 Whitmore in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Theodore Eccleston Whitmore[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1972-08-05)5 August 1972 (age 53)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Montego Bay, Jamaica | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Mount Pleasant F.A. | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Montego Bay Boys Club | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1994 | Cape Town Spurs | 3 | (1) |
| 1996–1997 | Violet Kickers | 12 | (2) |
| 1997–1999 | Seba United | 14 | (1) |
| 1999–2002 | Hull City | 77 | (9) |
| 2002–2003 | Seba United | ? | (4) |
| 2003 | Livingston | 3 | (0) |
| 2003–2004 | Seba United | ? | (1) |
| 2004–2006 | Tranmere Rovers | 37 | (5) |
| 2006 | Seba United | 24 | (8) |
| International career | |||
| 1993–2004 | Jamaica | 120 | (24) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2006–2008 | Seba United | ||
| 2007 | Jamaica(interim) | ||
| 2008 | Jamaica(assistant) | ||
| 2008 | Jamaica(interim) | ||
| 2009–2013 | Jamaica | ||
| 2014–2015 | Jamaica U-20 | ||
| 2016–2021 | Jamaica | ||
| 2022–2024 | Mount Pleasant F.A. | ||
| 2024– | Mount Pleasant F.A. | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Theodore Eccleston Whitmore,OD, (Born August 5, 1972) is a Jamaican former professionalfootballer. He is the former head coach ofJamaica national team.[3]
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion with: information about his club career in Jamaica, England, and Scotland. You can help byadding missing information.(November 2008) |
Whitmore attended St. James High School inMontego Bay, Jamaica. During his late teens, he worked as a Baked Goods delivery assistant with National Continental Foods, now National Baking Company, in Montego Bay before moving on to play football in the Jamaica National Premiere League. By default, he left his job at National Continental foods after the salesperson he worked for was terminated for stabbing a defenseless office employee in early 1992. As a very skillful and creative for a player despite his tall frame, he started his club career at Montego Bay Boys Club, and has since played forViolet Kickers andSeba United in his native Jamaica. He was signed on a free by English league sideHull City following a one-week trial with the club, where he played together with compatriotIan Goodison, until an accident in Jamaica cut short his Hull career. Whitmore made his debut in an F.A. Cup tie against Macclesfield. On his league debut, away at Rochdale, Whitmore scored a league debut goal. During his 77 games for Hull, he became something of a fan favourite during a relatively unhappy time for the club; who were lurking in the basement of the English Football League, struggling with financial insecurities. Scottish teamLivingston acquired his services in 2003,[4] and in June 2004 he signed forTranmere Rovers. He had his contract terminated in January 2006 by mutual consent. He returned to Jamaica to become player/coach for his former teamSeba United.[citation needed]
Whitmore made his debut for Jamaica in a November 1993 friendly match against theUnited States, coming on as a late substitute forHector Wright. Whitmore earned 105 official international caps and scored 24 goals for theJamaica national team.[5] He was a key member of the Reggae Boyz' squad during the second half of the 1990s, playing as a major catalyst for the Jamaicans as they advanced to their first and onlyWorld Cup in 1998. Although Jamaica was eliminated in the first round, Whitmore scored two goals in Jamaica's only win of the competition, a 2–1 victory againstJapan. In that same year he was named Caribbean Footballer of the Year. His last international match was also against the United States, a 1–1 away draw on 17 November 2004 during2006 World Cup qualification in which he was substituted forJason Euell in the 72nd minute.[6][7]
When Whitmore returned to Seba United in 2006, he returned as both a player and a coach.[citation needed]
In November 2007, he was brought on as interim manager of the Jamaica national team after the firing of former managerBora Milutinović.[8] Jamaica won both games, friendlies againstEl Salvador andGuatemala, under his watch.[9] He was then retained as an assistant under new coachRenê Simões.[10] Simões lasted nine months as manager due to poor play in thethird round ofCONCACAF World Cup qualifiers,[11] and upon his release on 11 September 2008, he was again appointed interim manager until newly appointed managerJohn Barnes would be available in November.[12]
As interim manager in October 2008, Whitmore guided the Reggae Boyz to back-to-back 1–0 wins againstMexico andHonduras that gained him tremendous support as a manager and put the Jamaicans into range for advancement with one game remaining in semifinal round group play.[9] He again took thereins of the national team whenJohn Barnes left the position in June 2009, to take up a management job at Whitmore's former club Tranmere Rovers in the English League. Whitmore's team struggled during the2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup and were eliminated in the first round. As a part of the national team rebuilding efforts which started in August 2009, he led the squad to three draws and one win to end 2009. In December 2010, he led Jamaica to the 2010 Digicel Cup title. After qualifying Jamaica for the CONCACAF Hexagonal final round in 2012, Whitmore resigned as head coach in June 2013.[13] From December 2014 through February 2015, he served as Jamaica national u20 coach.[14] In September 2016, Whitmore was named interim head coach of Jamaica[15] In May 2018, Whitmore signed a four-year contract with the JFF.[16] On 9 December 2021, Whitmore was dismissed as senior national team head coach.[17] by the JFF.
In 2022, Whitmore was named manager ofJamaica Premier League club,Mount Pleasant in theSt. Ann Parish ofJamaica. On 11 June 2023, he won his first domestic title as a manager.[18]
After guiding the team to back-to-back JPL final appearances, winning in 2023 and losing on penalties in 2024, it was announced by Mount Pleasant that the club will not renew the contracts of its technical staff, including head coach Theodore Whitmore, upon their expiration on July 31, 2024.[19] Whitmore made a stunning return to Mount Pleasant after just one competitive match, in which the club suffered a shock defeat in the opening game of the2024 CONCACAF Caribbean Cup.[20]
Whitmore was injured in a car accident that led to the death of Reggae Boyz' teammateStephen Malcolm. After the accident he was charged withmanslaughter, of which he was later acquitted.[21] In November 2013, Whitmore's 14-year-old son, Jouvhaine, died after being struck by a vehicle while riding his bicycle. Whitmore's second son Gianni is said to be his twin because they look exactly alike and he is as skilful and talented as his father in his prime.[22]
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | ||||
| Seba United | 16 August 2006[citation needed] | 16 June 2008 | 39 | 13 | 7 | 19 | 48 | 64 | −16 | 033.33 | [citation needed] |
| Jamaica | 11 November 2007 | 31 December 2007[9] | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | +5 | 100.00 | [citation needed] |
| Jamaica | 11 September 2008[11] | 20 November 2008[12] | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 100.00 | [citation needed] |
| Jamaica | 9 June 2009 | 12 June 2013[13] | 53 | 24 | 8 | 21 | 62 | 51 | +11 | 045.28 | [citation needed] |
| Jamaica u20 | 26 February 2014[14] | 31 December 2015 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 000.00 | [citation needed] |
| Jamaica | 26 September 2016[15] | 9 December 2021 | 54 | 23 | 14 | 17 | 89 | 63 | +26 | 042.59 | [citation needed] |
| Career total | 155 | 64 | 31 | 60 | 208 | 185 | +23 | 041.29 | |||
Jamaica
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Jamaica
Mount Pleasant FA
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