Sherman Maxwell
Encyclopedia
Sherman Leander Maxwell was an American
sportscaster and chronicler of the Negro league baseball
league. Many believe that Maxwell was the first African American
sports broadcaster in history. He was known by the nickname of Jocko. Despite his many firsts, Maxwell was rarely paid for his by the radio stations he worked for during his career.
, where he resided for most of his life. He received his nickname of "Jocko" when he was a teenager. Maxwell climbed a tree while watching baseball in an attempt to catch a flyball when someone yelled, "Hey, look at Jocko!" Jocko The Monkey was the name of a popular performer in 1920s era films and the name stuck. He graduated from Central High School
in Newark, though he was such a fan of baseball that he intentionally failed high school final exams so he could remain at the school for one more year in order to play high school baseball.
He later served in the United States Army
in Europe
during World War II
.
career in 1929 at the age of 22 when he began doing a five-minute weekly sports report on WNJR
, a radio station
based in Newark. (There are some discrepancies as to which station Maxwell first began working at, but most sources point to WNJR). WNJR was known as the "voice of Newark" during the 1920s and was owned by Herman Lubinsky, the co-founder of Savoy Records
. It is believed by many authors and historians of the radio era that Maxwell became the first African American sports reporter.
Maxwell was broadcasting on stations throughout northern New Jersey by the 1930s. He was heard by listeners on WHOM
in Jersey City. He also hosted a sports report called, "Runs, Hits and Errors" on WRNY, a station based in Coytesville, New Jersey, which had a studio in Manhattan
at the Roosevelt Hotel
. His reports gradually expanded to include interviews with Negro league baseball players.
Maxwell later became the public address sports announcer at Ruppert Stadium
for the Negro leagues team the Newark Eagles
. He initially announced for games only on Sundays. Maxwell continued broadcasting for both games and radio stations until 1967.
Maxwell also founded and mananged the Newark Starlings, a mixed race, semi-professional baseball team. He also became a contributing writer to Baseball Digest
, where he wrote about subjects ranging from the integration
of baseball to Jackie Robinson
. In 1940, Maxwell authored a book of interviews with players entitled, Thrills and Spills in Sports. He also submitted stories on the Newark Eagles to the Ledger
in Newark, which is the predecessor of The Star-Ledger
newspaper.
He was inducted into the Newark Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994. In 2001, Maxwell achieved his lifelong dream by visiting the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York
, when he was 93 years old, though he was not inducted into the Hall of Fame during his lifetime.
at Chester County Hospital in West Chester, Pennsylvania
. He was 100 years old. He was survived by his sister, Berenice Maxwell Cross, of West Caldwell, NJ, and his son, Bruce Maxwell, of West Chester, PA. His wife, Mamie, and daughter, Lisa, had died previously.
In an interview after Maxwell's death, Bob Kendrick, the director of marketing
for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
in Missouri
said that Maxwell had been well known by Negro league players as someone who preserved records and scores that would have been lost without him.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sportscaster and chronicler of the Negro league baseball
Negro league baseball
The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams predominantly made up of African Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be used narrowly for the seven relatively successful leagues beginning in...
league. Many believe that Maxwell was the first African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
sports broadcaster in history. He was known by the nickname of Jocko. Despite his many firsts, Maxwell was rarely paid for his by the radio stations he worked for during his career.
Early life
Sherman Maxwell was born on December 18, 1907 in Newark, New JerseyNewark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, where he resided for most of his life. He received his nickname of "Jocko" when he was a teenager. Maxwell climbed a tree while watching baseball in an attempt to catch a flyball when someone yelled, "Hey, look at Jocko!" Jocko The Monkey was the name of a popular performer in 1920s era films and the name stuck. He graduated from Central High School
Central High School (Newark, New Jersey)
Central High School is a four-year public high school located in Newark, New Jersey, United States, as part of the Newark Public Schools.As of the 2005-06 school year, the school had an enrollment of 862 students and 87.0 classroom teachers , for a student–teacher ratio of 9.9.The school was the...
in Newark, though he was such a fan of baseball that he intentionally failed high school final exams so he could remain at the school for one more year in order to play high school baseball.
He later served in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Sports broadcasting career
Maxwell reportedly began his broadcastingBroadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
career in 1929 at the age of 22 when he began doing a five-minute weekly sports report on WNJR
WNJR (AM)
WNJR was a commercial radio station based in Newark, New Jersey, on 91 Halsey St. in Newark, NJ. The station broadcast on 1430 kHz with a transmitter power output of 5000 watts.-History:...
