Kálmán Kovács started playing football in the colors of Újszeged TC, from there he joined the KEAC in Szeged in 1934. He started as a striker but finally he found his real position in the defense. As a student of the Faculty of Law of the Ferenc József University in Szeged Kovács was selected to the Hungarian football team, winning a gold medal at the World College Championships in 1935. In 1936, as a member of the amateur national team, he participated in the Berlin Olympics, where he played in the single match of Hungary.
After finishing his career as a player, he first worked as a referee and later as a coach. In Szeged, he also worked on student football as a teacher at the railway technical school.
Hungary