By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

AFTER serving as coach for the Rattlers senior boys’ team for more than 30 years, Kevin ‘KJ’ Johnson received special recognition at CI Gibson Secondary High for his tremendous commitment and dedication in producing one of the most acclaimed and decorated sporting programmes in the country.

During the special ceremony on Friday inside the CI Gibson Gymnasium, one of Johnson’s assistant coaches, the late Craig ‘Rambo’ Smith, and the Rattlers, who clinched their 21st Government Secondary High Schools Sports championship and sixth Huge Campbell crown were also honoured.

Among those in attendance were Freetown Member of Parliament Wayne Munroe, the Minister of National Security; Oria Knowles and Floyd Armbrister; president Varel Davis; former GSSSA president Alfred Forbes; coach Trevor Grant and former player/coach Jeffrey Henfield.

Following the ceremony, the entire school took to the streets in a motorcade.

“I was honoured and I appreciate the school putting this on for us for the achievement for the boys,” Johnson said. “I was honoured and grateful to be a part of it.”

With the support from the administration, staff, students and the parents, Johnson said despite the fact they will be losing some key members of the team next year, they will be coming back for an encore performance.

Chavez Rutherford, in her first year as the principal, said she approved the celebrations because it was well deserved.

“Mr Johnson has been a powerhouse in the field of basketball,” she stated. “And we see these people doing these things, we don’t know what they’re actually going through to successful.

“Coach Johnson makes it look so easy, but we know he’s really putting his all into it.

“So we thought it only fitting, not just to honour the team, but coach Johnson for his 30-plus years as a coach. That’s a lot of students who went through his programne.”

She noted that some of the players made the honour roll and are getting ready to head off to college, so they also wanted to wish them every success in their future endeavours.

As the head of the Physical Education Department, Kaivone Newbold emphasised that it was a well deserved event for Johnson and his Rattlers’ team.

“He’s done so much, not just in terms of basketball, but in the community as well,” she said.

“He has a great heart, a big heart.

“It speaks for itself. He’s made such an impact in the lives of so many young men in our country, so I feel that this is a great day of celebrations.

“We just want to let him know that we see the contributions that you have made and we want to give you the flowers while you are alive and can enjoy it with your players.”

In the 30 years he’s been coaching, Johnson was instrumental in working with two generations of players.

One of them was Steve Jacques. Jacques and his wife, Sachka, who are celebrating 16 years of marriage, were grateful to coach Johnson for the role he played in helping to groom their son Sebastian.

The Jacques family presented a special gift to coach Johnson.

Wayne Johnson, the youngest brother of coach Johnson, gave a brief history of their family involvement in sports and the achievement of his brother to the development of sports in the country.

Special remarks came from Minister Munroe, who also made a financial contribution to the Rattlers programme and Forbes, who came and left Johnson coaching at CI Gibson after he took up the mantle from the late Bill Morgan.

Grant, a long-time associate in the coaching ranks; Henfield, another former player turned coach and long-time friend, former team-mate and sportscaster Marcellus Hall in a video from Los Angeles, California, where he was celebrating his wedding anniversary, also made remarks.