Mac City Sports Hall of Fame Introduces First Class

BELLE GLADE — Jessie Hester grew up in one of the most fertile regions in the country and never believed she was better than anyone when it came to developing footballers.

Once a standout wide receiver, Hester admits there were more talented athletes who never made All-State who never had the chance to attend a school like Florida State University and never had the chance to represent the nation. I’m here. NFL draft.

And he left behind what separated so many others (like his fellow inductees into the first class of the Mac City Sports Hall of Fame) who, like himself, had achieved so much in sports. I know people have gone from simple decisions to simple decisions.

“I was lucky enough to play college ball and play professionally. Those who are better than me know that they didn’t have that opportunity for (various) reasons such as bad decision making.” ‘ said Hester.

“We didn’t come from the best of circumstances, but that doesn’t mean I went in and did something wrong. There’s no reason to do it. Mowing the grass or picking up trash in people’s gardens.” To get a few bucks in your pocket, you have to do it. Pick yourself up by the bootstraps and get it..”

And for many who do, they may one day be honored by the MacCity Sports Hall of Fame.

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Playing for four NFL teams, Hester caught 373 passes for 5,850 yards and 29 touchdowns. Pro Football Hall of Famer Ricky Jackson. Super Bowl 43 MVP Santonio Holmes; his 12-year NFL cornerback Jimmy Spencer was honored on Friday against Booker T. Washington of Miami’s Grays during his preseason game at Central.

Also in the first class are football coach Milton Watson, basketball and track star Evette Lyman, and wrestling standout Jerry Seymour.

They were inaugurated at the Dolly Hand Center for the Arts and Culture at Palm Beach State University Belle Glade Campus on June 5.

Mac City Sports Hall honors athletes and contributors from four schools: Belle Glade, Pahokee, South Bay and Clewiston, who have won a total of 20 state soccer titles. It was started by the Muck City Project, which focuses on preserving and recognizing the region’s history.

In this project, more than 80 NFL players and 400 college football players once planted cleats in the fertile soil off the south shore of Lake Okeechobee and began chasing rabbits driven out of sugarcane fields during burn season. I am paying attention to that. Urban Meyer once called Grays “the fastest place in the country.”

Many have achieved greatness and left their mark in small college towns and NFL metropolises. And no one forgets their roots.

“The guys are all over the world and they’re always going to scream at the mooks just to let the world know where they’re coming from,” Hester said.

And the Hall of Fame, which recognizes the best from underserved communities, is more than the name of a banner or halftime ceremony.

It goes beyond sports.

Most of all, this kind of recognition can inspire an endless stream of talent coming from fields with limited resources. Many success stories can inspire future generations to hear their stories.

“Being inducted into the Mack Hall of Fame meant a lot more to them than the many notorieties they had on the national stage. Because it came from people who knew a struggle that didn’t happen… and that’s where they are today,” said Jonathan Mann, president of Mac City Projects.

The strength of this hall of fame differs from that of smaller rural areas of the country, especially those with a population of over 40,000.

The proof is the first class.

Name another regional Hall of Fame where Fred Taylor, Anquan Boldin, Andre Waters, Louis Oliver, Reidel Anthony, or Janoris Jenkins failed to beat the first class.

17th best rusher in NFL history, NFL Man of the Year, four-time Philadelphia Eagles leading tackler, Second Team All-Pro, first-round pick, Pro Bowler.

And the list goes on and on.

“They had to flip a coin to decide who got in and who didn’t,” Hester said. “There’s just a very long list of guys who can easily get in there.”

Someday they will.

Tom D’Angelo is a journalist for The Palm Beach Post. His contact is tdangelo@pbpost.com.