Sport statistician Carnegie dead at 69

[Karl]

Sport statistician Carnegie dead at 69

ANDREW HANCEL, Observer staff reporter
Thursday, July 12, 2007

CARNEGIE... veteran sports journalist and columnist

Renowned sports historian, educator and administrator Jimmy Carnegie died peacefully Tuesday evening at a nursing home in Kingston. He was 69.

Carnegie, an outstanding alumni of Jamaica College, had been ailing with Parkinson's Disease for several years leading up to his passing at 7:00 pm.

After leaving JC, Carnegie returned to his alma mater to teach and later became vice-principal. He also served as headmaster at GC Foster College of Physical Education and Sports.

However, it was as a sports journalist and columnist with the Daily Gleaner and the defunct Daily News that Carnegie achieved most acclaim, carving himself a niche particularly for his expertise in track & field.

Carnegie had an unquenchable thirst for history and statistics, which became synonymous with his writing style. He was constantly sought after as a consultant in the general sporting arena.

Veteran journalist and close friend Tony Becca told the Observer Carnegie would be irreplaceable and "was everything that a man should be".
"I really know Jimmy through his journalism from the early days of Foggy Burrowes' Sports Life Magazine back in the late '50s," Becca said.
"Over the years we became very, very close. He was just a tremendous guy. A man who loves sports, dedicated his life for sports, has a passion for sports and on top of that he was a very, very nice person," added Becca.

"Today you can go to the Internet and find anything that you want in a minute. But that doesn't detract from the fact that Jimmy in his time was the best," added Becca, who saw his friend as a 'walking statistician'.

On the national front, Carnegie volunteered for the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA), the former Carreras Foundation's selection committee, and until his passing, the RJR Sports Foundation and the National Sports Council, chaired by former prime minister, PJ Patterson.

The RJR Communications Group, in an issued release, thanked Carnegie for his service, while expressing regret at his passing.

Earlier this year, Carnegie was lauded for his contribution to Patrick Robinson's recently published book, Jamaican Athletes: A Model for the World at the launch of the publication at the Terra Nova Hotel.

The year 1999 was special for Carnegie, following the previous historic year, which saw him, along with veteran track & field analyst Hubert Lawrence and publisher/politician Mike Henry, authoring the text, Reggae Road to Soccer Glory: (The Great Jamaican Series), after Jamaica's historic qualification for the FIFA World Cup.

In 1999, Carnegie received the Carlton Alexander Award, and in the same year, he wrote an historical piece, titled Jamaica: A century of sport, that was published in the Gleaner on July 27, 1999, which chronicled the respective sporting disciplines that brought glory to Jamaica.

And Garfield Myers, the Observer's Editor-at-Large for the
South Central Bureau, noted that: "Carnegie was totally dedicated to Jamaica's sports men and women. He had a passion for keeping records and for documenting the performances of Jamaica's sports men and women. The entire sporting fraternity will miss that. His was the kind of contribution that is not easily replicated," said Myers, himself a veteran journalist.

[Karl]

It was only a few years past I visited Jimmy at the National Stadium offices and asked if he would write a column now and again for the site.

He said, yes...but, soemhow we never came around to working out the details. I never knew he was ill. He appeared sharp as a tack and in the pink of health. ...Life..???

Walk good, Jimmy!
You gave in your writings nuff-nuff pleasure. You are missed!
Rest easy on the other side!
Peace!

[Peter R]

Karl,

"Hams" as students he taught at JC used to call him, was a gentleman in every sense of the world. He was my history teacher in first form and also my house master to form three.

He was a teacher of history at JC and he moved on to become Vice Principal before he moved on from the secondary school arena.

