When Phyllis Francis thundered across the line first in the 400 metres at last year’s IAAF World Championships in London, most Jamaicans added her to the list of fast Americans. That she is but unbeknownst to the black-green-and-gold faithful, Francis is also the latest champion Jamaica has lent to other countries. Unlike the transplants of old, Francis flew under the ‘yardie’ radar and she isn’t alone.
Some like Francis have Jamaican parents but grew up abroad. Others migrate early and assimilate into the sports programmes of the countries they live in. As a consequence, they take their place on the field of play in the USA, the United Kingdom and every now and again in countries further away from this land of wood and water.
Patrick Chung, son of popular lady deejay Sophia George, migrated to the USA at 16. He emerged in the defensive position of strong safety after attending the University of Oregon and, now at 30, is on the roster of the Philadelphia Eagles. Inspired perhaps by Patrick Ewing, the greatest Jamaican basketballer of all time, several have followed his footsteps into the NBA. In recent years, Samardo Samuels was the most visible Jamaican export to that much watched league but he isn’t the only one.
Andre Drummond earned his ticket to the NBA at the University of Connecticut and played for the Detroit Pistons. Ben Gordon, another UConn product, comes from a Jamaican family that moved to England. He too played for the Pistons before donning the red and black of the Chicago Bulls, the team many Jamaicans supported because of its former lynch pin Michael Jordan.
Perhaps the best Jamaican NBA player of this era is Roy Hibbert. He brought back memories of Ewing because both big men attended Georgetown University. However, unlike Ewing, Hibbert actually played for Jamaica before declaring his basketball allegiance to the USA; and while Ewing starred for the New York Kincks, Hibbert has competed for the Indiana Pacers whose best known player was the sharp shooting Reggie Miller, and the Denver Nuggets.
Perhaps the NFL and the NBA are good fits for athletes of Jamaican heritage. Those sports depend of speed and explosiveness and those are attributes Jamaicans possess in abundance. Once they learnt the nuances of those games, a platform for success can be established.
In an era past, most Jamaican schoolchildren played the English game of rounders. With the decline in popularity of that amusement here, it stands to reason that there aren’t that many Jamaicans in American baseball. Kingston born Justin Masterton is an exception. A gifted pitcher with a tricky fast ball, he had a sizzling year in 2013 when he earned an All-Star.
He played at San Diego State University and has paraded his skills for the Red Sox, the Cleveland Indians and the St Louis Cardinals. At 6 foot 6 and 250 pounds, Masterton is an imposing figure with power and speed to burn.
One of the most all known Jamaicans is stylish tennis player Dustin Brown. Born to a Jamaican father and a German mother, the dreadlocked Brown played for Jamaica until 2010. While he might harken memories back to the Jamaican tennis hero of the nineteen sixties Richard Russell, Dustin has twice beaten Spanish star Rafael Nadal.
Quick and powerful, Brown reached a lofty world ranking position of number 64 in 2016.
In table tennis, St Andrew native Desmond ‘Black Flash’ Douglas bounced his way into the world top ten in the seventies while playing for England. He inspired others including Skylet Andrew and Darius Knight, who like him were lefthanders with Jamaican ties to represent the old motherland.
The English football fraternity mourned Cyril Regis, the big centre forward of Jamaican descent, on his passing early this year. Regis represented England and from all reports was a model professional and a good heart. The ultimate tribute could come this year at the FIFA World Cup from the Kingston native Raheem Sterling. He and Daniel Sturridge who has Jamaican heritage were teammates at Liverpool Football Club when they played for England in the last World Cup.
While the prolific Sturridge has struggled with injuries, Sterling has enjoyed good times since a move to Manchester City and is an ever present of the English team these days. It seems certain that he will play in Russia, host of the World Cup this summer. With the experience he gained four years ago, he could be a man to watch.
Francis, whose father hails from Montego Bay, follows Olympic champions with Jamaican ties like Donovan Bailey, Linford Christie, Tessa Sanderson, Sanya Richards and Jessica Ennis. Unlike those big names, her Jamaican connection is hardly known. The same goes for Chung and Masterton. Yet, they all carry the Jamaican sporting gifts of speed, agility and aggression to the highest levels in the sports they choose.
Those who know look on and smile.
This article is written by the highly respected senior sports writer and commentator HUBERT LAWRENCE who has been making notes at track side since 1980.
