Stephen Francis, one of the most impactful forces in turning Jamaica into a dominant track and field force who coached several Olympic and world champions, has died at age 64.
MVP Track & Field Club, which he co-founded in 1999, confirmed the news on Sunday after published reports last week said that Francis had been hospitalized with an illness.
Known as “Franno,” the imprint Francis stamped on modern Jamaican track and field powered numerous athletes to Olympic and world championship heights with Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Asafa Powell, Elaine Thompson-Herah, Melaine Walker, Nesta Carter, Shericka Jackson, Kishane Thompson all surging to international success under his guidance.
“His vision, uncompromising pursuit of excellence, and belief in the potential of our athletes transformed not only countless individual careers, but also the standing of Jamaican athletics on the global stage,” Bruce James, MVP Track & Field Club president said in a statement. His legacy will endure for generations. Beyond his remarkable achievements on the track, Stephen will be remembered for his direct way of speaking his mind in an open and honest way, his extraordinary ability to develop talent, his incisive intellect, and the profound impact he had on the lives and careers of generations of athletes.”
Francis was born on July 3, 1962 and was drawn to math and science in his youth and would eventually attend The University of the West Indies and later the University of Michigan Business School where he earned his MBA in finance.
But he abandoned his career as a business accountant and turned to track and field after quietly putting together a plan to pull Jamaica’s top talents into a single group. He co-founded MVP, or Maximising Velocity & Power, with his brother Paul, Bruce James and David Noel in 1999.
The vision was rooted in a mission that the country’s best athletes could thrive with a team of elite coaches, support on a institutional level and ultimately dominate in international competition. He also set out to prove that Jamaicans did not need to leave the island to develop into world class athletes and lobbied for facilities that were in line with larger nations.
A gamble to start the club paid off for Francis, with Fraser-Pryce, Jackson, Powell, Thompson-Herah, Carter and Thompson among a decorated roster of sprinters who would tilt the balance of power in the sport to Jamaica and ensured that the nation would be a factor in any podium on the biggest stages.
Francis served as the club’s technical director and was known for a coaching style that was direct, straightforward and built on structure.
Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness recognized Francis on Sunday as more than a coach, but a visionary who used track to turn the small Caribbean island nation’s reputation into a brand.
“By guiding many of Jamaica’s legendary and most accomplished athletes to stardom, Stephen’s contribution to building Brand Jamaica is immeasurable and worthy of high praise,” Holness said while noting that Francis pivoting from finance to lead MVP was instrumental in helping construct champions.
“That choice helped shape one of the greatest legacies in track and field and inspired countless athletes to believe in themselves and pursue excellence.”
Francis received the Order of Jamaica in 2017, one of the nation’s top civilian honors.
