Harijs Mellups

Harijs Mellups (b. 1927 in Sarkandaugava, Latvia - d. 1950) is a former goaltender and football player.

A versatile sportsman, Mellups grew up playing football in the streets of his native town in summer and ice hockey on a frozen river in the winter; he also played basketball and was boxing champion of Riga in his weight division in 1945. He however choose to focus on football and hockey from 1945, playing with FK Dinamo in football and Dinamo Riga in hockey - in 1945-46 he helped the Dinamo clinch the championship by allowing only three goals during the entire season.

Mellups was in the Soviet National Team's net for U.S.S.R.'s first international appearance, beating the Czechoslovak National Team 6-3. He transfered in Moscow in 1949 to carry on playing at elite level both in football and hockey, being chosen every year to represent the Soviet National Team.

Mellups died in 1950 in an airplane crash near Yekaterinburg. Other members of the Soviet National Team died in the even, such as Roberts Šūlmanis.