In his contribution in the House of Assembly yesterday, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Dr. Daniel Johnson offered condolences to the families of three sporting giants who recently passed away, Winston 'Gus' Cooper, 'King' Eric Gibson and Cecil Rose Jr.
All three were described as pioneers who contributed to the nation building of The Bahamas, whether it was through sports, culture or sports administration.
Johnson said their legacies would live on forever in the hearts of Bahamians. Cooper, said Johnson, was the 'Godfather of Junkanoo' and Gibson is a king in his own form. Johnson said Rose Jr. was arguably one of the greatest basketball players ever in the country.
"[There are] three individuals whose lives needs to be remembered in a very special way," said Johnson.
"These are the lives of real men. These are the men who make us all proud to be Bahamians. They are the late Cecil Rose, Winston 'Gus' Cooper and the late 'King' Eric Gibson. You see in the lives of these great men (and) their wonderful past what they have done to contribute to our wonderful success, and you see all around us what the future would look like because they were here.
"[We] will say goodbye to a man who we now understand is the 'Godfather of Junkanoo', the founding leader of the world famous Valley Boys since 1958 to December of last year. Cooper was also the second director of sports in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture. He served in 1987 and then after that, for about 20 years during his tenure, he served as administrative chairman of the third, fourth and fifth Bahamas Games. Winston 'Gus' Cooper has achieved many noteworthy milestones. The largest of which was he was a pioneering sportsman who served as Commonwealth Games coach, Pan American Games coach and Chairman of the BAAA."
The designer of the CARIFTA Games' logo for the flag, Cooper played a pivotal role in the growth and expansion of the Bahamas Amateur Athletic Association now known as the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA). He served four years as president of that sporting organization, 1972-1976, and was there a number of years as an administrator. It was during his last term in office as president when Cooper drew up the logo for the CARIFTA Games flag, that flew high in the old Thomas A. Robinson Track & Field Stadium during the 1976 CARIFTA Games, which The Bahamas hosted. To date, the same logo is still used on the flag, which is presented to host countries for the regional event.
Johnson added: "I want to pay tribute to another individual we probably will only see once in a lifetime. Very few people on this planet dare to call themselves a king. There are very few who can maintain a title like king. Very few could even say that he had a court of knights, but there was this man from Acklins with an enormous smile, huge mustache and the personality and flare to go with it. He stood tall on the landscape of this Bahamas. This is none other than the great 'King' Eric Gibson, a true sporting and cultural icon. 'King' Eric, along with greats like Captain Rolly Gray and Hezron Moxey, put sloop sailing and regattas on the map, and in the hearts and minds of Bahamians forever."
The late Cecil Rose Jr. was a legendary basketball player, who died on December 27, 2013. The standout basketball player at Miami Jackson High School in the 70s later moved on to the University of Houston. Rose Jr. was the first pick in the fifth round of the 1978 National Basketball Association (NBA) Draft by the New Jersey Nets. He played professional basketball for two years.
Johnson said: "Cecil Rose Jr. was arguably one of the greatest basketball players this country has ever produced. We at the ministry are extremely saddened to learn about his passing. He died at the relatively young age of 60. There's a great story behind this gentlemen. He was a phenomenal basketball player at Miami Jackson High School where he led a group of four other Bahamians, where they were known as 'The Jackson Five'."
The funeral service for Gibson will be held on Friday at 11 a.m. at Bahamas Faith Ministries. A memorial service is this evening at 7 p.m., at Loyola Hall. Cooper's memorial will be held tonight at 10 p.m. in Rawson Square. A Junkanoo rushout will follow. His funeral service is set for Saturday at 10 a.m., at the Most Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Stapledon Gardens.

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