Early 1970s success at Wolmer’s inspired Francis

The exploits of Wolmer’s Boys’ football and cricket teams of 1971 and 1972 were the ­inspiration behind why legendary track coach Stephen Francis chose to attend the institution, one of the oldest high schools in Jamaica.

Francis, who has guided Jamaica’s elite athletes to win more than 80 gold, silver and bronze medals at global championships over the past two decades, made the revelation at a recent ceremony dubbed Coaches are Forever: A Salute to Excellence at the Mona Visitors’ Lodge, where he and coach Ron Jones were honoured for their exemplary coaching careers.

It was Jones, a Welshman, who ­arrived at Wolmer’s in 1968 and transformed the fortunes of the school’s sports programmes, ­resulting in the school winning the Manning Cup in 1971 and the urban Sunlight Cup and all-island Spaulding Cup cricket titles.

Between 1969 and 1971, when the football team won the Manning Cup for the first time in 32 years, Wolmer’s lost only four games, drew four, and conceded only five goals.

Meanwhile, the cricket team that included players like West Indies ­wicketkeeper/batsman Jeffrey Dujon and Seymour Newman, who many claim was a quicker bowler than Windies great Michael Holding, who at the time was a student of Kingston College. Jeff Mordecai captained the team, which also included Phillip Rae and Peter Gordon.

“The primary reason why I chose to attend Wolmer’s was the exploits of the teams of 1971 and 1972, which was just about the time when I was thinking about taking the Common Entrance Exams as it was way back in those days,” he told the gathering, which included Jones, who was vacationing in Jamaica.

“The exploits of those teams was a great inspiration to me, and it put me firmly into the camp of Wolmer’s and helped make up my mind that this was where I was going to attend school.”

Francis said Wolmer’s was a unique place where there was a meeting of all the different facets of Jamaica people. He said he owed a lot to the school for the success he has had in his adult life.

“My career, both in terms of ­coaching and my aborted career in business, owes a lot to Wolmer’s in many more ways than one,” said Francis, who ­abandoned a successful career at ­accounting firm KPMG in order to become a teacher and full-time coach at his former high school.

Wolmer’s principal at the time, Eric Barnett, gave Francis the chance over several other candidates who were more qualified. The rest, as they say, is history.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the guest speaker at the event, and who has found success as one of the greatest female sprinters of all time, lauded Francis for inspiring her.

In a 30-minute-long discourse, Fraser-Pryce, a past student of Wolmer’s Girls, spoke glowingly of her coach. She said his methods are tough but they work, adding that he is not just about coaching. He is well read and knows what each athlete needs.

In 2017, when she got pregnant while preparing for the IAAF World Championships in London, Fraser-Pryce said Francis was very understanding and tailored her training before and after she had her son Zyon.

She underlined her message saying that Francis really cares about his athletes and that, for him, it was not just about medals.