Sports Commentary - Derek Thompson Soccer player, Elite Track and Field Coach

By Dale Brown

Derek Thompson, outstanding USATF Youth Coach and mentor.

-         contributed

NEW YORK, NY. Monday, April 27, 2020 -- This is an article to highlight a Coaching Guru who has emerged as being among the best in the world of Track and Field Athletics but remains virtually unknown among his fellow Jamaicans as an esteemed figure in the sport.

The life of this unique and exceptional man named Derek (JugHead) Thompson began in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1954. He attended Calabar High School from 1968 – 1970 and Vere Technical High School from 1970 to 1973.

He was an outstanding football (soccer) player from an early age and represented Calabar in football at the U -15 level and then Vere Technical in the DaCosta Cup which is contested by High Schools from the rural areas of Jamaica. He was a member of the 1971 Vere Technical DaCosta Cup Championship team and also served as Vere’s captain during the 1972 season.

Derek also represented Pembroke Hall in the Minor League competition and he was a member Santos FC U-19, one of Jamaica’s top-flight clubs during that period.

Move to the USA

Derek emigrated to the USA in 1974, and settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with his family where he continued playing soccer most notably for the semi-pro team, Ukrainian Nationals Soccer Club. He also secured a job with the US Postal Service for 25 years before retiring.

Introduction to Track and Field

His wife’s God-daughter was a member of an all-female Track Club named “Philadelphia Flames” and Derek would accompany his wife and God-daughter to   track practice. Never one to waste any time, Derek started using the Track and Field training to stay in shape for soccer.

One day, Joe Rivers the Track coach asked him to assist with the training of the youngsters. Naturally, Derek said yes.

He immediately realized that he had to dedicate himself to his new passion if he was going to make an impact on the development of these youngsters.

Track and Field Coach

Obviously, Derek did not take formal instructions in coaching Track and Field, he did not even compete in Track and Field.  Yet, by virtue of his innate curiosity, he challenged himself to learn the art of coaching. He developed his own coaching formula through a combination of reading coaching manuals, watching coaching videos, seeking advice and input from established athletes and a few coaches.

If you ask Derek, “Do you think it is a drawback that you came into Track and Field without any prior experience?” He will answer that it is an asset, in that he approached Track and Field with an open mind, unfettered by previous Track and Field dogma.

With this open-minded approach, he has displayed an uncanny knack for developing young talent and has a keen eye for nurturing the less-heralded athletes who were often ignored by other coaches.

Among his many outstanding athletes at Philadelphia Flames is Jennifer Wilson who enjoyed a successful Youth career, having won the 1993 Pan Am Juniors 200m.

Juventus Track Club

When the Philadelphia Flames folded, Derek co-founded the Juventus Track Club in 2009/2010.

By this time, Derek was recognized as a coaching Guru. He was a legend in the Philadelphia Track and Field Youth system. He was not only a coach of track and field for the youngsters, but he placed great emphasis on helping his athletes to matriculate to a college or a University.   He desires the best for each athlete and eagerly shares life lessons with them because he wants them to avoid making unnecessary mistakes during their individual journeys.

With few exceptions, the athletes appreciated the value of tertiary education and took advantage of the great opportunity to use track and field as a means to an end.

                                                

 Enter Ajee Wilson

Sometime in 2010, he was asked by a friend, Disa Nicholson if he would consider coaching Ajee Wilson who at the time was a 16-year-old, High School 800m runner with enormous potential but she had not performed as well as expected during her Sophomore season.  After a meeting with Ajee and her mother, Derek accepted the challenge.

Under his expert tutelage, Wilson became the first American to win the World Youth (2011) and World Junior (2012) 800m titles. Ajee is the American 800m record holder, indoors, and outdoors.

She also won Bronze medals at the World Championships in 2017 and 2019. Ajee has blossomed to be the number one ranked 800m runner in the world per the governing body for Track and Field, World Athletics, formerly IAAF.

Professional Athletes

Over the past few years, world-class professional athletes have joined Derek Thompson’s Juventus Club in Philadelphia.  The group includes Deborah Rodriquez, Uruguay’s Athlete of the Year, and 2- time Olympian, Shelayna Oskan- Clarke, the British 800m champion, Phyllis Francis 2017 World 400m Champion and Sammy Watson, the promising 2018 NCAA 800m champion.

He has guided Raevyn Rogers, the former three-time NCAA 800m outdoor champion to the Silver medal at the 2019 World Championships in Qatar and Charlene Lipsey, a former American 800m indoor record holder. He also coached Marielle Hall to compete in the 10,000m at the Rio Olympics, Brazil, in 2016.

Derek Thompson in his quiet and unassuming manner is now the coach of Ajee Wilson and Raevyn Rogers, the number one and number two ranked women 800m runners in the world.

Add the name Sammy Watson to those two young women and it would be easy to understand why it is possible for Derek Thompson to realize a podium sweep by his three charges at the next USA Outdoors Championships.

In addition to the aforementioned, there are other professionals who sought his advice over the years.

The essence of the Man

Being self-taught and also being acutely aware that his quest for knowledge is never ending, Derek has maintained a modesty and humility rarely found in someone as successful as he is.

Derek has extensive knowledge of the sport and he possesses a high level of integrity, an uncompromising set of core values, confidence, self-acceptance, and self-belief. His keen mind, strong analytical abilities, and straightforward instructions, are also significant characteristics of this outstanding gentleman.

The merging of these qualities with his ability to communicate his vision and his commitment to his athletes are beyond reproach. He understands their culture and how to motivate each individual. In fact, the athletes naturally seek his counsel about matters unrelated to Track and Field Athletics.

Perhaps the greatest acknowledgment and endorsement of Thompson’s character was made by Ajee Wilson.  She gave up her NCAA eligibility by signing a professional contract with Adidas as soon as she graduated High School.  Why? She simply wanted Derek Thompson to remain as her coach.

Please note that Ajee Wilson enrolled at Temple University and graduated in 2016 with a B.S in Kinesiology.

Derek Thompson was asked to describe the secret for his success. His answer? Without hesitation, “My wife Jackie. Without her love and her support, without her role as a surrogate mother to some of the athletes when needed, I would not be who I am today”.

Derek Thompson has definitely given to Track and Field something far greater than himself.

                                    

In Philadelphia, USA, “The City of Brotherly Love” the achievements of Derek Thompson is extolled throughout the city in all Track and Field circles and accompanying discussions.

This Philadelphia legend has been the recipient of the Mid Atlantic Life Time Achievement Award and the National Youth Chair Award for outstanding contribution to the USATF Youth Program, from USA Track and Field.

As previously noted, Derek Thompson is a retired US Postal Service worker.  Unlike the more famous “Mailman,” Derek was a real-life mailman who not only delivered mail but is currently enjoying a second career still delivering, not just   famous athletes but the over 400 boys and girls whose lives he has impacted. They have gone on to attend college or have been guided and assisted to live productive lives as solid citizens by Mr. Derek Thompson.

The “Mailman” really delivers.