Montego Bay sporting icon Jerry Reid has died

Montego Bay and wider western Jamaica are mourning the passing of one of its most revered sporting icons, Jeremiah ‘Jerry’ Reid, who died at Cornwall Regional Hospital last night after a protracted period of illness.

Reid’s expansive and well-decorated career in sports spanned cricket, football, track and field, tennis, volleyball and swimming, in which he served as a player, coach, official, mentor and administrator.

In his youth, he represented St James, Manchester and Jamaica in cricket; St James and Manchester in football; and St James in athletics and swimming. The durable Reid was still playing club cricket in St James in his mid-50s.

Reid also had the enviable distinction of representing Jamaica in track and field at the Senior Caribbean Athletics Championship in his mid-60s.

As he began to slow down as an active participant in sports, Reid took his considerable expertise into coaching football, cricket and tennis.

He created history in 1990 when he coached the Jamaica Under-19 cricket team to its first West Indies Under-19 title.

In addition to coaching in all the sporting disciplines, he had excelled as a player.

Reid also served as a football referee for several years.

He also moved into mainstream sporting administration, serving for many years as vice-president of the St James Football Association, the St James Cricket Association, and the Montego Bay Cricket Club, where he was a life member.

He was also highly revered as a mentor to many of the star footballers, cricketers, tennis players, and swimmers who have emerged from Montego Bay in recent years.

- Adrian Frater

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