_{Photo: 3 Brodies players, (l-r) Malcolm “Buddha” Hemmans, Lionel “Paps” Hamilton and Bert Cattouse at the MCC around 1962}

BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Aug. 29, 2024

We received the sad news just yesterday of the passing of legendary footballer, Malcolm “Buddha” “Mi Ming” Hemmans, who burst upon the football scene out of primary school in the early 1960s and became a fixture on the MCC from then through the 1970s and early 1980s. Small in stature, but big in football skills and generalship in midfield, Buddha played on various 1st Division teams throughout his outstanding football career, including BEC, Spurs, Jaguars, Charger, Belprint and Milpros, and was a member of the coaching staff of the champion Coke Milpros team of the mid-1980s.

In an Amandala story (See picture above) from July 2014, Malcolm told us, “I was just out of primary school at St. Joseph, when they recruited me to play in senior football with Brodies… After a while, when some of their star players had gone to the States, BEC offered some of us jobs, and so we went over to BEC.”

A total team player and pleasant personality, Malcolm will be remembered by a generation of football players and fans for the joy he brought to the game. Our sincere condolences to his family, and all his football family, especially those of us who once had him as our teammate and friend. Rest in peace, brother Malcolm “Buddha” Hemmans!