JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Front Porch History project, which was shown at the Ritz Theater and Museum in the historic LaVilla neighborhood in downtown, shares first-person stories of African Americans who helped change our schools, politics and everyday life in the city.
It profiles teachers, neighborhood activists and everyday residents who pushed for progress.
Among them was Alfred Austin, best known as Ribault’s celebrated High School girls’ basketball coach for 25 seasons beginning in 1978.
He led the team to eight state titles and was inducted into the state high school athletics Hall of Fame. Austin was also a track & field star at Florida A&M University alongside future Olympic gold medalist and Dallas Cowboy Bob Hayes.
News4JAX Anchor Joy Purdy met up with Austin at his high school alma mater — New Stanton High, now called Stanton College Prep — where he reminisced about the state record he set in the 100-yard-dash back in 1957 with a time of 9-point-6 seconds.
Joy also met with Otis “Crazy Boy” Williams, who played baseball in the Negro Leagues and served as a relief pitcher for the legendary Satchel Page.
Williams also attended New Stanton High, where his love of baseball started. Williams explained how his Negro League team, The Indianapolis Clows, was a lot like what the Harlem Globetrotters are to basketball.
Watch parts of their conversations with Joy in the video clips here, then on Wednesday during News4JAX’s 4 Your Neighborhood series, you’ll hear from two of the creators of the Front Porch History project as we highlight Black History Month.