He was very instrumental in organizing Gambians in Chicago and was a founding member of the Gambian Association of Chicago. He was also influential in connecting Gambians in the Midwest (Chicago, Detroit, Wisconsin, and Minnesota) to come together to form the Midwest Gambian Association Conference, where we organize symposia to educate, inform, and strengthen our communities. As part of that effort, a Senegambian collaboration mushroomed to extend our brotherly and sisterly relations with our cousins from Senegal. The Sene-Gambian community has lost a great guy, generous, kind, and very understanding.
My condolences to all the related families and friends of Mansour. Mansour is survived by his wife, Aisatou Ceesay; sons, Morr and Ebrima; brothers, Morr, Mustapha, and Seringe; and sister, Haddy. Also cousins Omar Fye, Modou Jah, Adama Kah, and the Jah, Kah, Njie, and other related families. Nephew, Pa Modou Khan and other nephews and nieces.
Mansour fought a good fight, and in the end, he is at peace and resting in his transition. May the many happy memories we shared with Mansour in his journey through life help us all as we cope with his loss. He is in a better place. Sigil lene Ndigaleh!" Indeed, he ran a good race finished in style. Take your rest, big fellow. You were a Champ in life, a decent one at that. Thanks for your service to humanity. Adieu M Boy!!
Assan Gibril: Along with peers, Pa Hafner, Chulayela, Kebba Jobe, and Sailou Jallow, a star was in the making. Mansour was of a much better build as a kid, and it certainly worked to his advantage as an intelligent sweeper in primary school football. In 1975, he proceeded to Banjul's Mecca of Academic Excellence, Saints Nation, and became an instant star in the school's junior team under the geography teacher at the time Alagie Mbowe. Mansour was the sweeper in a star-studded team that had Peter Prom, Dox Hydara, Mass, Fr.Edu Gomez etc. He was a smart sweeper and led Saints to the national championship. As mentioned earlier, Mansour out grew the junior team after a year and took to basketball in 1977 under Alade Sunni Joiner.
Mansour Njie is no more, and thank God for the great and decent life he lived. Mansour whose humbling beginnings can be traced to Perseverance Street in the Gambian capital was a respected young man throughout the short period he lived in his native Gambia. Like what any normal kid would do at the time, he played street football at the beach for his childhood Koranic school, Dara Pa Ablie to be precise.
[BEFORE THERE WAS A GREEK FREAK, there was a Gambian freak who, with size, will, and tenacity, dominated every single power forward in Gambian basketball. It was unusual for a form three student to make a team that had greats like Bai Malleh, Al Mounir Alami, Francis Gomez, Alagie Conteh, Falang Jobe, Musa Njie, John Roberts, Sam Chapman, Tony Sonko, but, as the old wollof adage goes, BULATE, Mansour became the pace setter. He was a founder member of Saints Basketball team and a part of history, for they were the first school boy team in association basketball to win the national league three years in a row playing with their teacher, Alade Sunny Joiner, who taught Mansour the game. His duels with Samba Niang and Abdul Salam Ball of the Sister Republic of Senegal are fresh in many minds that watched basketball back in the day. Mansour graduated from high school in 1980 and migrated to Dingareh basketball, where he played briefly before migrating to the United States. Mansour also played for the Gambia National team. For his great, productive, and giving life in the United States, I leave the last word with my brother Joe Sambou for this home run on the man.