, a radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
based in Newark. (There are some discrepancies as to which station Maxwell first began working at, but most sources point to WNJR). WNJR was known as the "voice of Newark" during the 1920s and was owned by Herman Lubinsky, the co-founder of Savoy Records
Savoy Records
Savoy Records is an American record label specializing in jazz, R&B and gospel. Starting in the mid 1940s, Savoy played an important part in popularizing bebop.Savoy Records is an American record label specializing in jazz, R&B and gospel. Starting in the mid 1940s, Savoy played an important part...
. It is believed by many authors and historians of the radio era that Maxwell became the first African American sports reporter.
Maxwell was broadcasting on stations throughout northern New Jersey by the 1930s. He was heard by listeners on WHOM
WHOM
WHOM is an American radio station which airs an adult contemporary format. It transmits from atop Mount Washington in New Hampshire and has a broadcast area of five states and Quebec. While the signal can be heard all over northern New England, the station broadcasts from and considers itself part...
in Jersey City. He also hosted a sports report called, "Runs, Hits and Errors" on WRNY, a station based in Coytesville, New Jersey, which had a studio in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
at the Roosevelt Hotel
Roosevelt Hotel (New York)
The Roosevelt Hotel is at Madison Avenue and 45th Street in midtown Manhattan, named in honor of President Theodore Roosevelt. The New York City hotel opened on September 22, 1924. The hotel closed in 1995 and reopened in 1997 after a $65-million extensive renovation.-Guest rooms:There are a total...
. His reports gradually expanded to include interviews with Negro league baseball players.
Maxwell later became the public address sports announcer at Ruppert Stadium
Ruppert Stadium (Newark)
Ruppert Stadium was a baseball stadium that formerly stood in Newark, New Jersey, in the area now known as the Ironbound. Originally named Davids' Stadium, it was home to the minor league Newark Bears of the International League from 1926 to 1949 and the Newark Eagles of the Negro Leagues from 1936...
for the Negro leagues team the Newark Eagles
Newark Eagles
The Newark Eagles was a professional Negro league baseball team that played in the second Negro National League from 1936 to 1948.- Formation :...
. He initially announced for games only on Sundays. Maxwell continued broadcasting for both games and radio stations until 1967.
Maxwell also founded and mananged the Newark Starlings, a mixed race, semi-professional baseball team. He also became a contributing writer to Baseball Digest
Baseball Digest
Baseball Digest is a baseball magazine resource, published in Evanston, Illinois by Lakeside Publishing Company. It is the oldest and longest-running baseball magazine in the United States....
, where he wrote about subjects ranging from the integration
Racial integration
Racial integration, or simply integration includes desegregation . In addition to desegregation, integration includes goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely...
of baseball to Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...
. In 1940, Maxwell authored a book of interviews with players entitled, Thrills and Spills in Sports. He also submitted stories on the Newark Eagles to the Ledger
Ledger
A ledger is the principal book or computer file for recording and totaling monetary transactions by account, with debits and credits in separate columns and a beginning balance and ending balance for each account. The ledger is a permanent summary of all amounts entered in supporting journals which...
in Newark, which is the predecessor of The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to The Jersey Journal of Jersey City, The Times of Trenton and the Staten Island Advance, all of which are owned by Advance Publications.The Newark Star-Ledgers daily...
newspaper.
He was inducted into the Newark Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994. In 2001, Maxwell achieved his lifelong dream by visiting the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown is a village in Otsego County, New York, USA. It is located in the Town of Otsego. The population was estimated to be 1,852 at the 2010 census.The Village of Cooperstown is the county seat of Otsego County, New York...
, when he was 93 years old, though he was not inducted into the Hall of Fame during his lifetime.
Death
Sherman Maxwell died on July 16, 2008, of complications of pneumoniaPneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
at Chester County Hospital in West Chester, Pennsylvania
West Chester, Pennsylvania
The Borough of West Chester is the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,461 at the 2010 census.Valley Forge, the Brandywine Battlefield, Longwood Gardens, Marsh Creek State Park, and other historical attractions are near West Chester...
. He was 100 years old. He was survived by his sister, Berenice Maxwell Cross, of West Caldwell, NJ, and his son, Bruce Maxwell, of West Chester, PA. His wife, Mamie, and daughter, Lisa, had died previously.
In an interview after Maxwell's death, Bob Kendrick, the director of marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum was founded in 1990 in Kansas City, Missouri.-History:The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum was founded in 1990 by a group of former Negro Leagues baseball players, including Kansas City Monarchs outfielder, Alfred Surratt, Buck O'Neil, and Horace Peterson...
in Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
said that Maxwell had been well known by Negro league players as someone who preserved records and scores that would have been lost without him.