Kingston College’s (KC) rise to the top of the podium at the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships (Champs) has been nothing but spectacular for the youngest of the traditional high schools.

When KC was formed in 1925 by a St George’s College past student Bishop Percival Gibson, Jamaica College (JC) had already won nine titles, and before KC laid their hands on their first crown in 1937, JC had already won 10 times.

Calabar, formed 13 years before KC, had won Champs five times, so for KC to be top of the winners’ list with 34 titles, ahead of Calabar with 28 and JC with 22, is no ordinary achievement.

Four years after their birth KC entered Champs for the first time and finished fourth with 14.5 points. Wolmer’s Boy’s were winning their fifth title, beating Calabar by three-and-a-half points — 24.5 to 21 points.

KC’s first Champs star was Albert Brown, who won three events in Class Two — the 100 yards, 220 yards, long jump, and the high jump. He was second in the 440 yards and scored 14 of KC’s 14.5 points. He was the Class Two champion.

The following year, KC slipped to sixth, with just five points, but again showed improvement in 1931, finishing third with 12-and-a-third points, with injuries to Brown slowing them down. Calabar had won their second crown with 38 points and went on to win four straight.

KC’s historic moment came in 1937, 12 years after being formed — the first sign of purple power — amassing 29 points with Wolmer’s second on 18 points. Calabar was third with 17.5 points and JC finished fifth on 15 points.

Calabar’s Arthur Wint starred, but the highlight of the meet went to KC’s Class One jumper Pat McGlashan, who had won twice in Class Two and twice in Class One, ending his Champs career with a record in the high jump, clearing 6 ft 1 inch, a record that lasted for 20 years.

H I Brown won the 220 and 440 yards in Class Two and J A Prescod took the Class Two long jump, while Carl March won the 880 yard open, and K D Robertson won the pole vault.

KC would have to wait another five years before tasting victory again in 1942. KC barely defeated Munro 27 to 25.5 points. Ken Douglas won the Class One 100 and 220 yards for KC, and based on his longevity and success was a real KC star.

Karl Manley won the Class Two high jump with 5 ft 8-and-three-quarter inches. But what made his record jump spectacular was that he failed at 5 ft 7 inches twice and asked for the bar to be raised and broke the record. Manley also scored points in the 100 and 220 yards.

In 1943, Munro reversed the scores, beating KC by one-and-a-half points, 28 to 27.5, and had to wait until 1950 for their third victory, led by Captain Hopeton “Teddy” Hewitt, tallying 30.5 points. JC was second with 23 points and St George’s College was third with 22.5.

Hewitt broke Norman Manley’s 10 seconds 100 yard record in the heats, but it was not ratified because there was only one timekeeper. Hewitt lost the final, but JC’s R A Mahfood equalled the record. Hewitt returned and dead-heated in the 220 final, both clocking 22.5 seconds.

Hewitt returned in 1951, capturing the triple gold, winning the 100 yard, 220 yard, and the 440 yard in Class One, leading KC to their fourth title. His teammate Carl Belnavis did likewise in Class Two, winning the triple with a record run in the 440 yards. He was third in the long jump.

In 1953, KC tallied 49 points for their fifth crown and held off Calabar with 45 and St George’s with 41. KC’s Herb Elliott won the 880 open event with a record 2:01.5 minutes and was just one of two individual winners.

It was a back-to-back triumph for the Purples in 1954, led by Ronald Graham, who won two events as KC piled up 43 points and was 11 clear of St George’s College on 32. JC was third on 26 points.

Title number seven came three years later in 1957, led by Mabricio Ventura, who won the Class Two triple of 100 and 220 in record fashion with 10.2 and 22.8. He also won 440 yards event.

Pat McGlashan Jr broke his father’s Class Two high jump record, clearing 5 ft 9 ¼ inches. Ventura and McGlashan were second and third in the long jump and second and third in the 120-yard hurdles for massive points.

But KC had to wait another four years for victory in 1962, the start of one of the greatest winning streaks in world sports, the same year the National Stadium was opened.

It was the beginning of 14-consecutive years of victory for KC that saw them streak to the top of the winners’ list when it was broken in 1976 with 21 titles.

To put things in perspective, the longest winning streak at the time was four by Calabar in the 1930s, and when they won again in 1955, Leroy Greenland’s speech, then captain, at the start of another four-year streak triggered KC into action.

The foundation was set and KC relentlessly dominated for four years, but winning became a habit and that turned into 14 years.

KC rattled up 80.5 points in 1962, with JC second on 41 points. KC was led by Captain Lindy Headley, the son of the great cricketer George Headley. Lindy won three events in Class One, the 110, 220, and the 120 hurdles in record time.

KC would become the first team to hit the 100m mark, scoring 112 in 1963, besting JC by 61 points, and in 1964 KC’s 86 points doubled that of the second-placed team, JC.

During that streak, KC had Lennox Miller, who won the Class One 100m and 200m three times; TC Campbell; Rupert Hoilett; Maurice Beecher; Noel Gray; Ronald Gray; Clive Bariffe; Balford “Bally” Reid; and Wainworth “Rocking Head” Small during that dynasty.

The streak ended in 1976, but KC returned to winning ways in 1979, 1980, and 1983. But they had to wait 18 years for another taste of victory in 2001.

The famed Purples then won six straight until 2006 and again in 2009. Then it was not until 2019 that KC were on top again and are currently the two-time defending champion, having won in 2022 and 2023.

They are favoured to win a record 35 titles and further cement their status as the top school in boys’ champs.