Former national footballer and Coach Geoffrey Maxwell, who passed away on Saturday, is remembered by his peers as one of the greatest tactical minds of the sport and described as a mentor and a true leader whose death is a great loss to the country.

Maxwell, who was 76, battled Alzheimer’s disease for a number of years before succumbing to the illness at a nursing home.

Maxwell, known as a no-nonsense defender during his playing days at Excelsior High School, Elletson Flats, Real Mona, and Santos football clubs, took that forward in his coaching days to great success.

Clive “Busy” Campbell, who played with Maxwell at Santos, remembered him for his rich, thick hair “full of Vaseline” that earned him the alias Slipry.

“When he headed a ball, his hair was all over the place, greasy and all, so we started calling him Slipry,” Campbell said. “But he served football well and may his soul rest in peace.”

Former Santos and Boys’ Town player Andrew Price thought Maxwell was a great tactician and an astute coach.

“I’ve known him almost all my life,” Price said. “Met him when I was playing schoolboy football. He was coach of Excelsior’s team, and he always had some formidable teams to go up against. He was a very shrewd coach.

“I had the opportunity to play with him at Santos as a young schoolboy, so I’ve encountered Geoffrey over the years, and he has always been a very astute and tactical coach. One of the things that he did was a lot of analysis work. He would work out teams and find ways to distort them and try and overcome them.

“Very good football mind. Very pragmatic, very resolute in his convictions, but a very good coach and Jamaica will be lost with his absence because he has left a great void.”

Maxwell played for Jamaica in the 1970s before becoming head coach from 1988 to 1989, and again during Jamaica’s 1990 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

He held the distinction of being Jamaica’s first coach to win a World Cup qualifier away from home, beating Puerto Rico 2-1 in San Juan.

Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) President Michael Ricketts remembers Maxwell as a patriot.

“On behalf of the entire JFF we would like to express our condolences to the entire football fraternity for the passing of Geoffrey Maxwell,” he said. “Geoffrey was certainly a patriotic man who loved Jamaica and for decades was an inspiring person in the development of football in Jamaica. He was a hard-working individual who loved the game. He will truly be missed.”

Maxwell took a Waterhouse FC team that just returned to top-flight football in 1996 and won the Premier League in 1998.

“It is with deep sadness and heavy hearts that Waterhouse Football Club extends our sincere condolences to the family, friends, and loved one of our former coach, Geoffrey Maxwell,” the club said in a social media post. “Coach Maxwell was more than just a tactician on the sidelines, he was a mentor, a leader, and a true architect of success for Waterhouse. His dedication, passion, and strategic brilliance left an indelible mark on our club.”

Maxwell was a much-travelled coach as he very rarely compromised and really fought hard for club management to stay out of team selection among other things, hence his moving from club to club.

He led Excelsior High to the 1980 Manning Cup title and won two Walker Cup crowns while there.

Often controversial, in 2016, Maxwell created history as the first man to have officially coached in the Manning Cup and the daCosta Cup competitions in the same season at Haile Selassie High and Dinthill High, respectively. He also coached at Hydel High.

He also coached at Santos, Harbour View, Tivoli Gardens, Arnett Gardens, St George’s SC, the Jamaica Defence Force, and Maverley/Hughenden in the Premier League.

Because of his wide knowledge of the sport, Maxwell was frequently called upon to give his expert analysis in the media, mainly on television during World Cup competitions. He was a lover of Brazilian football.

— HW