“Today, I am not here as a former world record holder or an Olympian. I’m standing here as that little country boy whose life was changed by one man.
“Coach became more than just a coach; he was another father. I remember his old Proton Saga leaking transmission oil and I always think I’m a mechanic, so on a daily basis, I would take it to top up the transmission oil for him. It seemed like a small thing back then, but now it feels priceless. He invested in every part of us.”
The above formed part of an emotional tribute by Jamaican Olympian Asafa Powell during the thanksgiving service for legendary and pioneering Jamaican coach Stephen Francis, who died on July 4 at the age of 64.
Francis dedicated his life to the development of athletics in Jamaica. After earning a BSc in Management Studies from the University of the West Indies and an MBA in Finance from the University of Michigan, Francis decided to pursue full-time coaching and co-founded the MVP (Maximising Velocity & Power) Track & Field Club in 1999.
He served as MVP’s Technical Director. MVP Track & Field Club president Bruce James said: “Stephen Francis changed the trajectory of Jamaican athletics for the better. He proved that Jamaican athletes, guided by Jamaican coaches, supported by Jamaican management, and training in Jamaica, could become the very best in the world.
“His vision, uncompromising pursuit of excellence, and belief in the potential of our athletes transformed not only countless individual careers, but also the standing of Jamaican athletics on the global stage. His legacy will endure for generations.”
Over the years, particularly in the corridors of the Caribbean Olympic track and field movement, I frequently expressed my awe and respect for what MVP was doing. Having had the opportunity on more than one occasion to visit the University of Technology, Jamaica, and the MVP training base, I saw it with my own eyes. My respect grew. I saw firsthand that there were no million-dollar facilities, no gleaming machines, weights, or Mondo track—no world-class facilities, but certainly world-class intellect, dreams, work ethic, and belief. Excellence breeds excellence.
What always annoyed me, however, was the innuendo—the network of rumor and gossip. I filed it away as jealousy: a deliberate intention to diminish rather than embrace success and learn from it. The funny thing was, such efforts weren’t limited to outside of Jamaica.
Everyone who had something shady to suggest always claimed to have the “inside story.” Whenever I heard the whispers, I reminded myself of a quote I heard many years ago from a Belmont elder: Lies run sprints, but truth runs marathons.
Jamaica’s success and reputation as a global sprint factory, along with the positive profile it gave Brand Jamaica, is an aspect of Stephen Francis’s legacy that will endure.
Listening to as much of the thanksgiving service as I could on Saturday (August 15) via the virtual link, it was clear that for many of the young men and women who represented Jamaica on the world and Olympic stage, Stephen Francis was far more than just a coach. He was a father figure, a mentor, and someone who saw potential when others had yet to see it.
What will also endure is his legacy of developing high-achieving human beings.
I close with another quote from Asafa Powell: “Everything I became started with one man who saw something in a young man before anyone else did.”
