BELLE GLADE — Jessie Hester never believed she was better than anyone growing up in the most fertile region of the country when it comes to producing football players.
Hester, the former standout wide receiver, acknowledges that there were more talented athletes than ever made All-State, who never had the opportunity to attend a school like Florida State and become an All-American, who were never selected in the first round of the NFL Draft.
And he knows what separated many like him and others who achieved so much athletically, like his peers in the inaugural class of the Muck City Sports Hall of Fame, from those left behind: simple decision-making.
“I was lucky enough to play college baseball and play professionally and I know guys better than me didn’t get that opportunity for (different) reasons, like poor decision making,” Hester said.
“We didn’t come in the best of circumstances, but that didn’t lead me to go and do the wrong thing. There’s no reason to do that. You can go mow the lawn, pick up trash in people’s yards, whatever.” must do to have a few dollars in your pocket. Do that, there is no shame in hard work. Don’t use anything as an excuse for why things are going wrong. .”
And for many who do, the recognition could one day come from the Muck City Sports Hall of Fame.
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Hester, who played for four NFL teams and caught 373 passes for 5,850 yards and 29 touchdowns; Pro Football Hall of Famer Rickey Jackson; the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl 43, Santonio Holmes; and 12-year-old NFL cornerback Jimmy Spencer were recognized Friday during Glades Central’s preseason game against Miami’s Booker T. Washington.
Also entering the inaugural class are football coach Milton Watson, basketball and track star Evette Lyman, and standout wrestler Jerry Seymore.
They were inducted June 5 into the Dolly Hand Cultural Arts Center on Palm Beach State College’s Belle Glade campus.
The Muck City Sports Hall will honor athletes and supporters from Belle Glade, Pahokee, South Bay and Clewiston, four schools with a combined 20 state football titles. It was launched by the Muck City Project, which focuses on preserving and recognizing the region’s history.
The project notes that more than 80 NFL and 400 college football players once planted their shoes in the rich soil on the southern shores of Lake Okeechobee, all beginning to chase rabbits forced out of the cane fields during spring season. fires. Urban Meyer once called the Glades “the fastest place in the whole country.”
Many have achieved greatness and made their mark in small college towns and big NFL cities. And none will forget their roots.
“The guys have been all over the world, they’re always going to say hello to Muck, just to let the world know where they’re from,” Hester said.
And a hall of fame that recognizes the best in an underserved community is much more than names on banners and halftime ceremonies.
More than anything, this kind of recognition can be an inspiration to the seemingly endless stream of talent coming from an area where resources are limited. Success stories like Hester and Jackson and Holmes and Spencer and many more to follow can motivate future generations when they hear their stories.
“It meant more to them to get into the Muck Hall of Fame than much of the notoriety they got on the national stage because it came from the people who knew them best and knew the living conditions and the struggle they had to go through to be where they were. are today,” said Jonathan Mann, president of the Muck City Project.
The strength of this hall of famer will be unlike any in a small rural region of the country, especially one with a population of just over 40,000.
Name another regional hall of fame where Fred Taylor, Anquan Boldin, Andre Waters, Louis Oliver, Reidel Anthony, or Janoris Jenkins failed to break their inaugural class.
The 17th leading rusher in NFL history, an NFL Man of the Year, a four-time leading tackler for the Philadelphia Eagles, a second-team All-Pro, a first-round pick, a Pro Bowler.
“They had to flip coins to make the decision of who gets in and who doesn’t,” Hester said. “You just have such a long list of guys that could easily be there.”
Tom D’Angelo is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at tdangelo@pbpost.com.
What cities are in the muck?
A community better known as “Muck Town” due to the large amount of mud-like land is made up of four towns that border the southern end of Lake Okeechobee; Belle Glade, Pahokee, South Bay and Clewiston.
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How many NFL players are from Muck City?
The area has a small population but has produced over 200 NFL players with 60 of them going to the top of their game. They say that their towns export sugar and soccer!
What is Muck City?
Belle Glade (and the surrounding area) is sometimes referred to as “Muck City” due to the large amount of manure, on which sugarcane grows, found in the area. This may interest you : Journalist’s notebook: On tour with Arsenal in America. Despite being located in the South Florida region of the state, Belle Glade is more culturally associated with the Florida Heartland.
How many white players are in the NFL?
In 2020, 69.4% of National Football League players were of color, a decrease of 3.2% from 2016. The percentage of Black or African American players in the NFL reached 57.5 %, White 24.9%, Hispanic/Latino 0. To see also : USFL wins with football and fun, not politics.4%, Asian 0.1%, Pacific Islander 1.6%, and American Indian 0.2%.
Which NFL team has the most Caucasian players? The whitest team in the NFL isn’t what you’d expect (or maybe it is) the Philadelphia Eagles, and by a wide margin. The team roster consists of 25 white guys. According to the “2014 Unofficial Player Census” compiled by the Best Tickets blog, the Texans are the only other team that has even 20.
How many white athletes are in the NFL?
Meanwhile, white players make up 24.9% of the NFL and comprise 60.1% of the population. Latino players represent only 0.4% of all NFL players, but they are 18.5% of the country’s total. Asian players make up just 0.1% of all NFL players, while they make up 5.9% of the population.
What percentage of the NFL is white?
National Football League statistics by race The percentage of black or African American NFL players reached 57.5%, whites 24.9%, Hispanics or Latinos 0.4%, Asians the 0.1%, Pacific Islanders 1.6%, and American Indians 0.2%.
How big is Pahokee Florida?
How many NFL players are from Pahokee? Glades Central and Pahokee each have five, tied with Glenville High (Ohio). Additionally, of the players on NFL rosters, 25 call Miami their hometown and 16 hail from Fort Lauderdale. Miami leads all cities, while Fort Lauderdale is tied for second with Houston and New Orleans.
What’s the crime rate in Pahokee Florida?
Property crime in Pahokee is 42.6. The graph has 1 Y-axis showing the crime rate per 100,000 population. The data ranges from 1294.6 to 5610.3.
Is Pahokee poor?
Pahokee has a population of 5,500 in 2020. Pahokee is currently declining at a rate of -0.22% per year and its population has decreased by -0.43% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 5,524 in 2010. The median family income in Pahokee is $39,519 with a poverty rate of 37.62%
What is Pahokee FL known for?
Located along the east-central portion of the massive Lake Okeechobee in central Florida’s Palm Beach County, Pahokee is a small city known primarily for its abundance of outdoor recreation options and rural, small-town charm. little.
