UNDISPUTED Middleweight and Light Heavyweight boxing champion of Trinidad and Tobago Michael Paul received and award from the Legend for Life Committee for his outstanding contribution, not in boxing, but in football.
While Paul may have made a name for himself in the sport of boxing, sports fans may also remember his exploits on the football field during the 60s and 70s. Paul began his football career as a defender for Second Division team Black Hawks of La Brea in the Southern Football League (SFL) before he joined First Division team Luton Town in the Port of Spain Football League.
Paul played for Luton Town for two years (1969 and 1970) and produced a style of play that impressed many including former national footballer Noel ‘Sammy’ Llewellyn, president of the Legend fort Life Committee.
Llewellyn described Paul as a multi-talented individual who could have excelled to the highest level in almost any sport he was involved in.
“As a footballer Paul was playing football ahead of his time. His style and vision would have made him a top player in today’s game. As a boxer he was just one of the best to grace the shores of Trinidad and Tobago” Llewellyn said. He rose to stardom in the boxing ring when he defeated Middleweight champion Carlos Mark.
Paul’s illustrious career in the sport of football also included Fourth Division football for St Joseph in 1980 as well as in many Minor League competitions for Beach Ballers of La Brea, Pristal Youths of St Joseph, Quarry Road of San Juan, Pitch Road (Morvant), Black Hawks (La Brea) and Leeds of Belmont.
As a coach, Paul also took community football to a different level at his coaching school P&B Soccer Coaching School.
Known as a disciplinarian, Paul combined the sport of football with academics and other forms of lifestyle skills because of his drive to improve the lives of many young budding footballers in the Laventille and environments areas.
In addition to football training at the weekends, young footballers at the P&B Coaching School were exposed to Reading, Math, English, Social Studies and other exercises. The coaching school is now the pride of the Laventille community with many youth achieving their first-choice passes from primary to secondary schools.
The hard-working Paul who is now 60-years-old was also coach at TELCO, St Joseph Youth Movement, in the North Zone of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF), coach at Malvern’s youth and senior teams and was also assistant football coach at Falcon Crest in the Eastern Football Association (EFA).
The award puts Paul on a list of elite TT footballers who have made sterling contributions to the sport including Ron La Forest, Reynold George, Selris Figaro, Kenwyn Cooper, Ralph Brown, Carl Weekes, Paul Clarke and Anthony Wickham this year.