Barrington Gaynor

Barrington "Cobra" Gaynor was born 27 September 1965 in Kingston, Jamaica he is a retired Jamaica national football player. Barrington lived in Trench Town Kingston until he was nine years old. While living in Trench Town, he attended Trench Town Primary School up until grade four. After moving to 9 Miles Bull Bay, St. Andrew in May of 1975, Gaynor immediately transferred to St. Benedict's Primary School at 7 Miles Bull Bay. He started learning to play football at eleven years old. While learning to play football on the streets, Barrington was given the nickname Cobra by one of his friend, who just felt like giving him a name. He played his first competition in the summer of 1977. It was the Bull Bay under fifteen Corner League where his team, Lodge United, was the eventual champion. In 1978, Barrington took the Common Entrance Exam, passed and went to Camperdown High School where he would do well. At Camperdown he played Pepsi Under 13 in 1978 and went to the finals. In 1979 and 1980, Gaynor played Colts Under 15 and unfortunately lost in the 1979 Colts final. He went on to play in the High School Manning Cup competition from 1981 to 1984. Camperdown won the Manning Cup, Walker Cup, and Olivier Shield in 1982. From 1982 to 1984 Gaynor was selected to the All Manning team at the end of each season. In 1984, Barrington was name footballer of the year at Camperdown High School.

At the age of fifteen, Barrington started playing senior football in the Major League Competition for Bull Bay F.C. He represented his community for only three years before moving on to Harbour View. In 1983, Barrington would make his big career move at the age of eighteen when he joined neighboring Club Harbour View. Gaynor would play for Harbour View F.C. for eighteen years where he would win countless trophie. While representing Harbour View with some excellent performance, Barrington was giving the nickname Cabrini, who was the Italian left full back from the 1982 World Cup winning team. While playing for Harbour View F.C., Gaynor won two Major Leagues, one President Cup, four Jackie Bell Knockouts, three Federation Cup Knockouts, three Premier League End of Round Finals and one Premier League Title. In year 1985, Barrington was named the Most Valuable Junior Player in the Premier League and in 1998 Gaynor was voted the Most Valuable Player in the Federation Cup Knockout.

In 1988 Barrington Gaynor was awarded a four year football scholarship in the United States of America at Alderson Broaddus College in Philippi, West Virginia. Gaynor studied Computer Science and graduated in three and a half years with a Bachelor of Science degree. In 1988 Alderson Broaddus College were beaten in finals of the NAIA National Tournament and lost in Semi finals of the Tournament in 1991. Alderson Broaddus were the Area champions in 1988 and 1991 and Conference champions in 1988, 1990, and 1991. Barrington made the All American and All Conference teams in the four years he played in college. He was also selected to the 1988 NAIA National All Tournament Team. Gaynor started a College Scholarship Program immediately after his first year at Alderson Broaddus College. He would get various different colleges to give young football players a full four or two year scholarship. This scholarship program still goes on.

Barrington Gaynor got his first taste of national recognition when he was selected into the Jamaica National Under 19 Team in 1983. In 1987, Barrington would move on to make his senior National debut. Gaynor would play for his nation until 1993 and earn 63 caps. In 1991 he was appointed vice captain of the national team and was given the opportunity to lead the team on many of occasions. During his tenor as a national player, Gaynor was dub by one reporter as "the man who doesn't know how to play a bad a game". With the Jamaica National Senior team, Gaynor won the Caribbean Shell Cup in 1991 and came third in the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 1993. Barrington Gaynor is consider by many Jamaicans as the best Right Full Back to ever represent the nation.

Barrington then returned to college to successfully complete his masters degree from 1993 to 1995. He went to William Carey College in Missippi, where he was the assistant soccer coach for two years. Gaynor graduated in 1995 with a MBA in Business Administration. He went back promptly to his beloved home, Jamaica, to work and continue his playing and coaching career.

Barrington started his coaching career at a very tender age when he coached his championship Under 10 team while he was only twelve years old. In 1995, he coached his former high school, Camperdown, in the manning Cup competition and cotinued to coach until 2007. Camperdown made it to the Walker Cup Finals in 2005 and Manning Cup Semi Finals in 2000 and 2005. Barrington took over the coaching job at Bull Bay F.C. in 1999 and won the Syd Barlett Competition and were undefeated. Barrington went on to be named Kingston and St. Andrew Football Association coach of the year in 2000. The following year Gaynor's Bull Bay team's hard work paid off again when they were awarded the Major League champions. In 2001, Barrington transferred from Harbour View and went back to Bull Bay where he becomes a player coach. The Bull Bay team came second in the National A League competition and was promoted to the Premier League for the 2002/03 season. Bull Bay is the only team to ever got promoted three consecutive year on their way up to the Premier League. His team, Bull Bay presently plays in the KSAFA Super League competition where they came second in 2005 and 2008.

In 2004 Gaynor got a coaching stint with the National program, and travelled to Chendu, China as an assistant coach to Wendell Downswell with the Jamaica Under 23 team. In the 2005/2006 season, he was assistant coach to Donovan Hayles at Harbour View for the Premier League. In July 2006, Barrington, went to England to complete the UEFA B Coaching course for a month. On his return from England, he coached Waterhouse F.C. in the 2006/2007 Premier League season.

Barrington "Cobra" Gaynor is presently married, with two daughters one twelve years old and a two year old. Gaynor kept his first Back To School Treat in 2007 at his home in 9 Miles Bull Bay, where he cater for 1,000 children in the community. Barrington was unfortunately diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig's disease in January 2008. He is now in New York getting treatment and doing physical therapy. In April 2008, Barrington was inducted in the Alderson Broaddus College Hall Of Fame. He is the second football player to be inducted in the Hall of Fame at Alderson Broaddus College.