On Monday, February 23, members of Matthew Gilbert High School's 1958 State Championship football team read the stories of African American sports heroes to some sixth-grade students at Jean Ribault Middle School.
Students Kalvin Martin and Isaiah Turner served as emcees for the event and the girls' chorus opened the program by leading the crowd in the singing of the Negro National Anthem, Lift Every Voice and Sing.
1958 state champion Leon Smith recited the poem, “Work” by Henry Van Dyke. Smith exclaimed, “When vagrant wishes beckon me astray, this is my work; my blessing, not my doom; Of all who live, I am the one by whom, this work can best be done in the right way." He told the students that he had learned this poem when he was about their age, and explained the significance of hard work and doing their best at both school and home.
Students were later broken into groups and led to tables where the state champs read stories of triumph of legendary African American sports figures like Robert “Bullet Bob” Hayes, who was a member of their 1958 championship team.
Team member Enoch Webster, who read the story of retired football player Eddie George, also showed his group a news article which documented that he had outrun Bob Hayes, who was once considered the world's fastest man, during a race.
After the reading breakout sessions, school principal George Maxey presented the team with a certificate of recognition and spoke of the team's legacy, informing the students about the importance of knowing their history. Maxey explained that the team has only recently received recognition for their accomplishment more than half a century ago because times were different for African Americans during the 1950s. He also explained that one in three African American males in Duval County Public Schools does not graduate, and that they should leave a legacy of success instead of one of failure and dropping out.
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