Former national midfielder Larry Joseph passes away

The T&T Football Association (TTFA) on Wednesday extended condolences to the family of former national midfielder.

Joseph, a member of the famous 1989 "Strike Squad" pool, was also part of this country’s 1990 Shell Caribbean Cup team which reached the final of the competition that year. He also played for T&T during the 1986 World Cup qualifying campaign.

Following his retirement from playing, Joseph continued to stay active, appearing in numerous exhibition matches with the "Strike Squad" and became a member of the panel of local talk show programme "Field of Dreams" hosted by former national player Steve David.

“We are all at the TTFA deeply saddened by Larry’s passing. We have lost a true son of the sport and we join the rest of the football fraternity in mourning this loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with Larry’s family, friends and former teammates on this sad day,” said chairman of the TTFA Nornmalization Committee Robert Hadad.

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Ex-national footballer Joseph dies.
By Jelani Beckles (T&T Newsday).

THE TT Football Association has sent its condolences to the family of former national player Larry Joseph, who died on Wednesday. He was 56.

Joseph, a member of the famous 1989 Strike Squad pool, was also part of this country’s 1990 Shell Caribbean Cup team, which reached the final of the competition that year. He also played for Trinidad and Tobago during the 1986 World Cup qualifying campaign. Joseph had 30 caps for T&T.

After he retired from playing, Joseph stayed active, appearing in numerous exhibition matches with the Strike Squad, and became a member of the panel of local talk show programme Field of Dreams, hosted by fellow former national player Steve David.

Chairman of the TTFA normalisation committee Robert Hadad said, “We are all at the TT Football Association deeply saddened by Larry’s passing. We have lost a true son of the sport and we join the rest of the football fraternity in mourning this loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with Larry’s family, friends and former teammates on this sad day.”

Good footballer, better man.
By Ian Prescott (T&T Express).

An excellent footballer and a very god-fearing person is how Trinidad and Tobago Super League president Clayton Morris remembers former teammate and friend Larry Joseph - the former Trintoc and Trinidad and Tobago midfielder who passed away on Wednesday at age 56.

In expressing his condolences as Super League president, Morris said: “It’s with great sadness and pain I express condolences on behalf of the Trinidad and Tobago Super League to the family of Larry Joseph on his passing,” Morris stated via a release. “Trinidad and Tobago Super League members join with the rest of the football fraternity to express condolences, love, prayers and support to Larry Joseph’s family and may God grant you all the strength through these difficult times.”

And having played alongside Joseph for most of their adult football life, Morris shared with Trinidad Express some of the strong personal experiences he had during many years of interaction with Joseph. Their journey as teammates saw them team up for Trintoc, United Petrotrin, Charlotte Eagles, Petrotrin All-stars Masters and La Brea All-Stars Masters. Morris and Joseph were also members of the 1989 Strike Squad pool of players and most recently turned out in Strike Squad community outreach exhibition games. They last played together in December.

Morris and Joseph played for the powerful Trintoc team, which along with former Concacaf champions Defence Force, dominated local football for many years. Morris captained the T&T national team which in 1989 failed by a point to qualify for the 1990 FIFA World Cup when needing just a home draw. T&T suffered a 1-0 defeat to the United States.

Joseph was a part of the initial campaign squad, but not the final one. However, he and Morris also played professionally in the United States a few years later.

“We played with Charlotte Eagles between 1994 to 1996,” Morris remembers. “I would break down the (opponent’s) attack and give the ball to Larry, who would find Philbert Jones up front and the ball would end up in the back of the net. You would then see Philbert Jones making his cartwheels (celebration), like his nephew Kenwyne (Jones) picked up later.”

He rated Joseph as an intellectual and one every coach would want in his team.

“Larry was the kind of player, as a coach, you would hope God brought somebody with that kind of understanding, “ says Morris.

“He had that passion and love to do what he had to do. He had a certain change of pace and before you know it, the ball was in the back of the net,” Morris recalls. “He had that charisma to change the outcome of a game.”

