Vahram Kevorkian (17 December 1887– 17 July 1911) was a football player of

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

descent. His position on the field was striker. Kevorkian was born in a rich merchant family in

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and i ...

, and had been sent to study in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. He arrived in Belgium presumably in 1902, after he had been studying in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. He settled in

Bruges Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the country by population. The area of the whole city a ...

and also started playing football for

Cercle Brugge Cercle Brugge Koninklijke Sportvereniging () is a Belgian professional football club based in Bruges. Cercle have played in the Belgian Pro League since the 2003–04 season, having previously spent several years in the Belgian Second Divisi ...

in 1902. He made his debut at the highest level of Belgian football one season later. In

1905 As the second year of the massive Russo-Japanese War begins, more than 100,000 die in the largest world battles of that era, and the war chaos leads to the 1905 Russian Revolution against Nicholas II of Russia ( Shostakovich's 11th Symphony ...

, Kevorkian went to Antwerp side Beerschot. Even though Beerschot relegated that season, Kevorkian chose to stay and Antwerp were back again at the top level in

1907 Events January * January 14 – 1907 Kingston earthquake: A 6.5 Mw earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica, kills between 800 and 1,000. February * February 11 – The French warship ''Jean Bart'' sinks off the coast of Morocco ...

. Kevorkian was called up for

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

in 1908, for a match against Sweden. Kevorkian scored the 1–0 in the 30th minute. Belgium won the match 2–1. Even though Kevorkian did not have the Belgian nationality, he was allowed to appear in the match. Because when the rule started counting that players had to have the nationality of the country they were playing for, Kevorkian was already playing in Belgium. Such players were still allowed too. (

grandfather clause A grandfather clause, also known as grandfather policy, grandfathering, or grandfathered in, is a provision in which an old rule continues to apply to some existing situations while a new rule will apply to all future cases. Those exempt from t ...

) He played the last match of his career with Beerschot against his former team Cercle Brugge. The match ended in a 2–2 draw. Shortly afterwards, Kevorkian had to undergo surgery for his

appendicitis Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these typical symptoms. Severe complications of a ru ...

. However, Kevorkian's situation worsened after the surgery. He died on 17 July 1911.

Honours

Individual

* Belgian First Division top scorer: 1908-09 (30 goals)

References

External links

Cerclemuseum.be

1887 births 1911 deaths Belgian people of Armenian descent Belgian Pro League players Belgium men's international footballers Belgian men's footballers Armenian men's footballers Cercle Brugge K.S.V. players Men's association football forwards K. Beerschot V.A.C. players Naturalised citizens of Belgium Emigrants from the Russian Empire to Belgium Deaths from appendicitis Expatriates from the Russian Empire in the United States {{Belgium-footy-bio-stub