JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – James Purcell Small was a coach in Jacksonville, and perhaps you’ve visited J.P. Small Memorial Park, the park named in his honor in the Durkeeville neighborhood. What you might not know is that Small, despite losing most of his vision, continued coaching and mentoring some of the most successful athletes for decades.
The park contains many memories. But the man the man the park was named after means so much more to Nathaniel Farley, Jr., who was coached and mentored by Small.
“When my father died in seventh grade, my junior high school coaches were my fathers,” Farley said. “Then when I got to Stanton, Coach Small was my father.”
The bond began when they met in 1962. Small began to go blind in the 1950s. Over time, his sight deteriorated more and he needed someone to be his eyes on the field.
He chose Farley.
“He called my mom and said, ‘Do you mind bringing him over to my house every morning?’” Farley recalled.
Farley says Small had a photographic memory. Small couldn’t see a whiteboard for plays, so he got a blue board made — the one color he could see well.
“Then he took some plexiglass and cut some holes out for the different positions on the field on offensive and positional defense,” Farley said.
During the games, Farley would be playing on the field and explain to Small where each opposing player was positioned.
Farley remembers Small as an innovative man while at Stanton High School on Ashley Street.
“He organized every sport at Stanton. In 1934, when he became the athletic director at Stanton downtown, he organized all the sports both boys and girls,” Farley said. “He was an innovator, he was an educator, he was an advocate for physical education for Blacks.”
These are some of the many stories of Coach Small that Farley hopes are never forgotten. He wrote a book about it, titled: “The Faith of the Blind Coach”
Farley says Small graduated from Florida A&M and Ohio State University where he was mentored by Woody Hayes. Despite living in the segregated south, Small was focused on education and excellence.
I asked Farley, “What would Small say if we were alive today?”
He responded, “We still (have) a way to go to make adjustment for Blacks to be recognized even though we have made some real contributions.”
Despite segregation, racism and going blind, Small overcame adversity and changed the lives of many, and Farley hopes Small’s contributions are never forgotten.
Small also mentored a lot of successful athletes including: Harold O’Hare Junior, Al Austin, Al Denson, Boobie Clark, Harold Hart, Earl Kitchens and Sally Daniels.
Farley was the first Black wrestling coach in the state of Florida. He made that distinction at Ed White High School in 1972.