Jamaica and the world have lost one of the greatest sporting minds ever to grace this planet with the passing of legendary track and field coach Stephen “Franno” Francis, who died recently at the age of 64.

His death marks the end of an era, but his legacy will continue to reverberate across the annals of athletics for generations to come.

Franno (as he was widely and affectionately known) came to my attention in the the late 1970s through the hugely popular Schools’ Challenge Quiz (SCQ). He was attending Wolmer’s Boys’ School while I was a student at St George’s College (StGC). I had already heard of this remarkable young man through my sister before we had actually met. Her close friend, Adrianna Mitchell Gonzalez, now Neita, would often tell my sister about this prodigy named Stephen Francis, whom she wanted me to meet. Adrianna’s aunt was especially fond of the young Francis and treated him almost as though he were her own son.