was because he wanted to keep playing for the Swedish national team as an amateur. If he had become a professional in the NHL, he wouldn't have been allowed to play for his country.

Playing for Sweden's National Team

Tre Kronor in November 1958, with Sven Tumba in the front row.

Sven Tumba played for the Swedish national team, called Tre Kronor, for a long time. He played in 14 IIHF World Championships and four Winter Olympics. He was named the best forward at the 1957 and 1962 World Championships. He was also the top scorer at the 1964 Winter Olympics. Tumba even captained the national team!

As of 2010, Tumba holds the Swedish record for most goals. He scored 186 goals in 245 games for the national team.

Ice Hockey Achievements and Awards

Sven Tumba received many honors for his amazing ice hockey career.

• The number 5 jersey was retired by Djurgården in his honor. This means no other player on the team can wear that number.
• In 1997, he was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame.
• In 1999, he was named the "Best Swedish Ice-hockey Player of All Times." He was chosen over other famous players like Peter Forsberg and Mats Sundin.

Here are some of his main achievements as a player:

• He won the Swedish Championship 8 times (1954, 55, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63).
• He won an Olympic bronze medal in 1952 and an Olympic silver medal in 1964.
• He won the World Championship three times (1953, 1957, 1962). He also won silver and bronze medals at other World Championships.

Tumba's Ice Hockey Projects

Sven Tumba also helped improve ice hockey in other ways.

• In 1955, he invented the first hockey helmet, called the SPAPS helmet.
• In 1957, he started a Swedish ice hockey school on TV. He also created TV-pucken, the first ice hockey tournament for children.

Sven Tumba's Football Career

Besides ice hockey, Sven Tumba was also a talented football player.

Playing for Djurgårdens IF Football

Tumba (left) and Henry Thillberg after scoring goals in a national B-team contest.

In the mid-1950s, Tumba played football for Djurgårdens IF. He started playing for Djurgården in 1950. In 1959, he helped Djurgården win the Swedish championship. He was also the team's top scorer that year with 11 goals.

Playing for the National Football Team

Tumba also played one game for the Swedish national football team. This was against Norway on September 16, 1956.

Sven Tumba's Golf Career

After his successful careers in ice hockey and football, Tumba focused on golf. He became a player, a golf course designer, and a great supporter of the sport. Many people believe he was the most important person in making golf popular in Sweden.

Becoming a Golf Player

Tumba started playing golf when he was over 30 years old. By 1970, at age 39, he was a very skilled amateur player. He won the Scandinavian International Amateur Match-play Championship that year. He also represented Sweden in a big international amateur tournament called the 1970 Eisenhower Trophy.

The next year, he became a professional golfer. In 1974, he represented Sweden at the World Cup in Venezuela.

Popularizing Golf in Sweden

Sven Tumba is best known for helping golf grow in Sweden. He traveled around the country, giving golf lessons and playing exhibition matches. He helped get more people interested in the game.

He also brought famous golfers like Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus to Sweden for exhibitions. He founded the Scandinavian Enterprise Open tournament in 1973. This tournament became one of the biggest on the European Tour.

Thanks to Tumba's efforts, the number of golf club members in Sweden grew a lot. It went from about 12,000 in the early 1960s to around 600,000 in the mid-1990s!

Golf Awards and Recognition

Sven Tumba received many awards for his contributions to golf.

• In 1978, he was the first person to receive the Golden Club award from the Swedish Golf Federation. This is the highest award for contributions to Swedish golf.
• In 2004, on the 100th anniversary of the Swedish Golf Federation, he was named the most influential person in Swedish golf history. This was a huge honor!
• In 2022, Tumba was inducted into the new Swedish Golf Hall of Fame.

Tumba's Golf Projects

Sven Tumba started many important golf projects:

• In 1967, he founded Tumba Golf Center, Sweden's first indoor golf driving range.
• In 1969, he created the Colgate Cup, a major golf tournament for children in Sweden.
• He founded the Scandinavian Enterprise Open (1973) and the European Open (1977) tournaments.
• He designed several golf courses, including Ullna Golf Club (1978) and Österåker Golf Club (1988).
• In 1987, he founded Tumba Golf Club Moscow, the first golf course in the former Soviet Union. He also officially introduced golf there.
• In 1995, he founded the World Golfers Championship, a yearly amateur golf tournament played by thousands of golfers worldwide.

Other Contributions and Awards

Sven Tumba was involved in many other interesting projects:

• From 1957 to 1961, he had his own radio program called "the Tumba Hour."
• In 1959, he performed water ski shows all over Sweden.
• In 1981, he started the Tumba Stipendium (grant) to help athletes with disabilities.
• In 1987, he created the motto "Sport Promotes Friendship and Business." Many famous people supported this idea, including Pelé and Sean Connery.
• In 1989, he received a special medal from HM King Carl Gustaf for his amazing sports achievements.
• In 2006, he founded the Sven Tumba Education Fund, "Sport for Education." This charity worked with AstraZeneca to help fight illiteracy.

Sven Tumba's Family Life

Sven Tumba was the son of Torsten Johansson and Greta Kruse. He was married to Mona Nessim. They had four sons: Tommie, Johan, Stefan, and Daniel. Both Tommie and Johan became professional golfers, just like their dad. Johan even played on the European Tour.

For most of his retirement, Sven Tumba and his wife lived in West Palm Beach, Florida, in the United States. They would return to Sweden during the summers. Sven Tumba's great-niece, Amanda Ilestedt, is also a famous football player.

Sven Tumba's Passing

Sven Tumba passed away on October 1, 2011, at the age of 80. He had been in the Danderyd Hospital for three months due to health issues. At the time of his death, he was a citizen of both Sweden and the United States.

After his passing, the Swedish hockey league honored him with a one-minute silence before their games. His funeral was held at the Engelbrekt Church in Östermalm, Stockholm, on October 20, 2011. About 500 friends and family members came to the church to remember and honor Sven Tumba.

Images for kids

• 

  Sven Tumba during a golf exhibition in Hudiksvall, Sweden, on 6 June 1972