We could not let the momentous year of 2015 pass without paying tribute to Conrad Symonds.

The “Silver City” coach was one of the year’s stars and also a friend, and former neighbour.

After a short illness, he was laid to rest in a simple and dignified ceremony at St James Anglican Church in Sandys on Wednesday, December 2.

He was led into and out of church by Speaker of the House Randolph Horton and football legend Clyde Best; the coffin was draped in a Trojans jersey and ushered by 12 former Somerset Colts.

Coach Symonds could not have asked for a more dynamic and moving tribute from Mr Horton, nor a more supportive group of well-wishers. The House Speaker raised the bar and the spirits of all present, by chronicling the consistent successes of the Somerset Colts and the Trojans under his stewardship.

Mr Horton referred to the tight discipline, confidence and belief the coach had in his players and the players in him as well as the skills he developed in them, his fairness in dealing with players and the character he built in individuals and in the team.

Mr Horton felt that Coach Symonds showed his players they must carry themselves well, that they were the best and they, as “the team”, could beat any other. He said that through Coach Symonds, players developed important social skills of determination, patience, and teamwork. He was a motivator and he made them feel that even when they lost a game here and there, he was there for them and that they would rebound. They became “the Trojans” and Somerset became “Silver City” as a result of Coach Symonds’s visionary leadership.

Fine comments from Mr Best, Lionel “Baldy” Smith and Larry “Muscles” Hunt were included in an extensive well-written article by Colin Thompson in the November 28 edition of The Royal Gazette.

Former footballer Radell Tankard recently said: “While I did not play under Coach Symonds, I benefited from his expertise because he mentored many of those who coached me. Even after he retired from coaching, he was always willing to share his knowledge about the game with younger players.

“We were well aware of his record having led Somerset to the Triple Crown Championship and the late Virgil twins to half-marathon success.

Simply put, Coach Symonds knew how to win. It was during his reign at Somerset Cricket Club that the tradition of winning became a way of life for us in the West End. Further, his legacy has helped to create a standard of success for those who followed him and his insight into the game of football will be a miss in our community.”

Coach Symonds’s first love was football. He travelled to England as a Dockyard apprentice and, upon his return to Bermuda, played for the West End Rovers. At the end of his playing career he recruited a group of extremely talented young players, and formed the Somerset Colts, whose home was the Naval Cricket Field.

The team met with early and consistent success, winning the BJFA and the BFL “B” Division.

Coach Symonds believed in discipline and fitness conditioning before all else. He concentrated on teamwork and skills development. He would get his “boys” to run from the Somerset Naval Field to Whale Bay — there’d be speed training on the way there and back — before beginning the formal training session.

In the early 1960s, the Somerset Colts and West End Rovers amalgamated to become the Trojans. Coach Symonds was their first coach.

The new club was the first in the history of competitive football to stake a claim to Bermuda’s three major football competitions more than once; a record that stands today. The Trojans won the Challenge Cup, the Friendship Cup and the League Title, from the 1966-67 season through to 1970.

When the team began to travel overseas Coach Symonds would hold all the passports. Players knew if anyone misbehaved, he would march them immediately to the airport and put them on the next plane back to Bermuda. He never had a discipline problem with players.

Overseas teams had often heard that the Trojans were a talented team but doubted Bermudians could play a full 90 minutes. They also believed the Bermudian players could be tricked into being sent off. They were wrong on both counts.

After a short stint with Vasco Da Gama, coach Symonds retired from coaching football. He aided running twins Neville and Neil Virgil to success in the May 24 half-marathon; his physical conditioning techniques and his knowledge of endurance proved a tremendous help.

Coach Symonds was given a string of football awards. He received the Silver Tray from SCC Footballers for his work in 1966-67; a plaque from Somerset Cricket Club in 2008, in recognition of long and meritorious service; the Veteran All Star Sports Award in recognition of invaluable community service and loyal support and, in 2009, the Bermuda Football Association began presenting a $15,000 award in his name, as one of its Legends Scholarships.

The funeral was a final tribute to Coach Symonds from the football fraternity, from the Ex-Dockyard Apprentices, the West End Rovers, Somerset Colts and from the Trojans. All were represented. Time has not diminished coach Symonds’s contributions, or the quality of persons from that golden era of Bermuda football and that era of character-building in sport.