By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

CHRIS ‘The Fireman’ Brown, the country’s most decorated male track and field athlete, said he’s saddened to hear of the passing of his long-time coach and mentor Michael Coakley, whom he remembered as an “angel” sent from above.

Coakley passed away on Friday, December 2 at the Princess Margaret Hospital. He was 69.

In an interview with The Tribune from Jamaica where he is vacationing with his family, including his wife Faith, who celebrated her birthday on Tuesday, Brown said Coakley would definitely be missed, but he has some fond memories to keep with him for the rest of his life.

“We first met when I was going to Preston Albury High School. He saw that I was an exceptional athlete,” said Brown as he reflected on his days growing up as a teenager in Wemyss Bight, Eleuthera.

“He gravitated towards me and told me that he believed that I could take my talent to the next level and he watched me and continued to watch me until I got a little older. From there the relationship continued to develop and he continued to come out and watch me and it just took off from there.”

Coakley, considered an unsung hero who preferred to remain in the background, eventually became Brown’s first official coach and he assisted him in getting off to school in 1997 after he had moved to New Providence to complete his high school tenure at RM Bailey Secondary High.

“He took me under his wings along with a couple other athletes that he would have coached and he just continued training me with the little knowledge that he knew,” said Brown, who at the time was an 800m specialist before he dropped down to the 400m where he became the flagship of Bahamian male athletics on the international scene for the past two decades.

Fortunately for Brown, he was able to come to New Providence from his home in Atlanta, Georgia, just in time to spend the last few days by Coakley’s bedside before he passed away about 48 minutes before his 70th birthday.

“He will be missed. He was a great guy,” Brown said.

“There are days where I still sit down and I reflect on the messages that he would send to me because he was a great mentor to me. We would converse on a regular basis. To know that he’s no longer here really hurts a lot.”

Reflecting on the life of Coakley, Brown described him as a “quiet, professional, humble guy, who never got mad,” he said. “He always had a smile on his face. He was just one of those angels, whom God sent to be a part of my life.

“He made an impact in my life and I’m very grateful for having him come into my life at the time that he did to help boost my career to where it is today. He was like a father, brother, cousin, a granddad, best friend, mentor, teacher. He was the full package.”

And that is one of the reasons why Brown said Coakley will be dearly missed.

“I got a lot of knowledge from him, even on his dying bed. He was still mentoring me, telling me what to do and what not to do,” he pointed out. “It was a honor to work with him and to know him. He will definitely be missed.

“The memories will always be there. I’m still in shock that he’s gone. But I was happy to sit with him and share some of the memories. He said this was destiny. That was one of the things he talked about on a regular basis.”

With 2017 expected to be the last hurrah competing on the international scene, the former national 400m record holder, who has and is still held in high esteem by his peers for his longevity as a top notch competitor, Brown said he intend to dedicate his season to the late coach and mentor.

Coakley is survived by a host of family and friends, including children Darron, Toni, Denari, Daud, Lloyd, Joshua, Tracey, Teegan and Precious Williams and his sister, Jennifer Mackey.

The Tribune extends its condolences to his family.

May his soul rest in peace.