In recent times in today’s world, and in particular Jamaica, people are congratulated, showered with tributes and accolades for what is considered less-than-worthy achievements. This is especially so in the world of sports. Not to mention the rewards garnered.

Not so in the past. Without contradiction the majority of these great sportsmen and women of yore who represented the country have never or very rarely been mentioned in today’s discussions. At times it is as if Jamaica has no sports history. This no doubt arises from the fact that so little of past outstanding achievers and achievements have been written, recorded and highlighted.

Some of these unsung heroes routinely represented their schools and country at more than one sport.

Frank Richard Lewis, affectionately known as Frankie, who recently celebrated his 86th birthday is one such individual.

He was born on January 19, 1933 at 7 Waterloo Road in Rollington Town.

Frankie, by his own admission, started school late, attending Mrs Grant’s private kindergarten school — which he thinks today is Camperdown High School — at around six years old. Obviously, it was a very small school at the time. He advised that he was not a very good…read bright.. student.

He went to St George’s College (GC) from 1946 to 1951. His sporting prowess at St George’s is almost unbelievable — fairytale like or a script from a Hollywood movie.

In 1948 he went to Haiti to participate in a football and track and field competition representing St George’s College.

He said he was encouraged to play cricket at school by Rev Father Welsh, a Jesuit priest at St G C who knew very little about cricket.

He represented the school in the Sunlight cricket competition from 1949 to 1951, with St George’s winning the cup in 1949 and 1951. He was the captain in 1951.

During that time (1949-1951) he was also the captain of the Manning Cup team. Unfortunately, St G C was not able to win the title in any of those years.

He also represented the school at track and field, his best performance at Champs being a bronze in the mile. He was a better than average table tennis player.

We asked Frankie where he got this passion for sports. Well, his father, Louis “Flyer” Lewis, was a big sportsman. He played lots of club football and represented Jamaica at lawn tennis. His uncle Lambert Lewis influenced him even more, as he represented Jamaica at football. Frankie rates his uncle as probably the best footballer of his time.

He was also fortunate to grow up in an area in which Wembley Club was located (Dunoon Road) and was situated next door to his good friend’s house, so he had access to all the sporting events taking place there. Wembley at the time was one of the leading clubs in Kingston, especially in football.

After school

Having left school and although employed at United Motors Ltd, his sporting activities continued, representing St Georges College Old Boys. He was an all-rounder who was considered a capable middle order batsman, a useful off-spinner in cricket, and a “one left-footer” in football, left half (in the old WM formation) being his usual position. People would be amazed by how he managed to reach the heights he did in football because he was a “one-foot” player. His simple answer is dedication, determination and discipline — and that is his advice to the youngsters today who want to “make it”.

Up until 1958 he played both Senior Cup cricket and Senior League football for St George’s College Old Boys Association.

St George’s were Senior Cup cricket champions in 1955, with Frankie as the vice-captain. This is the only occasion St George’s have ever won the Senior Cup competition.

In 1955-56, St George’s won all four football trophies available during that season (Senior League, Senior Knockout, All Island Knockout, Morin Cup).

He captained the Jamaica Colts team (Jamaica’s second XI cricket team) in two of the three games he played for that team. Incidentally, he scored 95 not out in his first game for the Jamaica Colts against Guyana at the Antigua Recreation Ground in 1956. The Guianese team included their two best young spinners in Lance Gibbs and Ivan Madray, who both went on to represent the West Indies in Test cricket.

Between 1956 and 1958 he had the outstanding honour of representing Jamaica national teams at both cricket and football. If memory serves us right there are only a handfull of players in the history of these sports that have this distinction.

As if his achievements mentioned above were not enough, he is also credited as being one of the main forces behind the formation of the famous band Byron Lee and the Dragonaires. Byron Lee was also a member of the St GC Old Boys football team at the time. Frankie was the dressing room calpyso singer at Emmet Park after practice in the evenings. One of his more popular songs was

“John Brown was eighty threeee

He married Anabella. She was just twenteee.

But John Brown died of mathematics

Trying to see how much eighty threeee

Could go into twenteee”

Can you imagine how the dressing room was cracking up with lyrics like these?

This eventually led to the formation of the band with Frankie given the name “Caaiso”.

He got married in 1958 to Joyce Hendriks (now deceased) and as a result, coupled with his job — at the time employed to Esso Standard Oil, his sporting life stopped at the young age of 25. However, in around 1966 he was asked by the STGC Association to return and captain the St George’s Old Boys Junior Cup cricket team, which he did for about three years. Being married and with children on the way he had to secure his future, so he quit sporting activities to concentrate on the welfare of his family. Sports was poorer for his absence.

He had four children, Steven (deceased), Andrew, Robin and Brian.

He worked with Esso for almost 20 years and then decided he wanted to be outdoors. He secured one of their gas stations in the Kingston 6 area in the early 1970s and this was his livelihood for about five years.

During this time, however, he was held up and robbed three times, with the robbers even accompanying him to his home on one occasion. With some prompting from his wife, they decided enough was enough.

He emigrated to Florida in the Unites States in 1979. He worked with Exxon and Chevron for approximately 10 years then joined his son in his insurance company up to 2015, when he retired.

During that time he and his wife Joyce ministered at St Bonaventure Catholic Church in Hollywood, Miami, Florida. They, were ‘head cook and bottle-washer’ in everything to do with church activities (group leaders, seminar producers, division leaders, Eucharist ministers). You name it, they were in it.

He admired Karl “Digger” Largie, Anthony Hill and Siddie Bartlett as some of his favourite footballers, and Neville Bonitto, Collie Smith and Alfred Valentine as cricketers.

We salute you, Frankie.