Sherman Maxwell

Sherman Maxwell
Born(1907-12-18)December 18, 1907
Newark, New Jersey, US
DiedJuly 16, 2008(2008-07-16) (aged 100)
West Chester, Pennsylvania, US
OccupationSportscaster

Sherman Leander "Jocko" Maxwell (December 18, 1907 – July 16, 2008) was an American sportscaster and chronicler of Negro league baseball.[1] Many veteran journalists of his day, including Sam Lacy of the Baltimore Afro-American, believed that Maxwell was the first African American sports broadcaster in history.[2] It was an assertion that many in the mainstream press also accepted,[3] and Maxwell himself sometimes stated that he had in fact been the first.[4] For much of his life, he was known by the nickname of Jocko.[3] Despite his many accomplishments over a broadcasting career of more than four decades, Maxwell was rarely paid by the radio stations he worked for during his career.[1][3]

  1. ^ a b "Legendary black sportscaster Maxwell dies at 100". International Herald Tribune. Associated Press. 2008-07-17. Retrieved 2008-08-13.
  2. ^ Christine V. Baird, "Sherman Maxwell, Sportscasting Pioneer." Newark (NJ) Star-Ledger, July 17, 1998, p. 20.
  3. ^ a b c Weber, Bruce (2008-07-19). "Sherman L. Maxwell, 100, Sportscaster and Writer, Dies". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-08-13.
  4. ^ Jocko Maxwell. "1st Negro Sportscaster Sends Congrats." (New York City) Amsterdam News, December 11, 1954, p. 4.