It was a rough couple days in sports in The Bahamas as two icons in the industry passed away.
On Wednesday, Hall of Famer Leroy “Uncle Lee” Archer Sr., a noted sportsman in soccer and cricket, died just a few years short of the century mark. Just a day later, legendary basketball coach, and former softball and baseball player Charles “Chuck” Mackey went on into eternity, leaving this earth at the age of 66. Mackey died while having a procedure performed at Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH). He suffered from health challenges over the past 5-10 years.
Archer, who was a tailor by profession, had one of the most lengthy careers in sports in the country. He played football in three decades – the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s – starting out with the St. George’s Soccer Club and helping to turn that club into a soccer powerhouse before becoming a founding member of the Dynamos Football Club.
According to his birth certificate, he would have turned 97 yesterday, but his mother told him in his early years that he was born on February 25, and the family always celebrated that day as his birthday.
The man – who was well-known, well-respected and well-loved in The Bahamas for his athletic prowess, generous and compassionate nature, brilliant advice and for his belief in discipline – dedicated his entire life to sports, even passing away Wednesday morning from natural causes while watching sports on television at home.
“He just went to sleep and that was it. It was such a peaceful ending to his life,” said daughter Leria yesterday. “Daddy was a man of principle and he carried the athlete’s mentality as it relates to discipline and people working together. He always believed that when you start something, you should finish it. He believed in giving back to his country and he evolved into such a beautiful man and a beautiful soul as a father, a grandfather, a church man and a member of society. Those strong principles took him throughout his life. He believed so much in country and principle and always spoke about how important it was to live your life to the fullest. He was just a beautiful soul.”
Archer served as a soccer coach and mentor at the Boys Industrial School for many years, impacting the lives of the youth there with his many teachings and life lessons. He served as captain of the Dynamos team that he founded from its inception up until his retirement from playing, regarded as one of the best to have ever played the game here in The Bahamas. His involvement did not stop there as he went on serve as a referee in the senior league in the Bahamas Football Association (BFA) and coach at youth level.
Archer represented the country internationally in soccer when a team managed by former Governor General of The Bahamas Sir Gerald Cash traveled to Miami, Florida, in 1957, to take part in a
friendly international match against the Coral Gables Soccer Club. The Bahamian sporting icon had numerous awards and accolades bestowed upon him during his lifetime including the BFA Order of Merit Award which was presented to him during the President’s Cup match on New Year’s Day 2009. The winning trophy for that match was named in his honor. Ultimately, Archer received one of the highest sports honors in the country when he was inducted into the seventh class of The Bahamas’ National Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.
He stayed active by swimming regularly which he said was one of the secrets to long life, and he also believe in healthy eating, love of family and getting proper sleep.
“Everyone would always ask him where to find the fountain of youth, and he would always say through God’s grace, but really he believed in regular exercise, swimming every morning for many years. The salt water was quite healing, and of course he didn’t drink and smoke and stayed away from fast foods. He just always had that athlete’s mentality and exhibited it every day in body, mind and spirit,” said his daughter Leria. “He taught us how to live with dignity and with grace. I can’t recall him ever raising his voice. He believed in letting it go and that every problem had to be a solution – it was just a matter of figuring it out. He lives life stress-free. People don’t know this, but in church, he had a beautiful tenor voice and enjoyed singing. We’re just appreciative that God gave him to us for many years. We’re thankful for his life, memories, his circle of friends and everything he would have accomplished. He was just really a beautiful human being. We will miss him.”
Archer is survived by his two daughters Sharon and Leria and son Leroy Jr.
As for Mackey, after attending Minnesota State University at Mankato, he came back to The Bahamas and started working in the government sector as a teacher at the R.M. Bailey School, serving as the coach of the senior boys basketball team for almost three decades. He went on to C.R. Walker serving as a senior master and eventually to St. John’s College as the principal and back in the government sector at Doris Johnson Senior High School. He retired in 2013. Mackey will always be remembered as a great coach and mentor, one of the finest systematic basketball coaches in the country, and always got best out of his players on and off the court. He won a couple Government Secondary Schools Sports Association (GSSSA) titles at R.M. Bailey, but was never able to win the prestigious Hugh Campbell title, getting as close as the championship game in 1995. R.M. Bailey went on to eventually win its first and only Hugh Campbell title under Nigel Ingraham in 2011 who succeeded Mackey as senior boys basketball coach at the school.
