Veteran athletic coach Donald Hawthorne is among 15 coaches to be honoured for long and distinguished service by the Jamaica Track and Field Coaches Association on October 6.

The Track and Field Coaches Association joins with other national and international sporting bodies in recognising October 6th each year as National Coaches Day.

The awards will be in five categories: Silver (20-25 years), Gold (26-30 years), Platinum (30-40 years), Lifetime Award (Over 40 years) and the Master Coach Award.

Nominations were submitted by members of the Association, and the awardees were selected by a Committee.

Tom Brumlik, the coach of Navasky Anderson, the National Record Holder for the 800-metre run, will be presented with the Hector-Smith Master Coach Award, named after the late Edward Hector and Eldemire Smith, for his guidance of Anderson, who made the 800-metre finals of the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan and set a new National Record twice.

Three (3) coaches will receive a Lifetime award, including Danny Hawthorne, Leo Brown, and Rohan Oliver. 

Other Awards will be presented as follows: 

• Platinum Awardees – Marlene Hawthorne, Richard Johnson, Rayon Patterson 
• Gold Awardees – Dave Anderson, Shawn Cunningham, Patrick Dawson, Michael McIntosh, Aston Tomlin 
• Silver Awardees – Kevin Brown, Dwight Jones, Ricardo Williams, Marlon Wilkie 

The awards ceremony will be held on November 22, 2025, under the theme ‘Sustainability of Athletics Through the Development of Coaches’. 

The Jamaica Track and Field Coaches Association is the internationally recognised body for Jamaica’s track and field coaches, covering Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, Club and the Elite level. The Association is an affiliate of the JAAA and is endorsed by World Athletics. It is also the representative body for all Track and Field coaches in Jamaica. 

October 6th presents an annual opportunity to focus on the work and commitment of coaches across all sports. It is recognised as National Coaches Day across many of the Federations and helps to bring focus to some of the issues and challenges facing the profession. It is also used to celebrate the achievements of coaches on a National level through ceremonies and awards. 

On September 27, 2022, the Governor General, Sir Patrick Linton Allen, declared by proclamation that Oct 6th be recognised and celebrated as National Coaches Day in Jamaica and encouraged all citizens to “join in year-round efforts to, among other things, recognise the involvement and impact of coaches on the development of our people and the national psyche. He went on to further urge all citizens to “participate in the activities designed for the observance of National Coaches Day.”