A Gill in the big bowl

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Bobby Jindal wants you to root for the Saints in the Super Bowl, but here’s a reason to root for the Colts: John Singh Gill, son of Ajit and Ann Gill, is a defensive lineman for the team (via Ultrabrown). He was recently elevated toGill.jpg the active roster, so he may see some playing time. Now I know what my friend meant when he said, “I’m looking for 69 during the big game.”

If the Colts win, Gill won’t be the first desi player with a Super Bowl ring. That distinction belongs to Bobby Singh, who won a ring while on the Rams practice squad in ’99. The Fiji-born Singh is the only player to win a Super Bowl, XFL Championship and a Grey Cup. Other active desi football players include Obby Khan, a center for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and Brandon Chillar, who plays linebacker for the Packers and is perhaps the best desi football player ever (Baichung Bhutia not included).

Gill, a Los Altos, Calif., native, played college ball at Northwestern and answered some questions from NUsports.com:

Q:If you could dine with anyone from any period in history, who would it be?
A: Ghandi (sic)

Q: If you could have a starring role in any film already made, which movie would you pick?
A: The Godfather

Q: What is the greatest lesson in life that you have learned?
A: Always do your best in every aspect of life

Q: Something people would be surprised to know about me is…
A: I am half Indian

Q: My ultimate SportsCenter highlight would be…
A: Returning an interception 100 yards for a touchdown

Q: The person that inspires me the most is…
A: My parents

Q: My favorite food is…
A: Italian food

Q: My favorite pre-game ritual is…
A: Eating

Q: If you were to have your friends attribute one quality to you, what would it be?
A: Loyal

He wants to dine with Gandhi and he likes Italian food? Oh, I get it now: He meant Sonia Gandhi.

16 thoughts on “A Gill in the big bowl”

  1. From a 2008 Chicago Tribune article on Gill (who was then still a player at Northwestern):

    “Hey, that’s my grandpa!” defensive tackle John Gill shouted, pointing toward the sidewalk to an 86-year-old man wearing a powder-blue turban — and over it, a Northwestern visor. The bus cracked up, and a surge of pride shot through Gill. “Even though I have somewhat dark skin, a lot of people don’t believe me when I tell them I’m half-Indian — probably because I’m so big,” he said. “But once they see my grandpa with a turban on, it’s hard to deny it.”
  2. “Hey, that’s my grandpa!” defensive tackle John Gill shouted, pointing toward the sidewalk to an 86-year-old man wearing a powder-blue turban — and over it, a Northwestern visor.

    i loved that. made my day.

    thank you lakshmi.

  5. He was dressed for the playoff game vs the Jets but was the only Colts player beside the backup QB not to play and was inactive vs the Ravens the week before. Every team in the NFL has a 53 man roster and dress 45[not counting the option to dress a 3rd QB as the 46th player].

    The Colts have 10 Defensive Lineman on there roster and have 7 active for games most times. The key to Gill playing may be the injury status of Colts star Dwight Freeney who is will be playing with a injured ankle and will be a game time choice to play. They may dress a exta D-Lineman for this game, but that could be a extra Defensive End who the outside, as Gill plays Defensive Tackle on the inside.

  6. “He wants to dine with Gandhi and he likes Italian food? Oh, I get it now: He meant Sonia Gandhi.”

    lol !!!- enjoy your posts Melvin. As for Gill he sounds awesome – you can’t blame him for dining on anything but Gujarati food (sorry to the gujaratis out there there but to me your cuisine is very bland).

  7. Good for you. Good for them. IN UK Asians ( read desi) have now established themselves on the groun level in Rugby ( like your Gridiron), football and boxing. On national level Cricket and Boxing. Bout time it happened in the states

  8. “Bobby Jindal wants you to root for the Saints in the Super Bowl”

    Being from New England, I was naturally going to root against the Colts. But you had to point that out. Now I don’t care about either team.

  9. It’s nice to see a Desi playing the real football. Nothing against soccer, but football is king in America and it’s great to have an Indian playing in the Super Bowl.

  10. Hard not to root for the Saints, given their underdog history and past events in the state, though. Still Yanks do love supporting winners.

    Q:If you could dine with anyone from any period in history, who would it be? A: Ghandi (sic)

    Odd how many times I see this (mis)spelling of Gandhi, and almost always by Americans. Is there a reason for this? I can’t see it, since it goes against how the name is conventionally spelt in English and pronounced.

  12. No Gill on field yet, but so far have counted at least 3 Indians in the commercials, not including the ones in the Intel group shot……

  14. Odd how many times I see this (mis)spelling of Gandhi, and almost always by Americans. Is there a reason for this? I can’t see it, since it goes against how the name is conventionally spelt in English and pronounced.

    Ghandi seems to be a Middle Eastern name. There’s a Ghandi Cafe in New York. And Professor Ghandi from Iran.

  16. WHY DOES THIS SITE ALWAYS SHOW SO MUCH IGNORANCE NOT EVERYONE WHO IS EAST INDIAN HAS FUCKING BROWN SKIN INDIA IS HOME TO HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF RACES AND ETHNIC GROUPS FROM WHITE TO YELLOW TO BLACK NOT EVERYONE IS FUCKING BROWN SKINNED IM SICK OF PEOPLE STEROTYPING EAST INDIANS WITH BROWN SKIN