2000





CLIFTON   BERTRAND

DATE OF BIRTH: March 2, 1936
PLACE OF BIRTH: Arima, Trinidad
EDUCATION:
  • New York University, New York, USA (B.S., M.S.)
  • Columbia University, New York, USA (Advanced Certificate of Education Administration; Doctor of Education)
  • OLYMPIC EVENT: Athletics:
  • 200 meters
  • CAREER:                             Bertrand was the founder of the Abilene Wildcats Sports Club in his hometown of Arima. In the 1960s, he left Trinidad for the USA to attend New York University where he later became the Head Track & Field Coach. Bertrand has coached New York city sports champions at the Junior High School 152 Brooklyn (Track); Jamaica HS (Track & Field, Cross-Cuntry) Queens; Martin Luther King Jr High School (Soccer); New York City Youth Games Track & Field team to Baltimore National championships. His career included the following significant accomplishments:
    • 1957 British West Indies Championships, Kingston, Jamaica - 200 meters (2nd, 21.2)
    • 1958 British West Indies Championships, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad - 200 meters (1st, 21.2); 400 meters (1st, 47.3); 4 x 400 meters Relay (1st, 3:21.2, with Wilton Jackson, Hugh Waldron, and Gerald Yammie)
    • 1958 British Commonwealth Games, Cardiff, Wales - 200 yards (Quarterfinals, 21.77); 4 x 110 yards Relay (Semifinals, 42.49, with Joseph Goddard, Hendrickson Harewood, and Charles Williams); 4 x 440 yards Relay (Semifinals, 3:19.77, with Basil Ince, Wilton Jackson, and Clyde James)
    • 1959 Pan American Games, Chicago, Illinois, USA (Represented Federated West Indies) - 200 meters (5th, 21.5); 4 x 100 meters Relay (3rd, 41.6, with Michael Agostini, Wilton Jackson, and Dennis Johnson [Jamaica])
    • 1960 Olympics, Rome, Italy - 200 meters (Quarterfinals, 21.4)
    • 1962 NCAA Finals, Eugene, Oregon, USA - 220 yards (6th, 21.2)
    • 1963 Pan American Games, Sao Paulo, Brazil - 400 meters (3rd, 47.3); 4 x 100 meters Relay (3rd, 40.7, with Anthony Jones, Irving Joseph, and Cipriani Phillip)
    • 1964 Olympics, Tokyo, Japan - 200 meters (Quarterfinals, 21.69); 4 x 400 meters Relay (3rd, 3:01.7, alternate with Kent Bernard, Edwin Roberts, Edwin Skinner, and Wendell Mottley
    • 1966 Commonwealth Games, Kingston, Jamaica - 100 yards (Quarterfinals, 9.98); 220 yards (Semifinals, 21.8); 4 x 110 yards Relay (8th, 41.3, with Henry Noel, Cipriani Phillip, and Winston Short)
    • 1974 United States Youth Games, Baltimore, Maryland, USA - New York City Youth Games Team Head Track & Field Coach
    AWARDS:
    • New York City Public Schools Martin Luther King, Jr. Award (for contribution to athletics in the New York City Public School Athletic League)
    • Public School Athletic League Award for Contribution to P.S.A.L Sports Program of New York City (January 15, 1971)
    • City of New York Mayor's Citation of Merit for contribution to Track & Field in NYC (August 28, 1974)
    • Coach of the Year, The Amsterdam Newspaper, New York, New York, USA (1980)
    • Martin Luther King, Jr., New York City Public School Athletic League Award, New York, USA (1980)
    • United States Olympic Committee Certificate of Award for Active Participation in a National Project to Promote the Spirit of Olympism and to Enrich Education through the Olympics (February 23, 1984)
    DIED: November 28, 2020, in New York City, New York, USA, from unknown causes.
    Compiled by Ronald C. Emrit