Black History: Special Delivery!!
Sherman “Jocko” Maxwell, is considered to be the nation’s first African-American sportscaster. Maxwell’s broadcast career began in 1929 when he convinced the owner of WNJR in Newark into giving him five minutes of air time on Saturdays to read scores.
He was turned down 25 times before someone finally landing an announcer job. Mr. Maxwell went on to broadcast for various stations over the years, all while working full-time as a postal clerk. He retired from radio in 1967. During his career, Mr. Maxwell ran his own multiracial semi-pro baseball team. He also wrote a book entitled “Thrills and Spills in Sports” (1940).