They both also shared a strong belief in God, with Morris describing Joseph as a family man, who was a very God-fearing person and strong believer.

“A true patriot, lover of his family, community and his God, Larry always had the extra in him when the moment warranted it. His last active interaction with football in December last year, was recorded on video demonstrating some of the most important skills in football. Smooth as ever, effortless as he alone does it and effective as we love seeing him on the football field. He surely will be missed.”

Larry “Scamp” Joseph, A Once in a Generation Footballer
By Lance Dowrich (lancedowrichcom.wordpress.com).

The Secondary Schools’ Football League (SSFL), once called the Colleges’ Football League (CFL) has unearthed really talented youngsters over the years.

One such talent who stood head and shoulders above his peers was Larry “Scamp” Joseph. “Scamp” hailed from La Brea. Growing up his nickname was initially “Scamper” but it was abbreviated to “Scamp” as he grew out of his childish scampish ways.

“Scamp” was one of many talented footballers on the Presentation College San Fernando Bomb Squad from the 1981 Secondary Schools’ Football League. That squad is ranked forever in my mind as one of the best teams ever assembled at Presentation College San Fernando.

He was a midfielder playing with a backline marshalled by the tall, broad, never-say-die, fan favourite, Brent Augustus and the huge Ian “Hard Black” David and Sean Cooper, supported on the flanks by Steve Clarke and Edison Baker. Supporting “Scamp” in midfield was Sherrod Young, Stephen “Bull” Christopher and Roger Lawrence, with Lennox Charles on the left wing and Kirk “Marty” Martinez on the right.

The striker was national sprinter Anthony “Sugars” Monroe, who was so quick it was unbelievable! Victor Joseph was another member of this specially assembled team, as was Russell “Jack” Monroe, brother of “Sugars”, with many players including “Scamp” transferring into Pres as the new academic year started in September 1981. The goalkeepers were Denzil Gustave, Donovan “Don” Harry and Anthony Clarke. The coach was the indomitable Carl Osbourne.

Each of these players had their unique traits. No one could screen a ball like Lennox Charles. Ian David and Brent Augustus were two of the biggest, hard-tackling, fearsome defenders of the era, Roger Lawrence and Stephen “Bull” Christopher were two of the fittest players never to be seen on a box of cereal.

Denzil Gustave had spectacular reflexes. Don Harry at six feet three inches, had the longest arms and biggest hands in the school and Anthony Clarke, also six feet plus, was a multisport athletic talent. Edison Baker earned a reputation as an overlapping wing back with an unenviable prowess for dribbling and taking the ball up field. Anthony “Sugars” Monroe would tap the ball round an opposing player, sprint past him while he seemingly turned in slow motion, score, then run past him to centre pitch as he was still turning, in time to see the ball in the back of the net.

But with a calm persona, unbelievable ball control and the ability to change gears in the twinkling of an eye, “Scamp” was the general in that star-studded squad.

This team was seemingly destined for glory. The first hurdle in that much anticipated march to eventual national honours would have been the South Zone Intercol Final in October 1981.

The build-up was monumental!

At Presentation College San Fernando, when Intercol Season begins, the anticipation gives way to dramatic scenes.

It typically started with morning assembly in the auditorium.

Led by the Principal, Brother Michael Samuel, the seven hundred and fifty strong College body standing in ordered lines by class, would lustily sing Intercol songs. Given that the College stood on a hill, the songs would be easily heard as far as Royal Castle on the Library Corner as chicken was being breaded for frying. Then, once the prolonged assembly finally ended, jerseys were collected to be screen -printed. There was scheduled “noise practice” behind the Sixth-form Block. Noise practice was the rehearsal of the rhythm section.

Then the instruments were loaded into the blue and white Volkswagen School bus affectionately dubbed “Herbie”, to be transported to Skinner Park. Gigantic College Flags would have been screen printed and distributed. Men then changed into their Intercol jerseys. What about teaching? Teaching was for another day! Even if a clueless teacher wanted to have a class no one would have been paying attention as men would have been working out more pressing matters such as how to storm Skinner Park!