Mr. Carnegie knew the name of every single boy who attended the school at any given time. Once I was sent to Mr Carnegie by a teacher for smoking in a classroom, (I think I was in 4th or 5th form then) during lunch time. The boy who was actually smoking the cigarette walked out the classroom when the alarm went up that a teacher was coming, and in passing me he dropped a lit cigarette in my school bag without me realizing what had happened. The teacher walked in and saw the smoke drifting up from the bag and promptly sent me to Hams.

Once I knew that it was him that I had to see I knew that there would be no problem. He was a man who made no fuss nor made anything stress him. He simple asked me if it wasn't me then I should send the perp to him. The point is he had a good sense of who the boys were and of course he knew me well enough to know I wouldn't lie to him.

He will certainly be sadly missed...

RIP Jimmy Carnegie.

pr

[Karl]

Karl,

"Hams" as students he taught at JC used to call him, was a gentleman in every sense of the world. He was my history teacher in first form and also my house master to form three.

He was a teacher of history at JC and he moved on to become Vice Principal before he moved on from the secondary school arena.

Mr. Carnegie knew the name of every single boy who attended the school at any given time. Once I was sent to Mr Carnegie by a teacher for smoking in a classroom, (I think I was in 4th or 5th form then) during lunch time. The boy who was actually smoking the cigarette walked out the classroom when the alarm went up that a teacher was coming, and in passing me he dropped a lit cigarette in my school bag without me realizing what had happened. The teacher walked in and saw the smoke drifting up from the bag and promptly sent me to Hams.

Once I knew that it was him that I had to see I knew that there would be no problem. He was a man who made no fuss nor made anything stress him. He simple asked me if it wasn't me then I should send the perp to him. The point is he had a good sense of who the boys were and of course he knew me well enough to know I wouldn't lie to him.

He will certainly be sadly missed...

RIP Jimmy Carnegie.

pr

pr: Nice...that word that means so much to so many different persons...yet, in a sense defies defination...Nice (anecdote) piece on remembering Jimmy.

As you said, was a very nice person and always one to 'put out the fires'. His style of writing can never be reproduced....yet, full of facts and interesting opinions. Enjoyable reads!

I expected to see a tribute from Teddy McCook. Did I miss it?

[Karl]

Tributes pour in for Carnegie

Monday, July 16, 2007


Tributes continue to pour in for sports historian, educator and administrator Jimmy Carnegie, who died peacefully last Tuesday evening at the age of 69.

Heading the list of those paying tribute to the man, widely referred to as a 'walking statistician' and who served as vice-principal of Jamaica College (JC) and also headmaster at GC Foster College of Physical Education and Sports, is Leader of the Opposition Bruce Golding, who remembered Carnegie as "a patriotic Jamaican who had an abiding faith in the capacity of Jamaicans to be the best in the world, not only in sports, but in all areas of endeavour".

Golding said he was saddened by the passing of the "distinguished educator, writer, sports administrator and communications and training consultant".

The Opposition leader said he had fond memories of Carnegie, who taught him history at JC and expressed condolences to his family.

"Jimmy not only talked sports; he loved sports dearly and was integrally involved in its development at various levels.

He was particularly interested in the development of track and field at the secondary school level and was instrumental in the annual staging of the Inter-Secondary School Championships.

"We will miss his wise counsel in the halls of sports. I express condolence to his family, colleagues and friends on behalf of all Jamaicans and the many athletes whose careers he helped to guide," noted Golding.

Meanwhile, president of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), Crenston Boxhill, also paid tribute to Carnegie through a statement.

"The excellence he achieved in his numerous endeavours leaves a legacy of which his family and friends can be extremely proud," said the statement.

Carnegie's contribution to education and sports will forever live with Jamaica and the region. Of particular note is his literary work "The Reggae Road to Soccer Glory: Jamaica's Dream Team" which was published following the historic qualification of the National Senior Men's Team, The Reggae Boyz, to the 1998 FIFA World Cup Finals in France.

And Mike Henry, chairman of LMH Publishing Limited, a longtime friend of Carnegie and publisher of a number of the late writer's literary works, also offered his condolences.


