Raines vs Ribault High School Black Heritage Classic continues historic rivalry honoring Florida’s First Major Leaguers.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As part of the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp’s salute to Black History Month, the club plays host to historic Duval County Public Schools rivals William M. Raines High School and Jean Ribault High School to play in the annual High School Heritage Classic exhibition game in June at 121 Financial Ballpark.
Raines and Ribault student-athletes will wear customized Jacksonville Red Caps uniforms in a tribute to the Negro Leagues’ baseball team that based primarily in Jacksonville, Florida slaying the Negro American League from 1938 until 1942. The exhibition contest will feature historical references to Negro Leagues players and teams throughout the game. The winning team will earn the A. Philip Randolph Cup, commemorating the civil rights activist who moved to Jacksonville in 1891.
“Every year, the High School Heritage Classic celebrates the extraordinary history of the Negro Leagues in Jacksonville and honors the many Negro Leagues players who laid the foundation for our entire industry,” said Jumbo Shrimp executive vice president/general manager Harold Craw. “I want to thank Duval County Public Schools and the students and faculty of both Raines and Ribault High Schools for continuing this integral tradition to the Jumbo Shrimp’s annual Black History Month celebration. We hope this special game will help encourage all fans to continue to learn about the extraordinary Negro Leagues players who complete the history of the sport we all love.”
After the Raines Vikings won each of the first two High School Heritage Classics to take home the A. Philip Randolph Cup by margins of 8-4 in 2020 and 16-5 in 2021, the Ribault Trojans won the contest in 2022 by a margin of 4-2.
According to The Jaxson,
“Baseball was a well established game in Jacksonville in the late 19th century, and with Jim Crow enforcing strict segregation, African-American ballplayers had to form their own teams. All-Black teams formed in both Jacksonville and St. Augustine, often representing social clubs or employees of a particular place. Though the teams were segregated, the crowds often were multiracial; Black teams were a draw for white locals and tourists hoping to see a good game of baseball.
As a young man James Weldon Johnson, creator of the famed hymn Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing among many other accomplishments, pitched for one such team, the Roman Cities, where he gained renown as one of the first in the city to master the curveball.”
ABOUT THE JUMBO SHRIMP: The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp offer affordable family fun at 121 Financial Ballpark. Their inaugural season garnered the Southern League’s Don Mincher Organization of the Year, Promotional Trophy and Jimmy Bragan Executive of the Year, won by general manager Harold Craw. The club added its second Promotional Trophy in three years following the 2019 season. The 2021 season marked the return of Triple-A baseball in Jacksonville. To experience the excitement with the terrific value of ticket and group options, call the Jumbo Shrimp at (904) 358-2846 or visit www.jaxshrimp.com.
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STAY CONNECTED WITH THE JUMBO SHRIMP: | Scott Kornberg, Director of Broadcasting & Media Relations, O: 904-224-8534 / C: 908-507-7048 Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, 301 A. Philip Randolph Blvd. Jacksonville, FL 32202 |
