The rugby fraternity was plunged into mourning following the passing of its vice president Carl Seymour on Sunday. He was 67 years.
Seymour, who is considered one of the brains on the sport's executive, died on Sunday from a heart attack. He had just recovered from a stroke he suffered a couple of years ago and was key to strategising a way forward for local rugby, said Colin Peters, president of the T&T Rugby Football Union (TTRFU).
Peters yesterday described Seymour's death as a huge loss to the sport, saying he was someone you could have called on at any time.
Seymour was the driving force behind the rugby executive's new strategic plan which was completed at an Executive Committee Meeting on November 7. He became vice president of the TTRFU in 2018, where he served with distinction.
A release from the TTRFU said Seymour was a long-standing member of the rugby fraternity who started his career at Queen’s Royal College (QRC) in 1965 as the team captain.
It noted: "While at QRC, he joined the Royalians rugby football club (RFC), where he played on both the first and second rugby teams until the 1980s. He was an assistant coach of the Royalians women’s team in 2017/18 and a member of the men’s Under-19 national rugby team.
"Carl remained faithful to Royalians RFC as the longest-serving executive officer of the club, mainly as honorary secretary. He became president for the first time in 1985 and went on to serve in this position for a number of terms, the last of which was in 2019. He was also the main organiser of the club’s 20th and 50th anniversary celebrations."
Since his passing, TTRFU has been bombarded with messages from local regional and international organisations, all sending condolences to the family of Seymour, including Rugby America North (RAN) and World Rugby.