"It is with much sadness that I have learnt of the passing of Jimmy Carnegie, a giant in the fields of sports and the arts.

"As a friend and associate from his early days in Spanish Town, I have marvelled at his chronicling of the sports he held dear to his heart, namely track and field, cricket and soccer, and his ability to add compelling texture and life to mere numbers. This was a phenomenal attribute of his, which I would marvel about."

[Karl]

FROM THE BOUNDARY - Carnegie was one of a kind
published: Thursday | July 19, 2007


Tony Becca
AS LONG as I live, there are a few men whom I will never ever forget, and numbered among them are the departed Franz Botek, Foggy Burrowes, Jack Anderson, Herbert McDonald, Allan Rae and the great, the legendary George Headley.

They were men to whom I am eternally grateful for the part they played in my life, especially so in my development as a sports writer.
Also numbered among them is James Carnegie - otherwise called Jimmy and sometimes 'Boots', maybe not while at Kingston College but certainly from when he was a boy at Jamaica College.

I first met Jimmy in 1960. I met him through Burrowes when I wrote my first article, 'My World XI,' for Sportslife magazine, and we were friends from that day until his passing last Tuesday.

As an educator, Carnegie was good; as a writer, a columnist, Carnegie was good; and as a historian, Carnegie was first-class. In fact, as a historian he was almost a genius.

Pet Sport
Carnegie knew everything, or almost everything about sport, and it did not matter the sport. He knew the who, the when, the where and, almost all the time, even the how of everything.

Although track and field was his favourite sport - his pet sport so to speak, Carnegie knew about other sports like cricket, football, tennis, golf, boxing, baseball, basketball, etc., as much as any other man.

The historic dates in sports, the performances, great or small, were at his fingertips. For more than 50 years, if you wanted to know anything about sport, anything at all, all you had to do was pick up the telephone and call Carnegie.

I remember those wonderful evenings sitting on Botek's back patio talking about sports in the company of the likes of Botek, Alva Anderson, the late J. D. Hall, Easton McMorris, Dr. Archie Hudson-Phillips and Tony Carr, and while we were expounding the greatness of a cricketer like Headley, Lawrence Rowe or Alfred Valentine, a footballer like Siddy Bartlett, Anthony Hill or Allan Cole, a tennis player like Arthur Ashe or Jimmy Connors, a table tennis player like Fuarnado Roberts or Orville Haslam, a boxer like Bunny Grant or one like Percy Hayles, Carnegie would get up, go to the bar, come back with a glass of Pepsi, lean back in his chair, and ask if anyone of us had ever heard of a man named Wayne Gretzky.

Whether he was showing off or not, Carnegie would then go on to inform those who really did not know who Gretzky was that he played ice hockey.

He went even further than that: after reeling off Gretzky's statistics, after impressing us with his knowledge of sports outside of cricket, football, track and field etc., Carnegie would then shout, so loud that even the neighbours could hear, that Gretzky, because he was so dominant in his sport, was undoubtedly the greatest sportsman of the time, probably of all time.

Synonymous
The name Jimmy Carnegie was synonymous with facts and figures. There was hardly a man in Jamaica who did not know the name Carnegie.
Carnegie loved sports, he lived sports, he respected everyone who played sport and who was involved in sport, and everyone in sport respected him.
On top of all that, Carnegie, in every way, was a good man and a kind man - a man who never ever thought about what he could get, always thinking about what he could give.

Jimmy 'Boots' Carnegie was one of a kind - a kind the likes of which we may never see again.
Walk good, my friend. I will never ever forget you.

[Karl]

Jimmy Carnegie's legacy
Michael Burke
Thursday, July 19, 2007


Jimmy Carnegie died Tuesday, July 10, aged 69. One could ask, which Jimmy Carnegie? Is it Jimmy Carnegie the historian, Jimmy Carnegie the author, Jimmy Carnegie the teacher, Jimmy Carnegie the sports commentator, Jimmy Carnegie the housemaster, Jimmy Carnegie the vice-principal, Jimmy Carnegie the principal or Jimmy Carnegie the jazz enthusiast? Jimmy Carnegie was certainly all of these things.