Mackey was a FIBA (International Basketball Federation) certified coach and served as a national coach of the junior and senior men’s national basketball teams on a few occasions. One of the divisions in the New Providence Basketball Association (NPBA) is named in his honor. He was also instrumental in the running of the Helping Our Youth Through Education and Sports (HOYTES) basketball program, serving as one of the primary coaches each summer.
In softball, Mackey was a catcher on the Batelco Radars team – one of the most dominant squads in softball in the country in the 70’s. In his early days, he stood out in softball and baseball and delved into the sport of basketball as a coach and mentor in his later years.
“The Bahamas Basketball Federation (BBF) is deeply saddened by the passing of Charles ‘Chuck’ Mackey – one of our national coaches for many years,” said BBF President Mario Bowleg yesterday, himself a former protégé of Mackey. “He was a baseball and softball player extraordinaire and a fine educator. The federation is well-aware of Chuck’s medical confinement and ailing health over the past few years. Charles Mackey was the ultimate professional – a contributor to the national development of hundreds of youth and a true friend to sports. His contributions to the nation should not be overlooked or ever forgotten. The sting of death has reared its ugly head and stolen one from among us once again. It pains. The federation is offer its condolences to Charles’ family and friends, colleagues in education and sports, the coaching fraternity of The Bahamas, his former teammates and the entire nation. He was a gentle man and a fine human being. Sadly, there will be no more instructions from the bench or the classroom from Charles ‘Chuck’ Mackey. May his soul rest in peace.”
Kevin “KJ” Johnson, another one of his protégés, and a fine basketball coach himself with five High Campbell titles, said: “He was a great man and a very good coach. He was my mentor and coach back in the day at R.M. Bailey and he assisted me greatly, telling me what made a great coach and what I needed to improve on. He was always there for me in making sure that I did the right thing as a young coach coming up. He was a disciplinarian and a man who always gave his best for the youth in the country. He was an icon when it came to sports and high school basketball. He will be greatly missed. This is a sad say. May his soul rest in peace.”
It was in the Sports Unit of the Department of Education where Mackey made his final contribution to sports and the school sector in The Bahamas. He was the first compliance officer in the then newly formed sports unit for a couple of years before retiring from the workforce.
“On behalf of Minister Jeffrey Lloyd, Permanent Secretary Lorraine Armbrister, the Director of Education Marcellus Taylor, and indeed all members of the ministry and the Department of Education, I offer sincere condolences to his family,” said Head of the Sports Unit Evon Wisdom. “He was the first person to oversee sporting programs on New Providence. Charles ‘Chuck’ Mackey regulated all after-school sports activities with special attention to coaching standards, and with him we saw less problematic activities in all sporting events in the public school system. That is exactly what Minister Bannister (former Minister of Education Desmond Bannister) had as his main goal in forming the unit. Charles Mackey was memorialized by the Ministry of Education by former director Lionel Sands by having the coaching award for all national high school basket championships named in his honor. He made his contribution prior to coming to the sports unit and his legacy is safe, but his leadership in the sports unit cements him in the sands of time in regards to sports leadership, and for that, the Ministry of Education is thankful. May his soul rest in peace.”
One of Mackey’s two stepdaughters Koschina “Kay” Marshall also spoke fondly of him.
“He was just an avid sportsman, sports enthusiast and a disciplinarian par excellence,” she said. “He loved R.M. Bailey and spent many hours on the phone with recruiters trying to obtain scholarships for the many players who he taught in high school. He also spent many hours studying the game of basketball. He was very articulate and devoted, loved his school, loved children, loved teaching and loved The Bahamas. He was just passionate about everything that he did. He influenced a lot of lives and many persons he coached went on to become coaches and teachers themselves. He was very proud of that. He always felt that once he helped someone make something out of his or her life, his life would not be in vain; and he helped people from all walks of life. He was passionate about young people, always believed in pulling someone up.”
Mackey served at Christ the King Anglican Church and was a devoted Christian. One of the highlights of his career was when he was recognized by R.M. Bailey as a member of their school’s hall of fame in November 2013 for excellence in public service, exemplary performance and dedication to the school, and work ethic. He was presented with the Juanita Butler Lifetime Achievement Award. Butler was a former principal of the school. Mackey was also a teacher of the year at R.M. Bailey and a finalist for national teacher of the year.
Mackey is survived by a number of family members and friends.
May the souls of Archer and Mackey rest in peace.
The post Legendary sportsmen Archer, Mackey pass away appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.
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