You’ve probably never heard of Jocko, but here’s a great article.
He was the first African-American sportscaster — ever. On WHOM in Jersey City, on WAAT in Newark on WNJR in Newark, starting in the 1930s, Jocko’s voice was a “dinner guest” at African-American homes all over North Jersey.
He doubled as a sportswriter with publications like the Newark Afro-Americans. He was the public address announcer for Eagles games at old Ruppert Stadium in Newark. He was the Eagles’ unofficial “Lord High Chancellor of Communication” with the world beyond the foul lines. He did much the same for all of Negro League Baseball at a time when, if you couldn’t get to the game and you wanted to know if the Eagles won, Jocko’s familiar voice told you.
Which is more than the Newark newspapers did most of the time in that era.