Carnegie's deep interest in jazz was known only to his close friends and to those who were either teachers or students when he lived at Jamaica College. As a teacher, Carnegie marked examination papers while listening to jazz. Jimmy Carnegie was mentor for thousands of students, particularly at JC. He taught me history for three of my seven years at JC.

In this time of a pending general election, there are two aspects of what I could call, "The philosophy and opinions of Jimmy Carnegie", which stand out in my mind. One was "goals win matches". At one stage at the JC boarding school, Carnegie was my housemaster. He always told the house that "pretty play" on the football field was not enough. "Goals win matches," he would say.

I have argued that it matters not which party is ahead in the polls in terms of the overall popularity vote. In the marginal constituencies for the election scheduled for August 27, it is the party with the organisation to bring out the voters on election day that will win a majority of seats and with that the general election.

The other aspect of the Jimmy Carnegie philosophy which is relevant to this election period is something I heard at gatherings of JC Old Boys. He would say that "free education is not free". I was a teacher of history and civics at the Lluidas Vale Youth Camp (now Heart Academy) on May 2, 1973. On that day as I watched television, Michael Manley as prime minister announced in his contribution to the budget debate that as of September that year "the government will be embarking upon a system of free education in this country".

So Bruce Golding (who was JC headboy between 1965 and 1966 when Jimmy Carnegie was on JC's teaching staff) got the year wrong. Free education was introduced in 1973 and not 1974. As of 1974, however, there were also free uniforms and free lunches. In 1974, the bauxite levy was introduced and it was used for free education. As some of the bauxite companies pulled out, the money for free education had to be found somewhere.

So Edward Seaga as prime minister of Jamaica introduced the education tax in the 1980s. That was the real end of free education, although parents did not have to pay any direct tuition. A cess was required for all Jamaican students at the University of the West Indies, and the system of free uniforms was abolished. All of this happened before 1989.

Cost sharing was introduced in 1994 by the Patterson-led PNP administration. It was in response to a view that free education was impractical and even irresponsible, a position held by upper-class Jamaicans at the time. Many even said that it encouraged the "freeness mentality".

But by 2002 the Jamaica Labour Party was promising free education. If the JLP wins the coming election, I suspect the money will be found by increasing the education tax.

Jimmy Carnegie attended Jamaica College as a youngster. He gained a bachelor's degree in history from the University of the West Indies and returned to JC to teach in 1963. He completed his master's degree a few years later while still on staff at JC. In 1970 he became acting vice principal and was appointed in this post in April 1971.

After marrying Veronica Blake in his late 30s, he left his post at JC in December 1975 to become assistant director of the Institute of Jamaica. After four years there he became the first principal of GC Foster Sports College, resigning on a matter of principle a few months later. From there his jobs varied from Grace Kennedy to Mutual Life and back to GC Foster to do special projects.

During this time he authored and co-authored several books. One such was Some aspects of Jamaica's politics 1918 to 1938. In this book he highlighted some of the factors that led up to the ferment of 1938.

Carnegie also continued writing as sports commentator for many publications, which included the Gleaner and the now defunct Public Opinion.

I recall that Jimmy Carnegie as staff adviser to the student council suggested that we submit a list of subjects for the school curriculum to the Ministry of Education as he thought that many of them were irrelevant. I helped to gather the list from all JC students, which was submitted to the ministry of education. It was never acted upon, probably ending up in "file 13", commonly called the dustbin. At the time Hugh Shearer was prime minister and Edwin Allen was minister of education. But the idea should be revived. My condolences to Mrs Veronica Blake Carnegie and the rest of the Carnegie family.