Nicholson had the heart of a lion, says WFA boss

Western Bureau:

EVERTON TOMLINSON, president of the Westmoreland Football Association, says his former Reno FC teammate, former national midfielder Boysie ‘Bengeleng’ Nicholson, who died yesterday after battling Parkinson’s Disease for several years, was a fearless player who had the heart of a lion.

“He was one of those combative midfielders who was ready to give 100 per cent every time,” said Tomlinson, who was Reno’s goalkeeper during one of the club’s most successful eras.

“Regardless how hostile the crowds were in some of our away games, he was not one to back down. He was one of those never-say-die players.”

While Nicholson did not have a long career at the national level, he enjoyed cult-like following in Westmoreland, where he played an instrumental role in the three National Premier League titles Reno won in the 1990s, with his role expanding from player to coach.

According to Tomlinson, he was an inspiration to players like former national players Caple ‘Corntail’ Donaldson, Donald ‘Gemmi’ Hewiit, Michael ‘Jim Dandy’ Graham, Mark ‘Haglar’ Wilson, and Aaron ‘Wild Boy’ Lawrence, who all followed his footsteps into their national team after growing up around Reno FC.

“He was a true inspiration to these players and the many other players he coached and mentored over the years,” said Tomlinson, citing Nicholson as one of the forerunners of the generation of western Jamaica stars who were instrumental in helping Jamaica to qualify for the 1998 World Cup in France.

“His legacy as a true stalwart of Westmoreland and Jamaica’s football will live on for a long time to come.”

To say Nicholson lived for football would be an understatement. Football was his life. At the end of his playing days at the NPL level, he turned to coaching both at Reno and at the schoolboy level. His crowning glory at the schoolboy level was guiding Frome Technical High School to the coveted daCosta Cup title, symbol of rural schoolboy football supremacy, in 2003.

“While he was coach, he would still drive to Kingston, all by himself, to play Master’s League football,” said Tomlinson.

“He was a great player and a good coach because he really loved the game, and he was always around football, sharing his knowledge with youngsters who showed an interest in the game.”

In a statement after the news of Nicholson’s death broke, the Jamaica Football Federation, through its president Michael Ricketts, lauded Nicholson’s contribution to national football, and expressed condolences to his family.

“Boysie had a strong personality, which worked well for both club and country. He was a tower of strength in midfield,” said Ricketts.

“He has been ailing for some years, and the Father has called him home. We hope he will find eternal rest.”

Nicholson is the fifth Reno FC stalwart to have passed away in recent years. His death follows those of fellow national players Donaldson, Calvin ‘Wappy’ Valentine, and club stalwarts, brothers Desmond ‘Big Head’ Pringle and Cecil ‘Silla’ Pringle.