GAINESVILLE, Fla. – It was exactly the kind of day her husband lived for. There was a blue sky, a bright sun and hundreds of track and field athletes getting a chance to compete and showcase their skills in front of a large crowd.
The 67th annual Florida Relays concluded at UF's Percy Beard Track on Saturday, and former Gators track coach Jimmy Carnes would have fit in perfectly the way he did at so many previous Florida Relays.
Carnes, 76, passed away four weeks ago following a nearly four-year battle with cancer. Carnes is a Gators track icon, leading the program from 1964-76 and making his mark away from UF as founder of the Florida Track Club.
Carnes' spirit was palpable on Saturday, highlighted by a moment of recognition from UF. Nanette Carnes was introduced to the crowd and several of her husband's career accomplishments were pointed out by others as she received a bouquet of roses.
Nanette was honored earlier in the week when contacted by UF about the moment of recognition, but she didn't want to speak to the large crowd. She couldn't. Nanette is not ready for that with the loss of Jimmy still so fresh.
“I knew it would be too emotional for me,'' she said Saturday afternoon. “They were all very gracious. I appreciate them honoring him that way. It was very nice and I appreciate it.''
Nanette is certainly no stranger to the Florida Relays. For years, prior to the digital age we live in now, she would keep score by hand and sprint off toward track officials so they could take the scores and print them out.
She loved every second of it.
“I did a little bit of everything,'' she said. “If he needed me to time, I timed. If he needed me to pick places, I picked places. But I mainly worked the finish line at the Florida Relays. I was always involved with him. That was just part of my life, too.''
While Jimmy Carnes was the face of Florida's program for several years and a longtime ambassador for track and field, Nanette was his teammate through it all.
They moved to Gainesville in the middle of December 1964 for Jimmy to take what the called “his dream job.''
Early in his coaching career, Carnes was at Druid Hills High in Atlanta. He brought a team down to the Florida Relays to compete. He told Nanette that the UF job was one that he hoped to have one day if it ever opened.
It all worked out as he hoped after Percy Beard's tenure ended, and Jimmy and Nanette made Gainesville their permanent home. They never wanted to leave for anywhere else.
Nanette has remained close to UF athletics over the years in several ways, including keeping the scorebook at UF men's and women's basketball games. Those close to the program knew Jimmy's health must be declining fast when Nanette was unable to make the UF men's team's final home game of the season.
She has coped the best she knows how in the weeks since his passing, and Saturday was another step in the right direction.
“He loved the Florida Relays,'' she said. “He loved the competition and having all the athletes, both high school and college, come here and compete. He loved to give athletes an opportunity to compete and be recognized.
“That was part of his theme.”
Jimmy Carnes' theme played out perfectly on a beautiful April afternoon.
