LEGENDARY Jamaican track and field coach Glen Mills says the passing of Stephen “Franno” Francis represents a devastating national loss, describing the late, iconic MVP Track Club co-founder and head coach as one of the finest coaching minds the sports has produced.

Francis, who died on Saturday, July 4, at age 64, is being remembered as one of the central figures in Jamaica’s modern athletics, having guided and influenced several generations of elite athletes.

He played a pivotal role in proving that world-class performances could be produced on Jamaican soil, ultimately helping to shape the island’s most successful era in the sport.