Determined to escape the Mississippi Delta cotton fields and shotgun shacks of his childhood and youth, Sank Powe attended college at Jackson State in Jackson, Mississippi, graduating in 1964 with a degree in Social Science and Physical Education. He was an All-Conference catcher while in college, and was scouted by the St. Louis Cardinals who sent him all the way through try-outs to their spring camp in St. Petersburg, Florida. After hurting his arm, Sank returned home to teach, coach, and eventually scout for both the Cardinals and the Cincinnati Reds. Employed by the segregated Cleveland, Mississippi, public school system, Sank was one of the black teachers chosen by the administration to transfer to all-white Cleveland High (CHS) when the schools were integrated in the fall of 1970.

Caught in a “no-man’s land,” Sank mustered his courage and resiliently tackled his job with good humor and dedication. Within two years his integrated CHS baseball team had won the state championship, and within seven years he was named Mississippi Baseball Coach of the Year. His success in coaching, teaching, and counseling has brought him considerable praise from students, parents, and other – black and white. In 1990, the Cleveland School Board name the CHS Baseball field for him (“Sank Powe Field”) and in 1993 he was named Master Coach of the Year (a national award presented in Los Angeles at the American Baseball Coaches Association convention) by Easton Sports and COLLEGIATE BASEBALL magazine. Retiring from education in 1995, Sank continues to work part-time for the Cleveland Park Commission, and is still sought out by Cleveland youngsters for his advice and guidance.

AN PROJECT