Trailblazers in Black History: Sherman "Jocko" Maxwell

 

Sherman Leander Maxwell was an American sportscaster and chronicler of baseball's Negro League. 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.

It was an assertion that many in the mainstream press also accepted, and Maxwell himself sometimes stated that he had in fact been the first. He was known by the nickname of Jocko. 

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.

Additional information is available here. 

Source: Wikipedia