Intercol matches normally started at 4.00 p.m, so everybody would have left Carib Street about two hours earlier to walk down to the Park. Long before Short Street was open to vehicular traffic and when Graham’s was the only place selling salted and fresh nuts, Skinner Park was the centre of the footballing universe in a town with two top notch College Football teams, Presentation College San Fernando and another school from Broadway, close to the Broadway cemetary. Up to this day, I love gray slacks but only for church, work and to wear with my paisley shirt at special events. From Form One to the day I meet St Peter, I know that we must not lose to the school on Broadway.

So, on that fateful day, we were slated to meet the school from Broadway.

That was the day it should have all come together.

The match started.

It was a good day!

The stands behind the eastern goalpost, flanking Cipero Street and the Neal and Massy New Vehicle Showroom were teeming with people and flags waving like it was a United Nations Conference. People were all over the cycle track, rhythm sections going, men chanting….”Go Pres Go!” and “Presentation Presentation rah rah rah!”

Interspersed with the rehearsed chants were bugle calls by Presentation Sea Scouts who were there to add flavour to the appointed noise teams.

Then the unthinkable happened. Our deadly, lightning quick striker, “Sugars” was on the receiving end of a vicious tackle and catapulted into the air!

Skinner Park collectively gasped and the footballing hopes of a proud College, established in 1948, sitting majestically on a verdant hill, away from all public cemetaries, fell to the ground as Anthony “Sugars” Monroe collapsed into a heap fracturing his leg.

The silence was deafening!

In that moment of crisis, “Scamp” demonstrated all that we knew he was capable of and more. He took over the game, dribbling, repeatedly lobbying the ball diagonally to the wingers and then creating the play of the game in the form a dummy play in midfield that opened up the field. He had the Broadway boys hurriedly making for the sidelines while the ball stood still at centre pitch. It was the footballing equivalent of the parting of the Red Sea. It was majestic!

But alas, we lost the match!

Next day, as “Scamp” entered the Carib Street gate, distraught students rejoiced upon his arrival and mobbed him with dollar notes seeking his autograph. The entire team felt the love of a school that was reeling from the hurt of that loss. That sight of “Scamp” and his teammates signing dollar bills would remain with me forever!

I saw a once-in-a-generation footballer in the flesh.
Seeing “Scamp” was better than watching football on TV. His easy-going personable nature off the field belied his artistry and genius on the field of play. Like many of that era, I was spellbound, in awe, like Alice in Wonderland! Witnessing “Scamp” play, made me wonder, “how could one man be so talented?”

Off the field Scamp was calm, friendly, positive and displayed no airs. He hailed you once he knew you. And he always carried a sly grin on his face.

“Scamp” passed away today Wednesday 17th February 2021.

He represented Trinidad and Tobago at the national level in the World Cup qualifying campaigns of 1986 and 1990 and his accomplishments at all levels of football are really special. “Scamp” was a goal scorer par excellence at the Secondary School level and a man revered in his La Brea community. A friend told me that he once received a compliment from “Scamp” for a play on the field which he remembers to this day. Scamp was much more than a footballer. He was a husband and father of three children and from all reports, an exceptional man. But in 1981 when he entered Presentation, he was an unknown quantity to all of us at the College. But he played football. Football was more than a game. It was a shared passion for every student and “Scamp” played for each of us.

Larry “Scamp” Joseph shouldered the hopes of a College in a moment of despair. His passion, dedication, and style of play earned him countless admirers. Even though “Scamp” scored goals in the Colleges Football League it was in the truncated Intercol period he truly shone. He upped his game when passion was at its highest and every game mattered.

If you never saw him play you missed seeing greatness in motion.

“Scamp” was a member of the greatest football team at Presentation College San Fernando never to win it all. We will never forget him.

Rest in Peace “Scamp”.