TRIBUTE TO A FRIED

The following is a tribute given by Grant’s friend, and retired athlete Ray Harvey at the service of thanksgiving 10 years ago)

I first met Jimmy Grant at Kingston College (KC) in 1960. I was 15 and Jimmy not yet 13, so he anticipated a big boy/little boy relationship. My point of view was to change quickly, as at 13 Jimmy was no little boy.

I immediately noticed two things which would eventually become characteristic of him. First, he was surrounded by an entourage. At KC it would be his form mates or other admiring athletes, while at Carib Theatre, or in Cross Roads, it would be Phil, Cyrus and company.

The next thing of note was his grooming — shine shoes with socks to match, shirt neatly tucked into pants, both well pressed, tie tied in a perfect “V” and just the right length.

Even during his final days, his grooming remained important, as when I visited him in hospital his concern was that the barber had not come to trim his hair, as scheduled.

Jimmy found it normal to excel. He excelled as an athlete at KC in Class III, Class II and Class I. He was a champion in 100 metres, 200 metres, 400 metres, and hurdles.

His excellence continued as a college athlete on scholarship at Eastern Michigan University. As a coach at St Jago High, Bert Cameron described him as “the best”.

Having spent more than 20 years at the University of Iowa, as assistant and then head women’s coach, he is recognised as one of the USA’s excellent college coaches. His record of success will long be remembered.

In spite of his excellence, it was a challenge for his wonderful mother; headmaster, Douglas Forrest; and Coach Donovan Davis to keep Jimmy on the straight and narrow path .

Jimmy was notorious for skipping school, so Mr Forrest finally ruled that he would not be allowed to run unless his school attendance was perfect. As house captain, he had an interest in this as Jimmy Grant was the star athlete in Nethersole House. Jimmy not being able to compete would have been an absolute calamity for Nethersole House.

Recognising my interest in Jimmy, the clever Doug Forrest gave me the seemingly awesome and daunting task of keeping track of Jimmy Grant. The task, however, turned out to be a simple and pleasant one. I was to find out that Jimmy’s unmatched loyalty to house and school far outweighed his desire to skip school. His contribution to the fortunes of the KC track team of the 1960s is legendary. That was the start of their lifelong friendship.

Jimmy’s versatility, style and personality made him the most popular athlete of the time. In 1963 he gave us an unforgettable moment when on the final day of championships; He appeared on the track with a purple sock on one foot and a white one on the other. The initial move away from the convention was to open the door for numerous styles that are commonplace at Champs today.

I once had a first-hand experience, which underscored his popularity. After Champs in 1963, a fellow athlete and I met two very nice young ladies outside the stadium. They engaged them in conversation and were confident that they were making a favourable impression. They were to have their egos bruised a bit as they slowly came to realise that these ladies, who were my age or older, were more interested in meeting Jimmy Grant than talking to the ‘big guys’. Ray introduced them to Jimmy and they joined his endless list of admirers.

When I visited Jimmy in Iowa, we had the opportunity to speak of many things. Though he had won so many races, and coached so many winners, his proudest achievement is off the track. It is the scholastic record of his athletes. He explained that every athlete he recruited to Iowa had graduated with a degree.

He was able to develop not only successful athletes but successful human beings, better equipped to participate in the race of life.

The big disappointment of his life seemed to be the lack of support he received from Jamaica. Though he established an enviable record of developing successful athletes at Iowa, Jamaican youngsters were often advised to choose scholarships from other universities. Neither Jimmy nor I could understand the reason for this. I was able to tell him, however, how many Jamaicans held him in high esteem as a result of his accomplishments and how many people loved, admired and respected him for his humility and confidence.

There were several persons who asked me to convey their best wishes to him when I visited him in Iowa. I tried to remember every one and, as I called each name, a faint smile came to his eyes and it was a happy experience for him.

He was aware that several persons were unsuccessful in their efforts to reach him by phone. This was because there were times when he did not feel up to being on the phone. He wanted, however, everyone to know how much reaching out meant to him.

He was very proud of all his children and their love and support for him was what kept him going from day to day.

His youngest son, Jamie, was at his father’s bedside all the time I was there, and his father sensed a new maturity in him.

He spoke of Charlie often and his message to him was: “Be strong.”

James Grant was one of the fortunate people who found his true calling early in life. He felt he was born to be a coach.

There is no greater evidence of this than the fact that his hospital had to limit the number of athletes who would visit him. While I was there they came in numbers with laptops and notebooks to work out their training programmes with ‘Coach’. They knew how sick he was, but they also knew that he would find the strength to still be their beloved coach.

His farewell to me was a hug and a final “Fortis”

I replied “Cadere, Cadere Non Potest.”

Those of us who had the opportunity to know him well, recognised that Jimmy Grant was – the brave one who fell but never yielded