Legendary KC footballer Trevor ‘Jumpy’ Harris has died

Legendary Kingston College footballer Trevor “Jumpy” Harris has died. Harris, who played on arguably the greatest schoolboy football team in 1964 and 1965, died in Atlanta after ailing for the last few years. There are footballers whose names live in record books, and there are those whose names live in the memories of the people who watched them play.

Trevor “Jumpy” Harris belonged to both worlds. Harris was remembered as one of the outstanding products of Kingston College and went on to become a Hall of Famer at Michigan State University in the United States. A gifted footballer, Harris was a part of the KC team considered the greatest of all time, winning the Triple Crown of Manning Cup, Walker Cup and Olivier Shield in 1964 and repeated in 1965.

Harris played alongside Tony Keyes, Neville Oxford, Frank “Bowla” Morant, Dennis Johnson, Mickey Vernon, Winston Davidson Lloyd McLean, Ossie Bailey, Malee Miller and Baldwin “Winty” Fisher, who swept everything in front of them locally. However, one of their greatest achievements was when they held a Brazilian Under-23 team to a 1-1 draw. That Brazilian team was demolishing everything in front of them in Jamaica by some big scores.

That team had Edu, Elisu and Rildo, who all went on to represent Brazil at the 1966 World Cup. That KC team with Harris had 10 players selected to the All-Manning team and eight went on to represent Jamaica’s senior team while they were still schoolboys. Harris would return and coach KC while his son Wolde Harris did likewise, playing and coaching at KC.