The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

COLIN ‘Troppy’ Knowles, known as a perfectionist who strives to get the best out of his players and remembered as a visionary with an eye on the development of sports in the future, passed away on Wednesday after an illness with prostate cancer. He was 68.

Yesterday, condolences poured in from his pastor who saw his transformation from the playing field to the pulpit, a former student who only wished she had taken him up on his advice, a family member who grew up under his wings, a player who benefitted tremendously from his guidance and one of the administrators who felt that the sport of softball will forever be indebted to Knowles for his contribution.

His wife, Oria ‘Big O’ Knowles, perhaps one of the greatest all around Bahamian female sporting figures, said it’s a tremendous loss for her family, considering that they are still mourning the death of her father James ‘Jim’ Wood in December. She has expressed her gratitude to the support from the public, especially those who were affected by her husband’s involvement in so many sporting activities.

The Rev Dr William Thompson, pastor of Faith United Missionary Baptist Church where Knowles and his wife were recently ordained as ministers of the gospel, said over the last three weeks they saw his health deteriorate, so he knew it was only a matter of time.

“Colin’s contribution to the country has been one from a young man. He was always sports minded and people oriented,” said Thompson, a former baseball player who is also the president of the Bahamas National Baptist Missionary and Educational Convention.

“He was also one who invested in sports and for a number of years, he sponsored the Bahamian Kitchen softball team and he also sponsored a number of basketball teams. I think the thing that stood out in my mind was that he always tried to assist persons who were always looking for sponsorship in the late 1970s and the early 1980s.”

Having played against Knowles for a number of years, Thompson said when he first became the president of the Baptist Convention, he hired Knowles as a physical education teacher at the Charles W Saunders High School and he helped to turn the Cougars’ athletic programme into a vibrant one in the Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools.

After Knowles and his wife joined his congregation, Thompson said he put him in charge of their sporting programme as they participated in the Baptist Sports Council and he worked directly in the Youth Department at his church. Thompson said he hopes to expound on Knowles’ transformation when he performs the eulogy at his funeral service.

As one of the family members who honed his skills under the supervision of Knowles, Marvin ‘Tougie’ Wood said the Bahamas has lost another giant on the heels of his grandfather, Jim Wood.

“I learned a lot of things under his coaching and his drills. I was very close to Troppy. He was just another great sporting icon,” Wood said. “I remember his drills and his work ethics. He made sure you got loose and warmed up before you take the field to compete.”

Tribune features writer Jeffarah Gibson only wished that she had heeded Knowles’ advice and continued playing sports.

“I first met Colin Knowles when I went to Charles W Saunders in 2006. When I first met him, he was that father-figure who always thought that if you possessed any type of skills, you should enhance it,” Gibson stated. “He talked me into joining the senior girls basketball and softball teams, but we never really got it off the ground because there wasn’t that many girls who were interested.

“But he was still that motivator, who had this ‘just do it’ mentality. I know I can only speak for me, but he was one of the persons who really made me feel comfortable and he was one of the teachers who I looked up to. Even when I graduated from high school, he tried to encourage me to join the College of the Bahamas softball team, but I never did.”

Even though she’s saddened by his passing, Gibson said Knowles played his part in the development of sports in the country and she was glad that their lives connected because she ended up having a much better appreciation for life in general.

Burkett Dorsett, president of the Bahamas Softball Federation, said Knowles was probably one of the most colourful and knowledgeable coaches/managers that ever participated in the sport.

“While some may say his death was untimely, we say that it was the will of God,” Dorsett said. “Troppy had a very influential career, spanning some 40 years. He had a genuine passion for the game and he worked with many softball players (both male and female).”

Knowles was a NPSA Hall of Famer, who served previously as an executive, a founding member of the Bahamas Government Departmental Softball Association, a former national team and manager of many softball and baseball teams and a coach in the high school in just about every sport.

“He was a scholar of the game,” Dorsett said.

In a statement today, the College of the Bahamas Athletic Department, which also benefitted from Knowles’ expertise, offered its condolences as well.

“An extraordinarily skilled softball guru, Mr Knowles – along with his wife Oria Wood-Knowles – have been at the vanguard of the college’s Lady Caribs softball programme since its inception. The College of The Bahamas has been fortunate to have them guiding and mentoring the team,” according to the press release.

“A tenacious and respected athlete, coach Troppy’ played an instrumental role in the development of our women’s softball programme. Under the direction of coach Troppy and his wife, the Lady Caribs softball team initially participated in the New Providence Women’s Softball Association during the 2014 season, and remarkably, made the playoffs. We have been privileged to benefit from his life’s work and legacy.

“President Rodney D Smith, the Athletics Department of The College of The Bahamas, and the entire College community join the rest of The Bahamas in extending our sincerest condolences to coach Troppy’s’ wife, his children and family members. Our prayers and thoughts are with them during this time of bereavement.”

 May his soul rest in peace.