PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The church has often been a symbol of what brings the Black community together. In south St. Pete, there were 13 different churches in the historically Black neighborhood before desegregation. Different families called different churches home. That meant not everyone was together all at once. But we did find one place that brought the entire community together: sporting events.

For former athletes like Thomas "Jet" Jackson, that was especially true.

“I played football, basketball and baseball. Oh, and swimming,” he said.

At the age of 77, the only thing he loves more than the game is the people attending them. He said most are like family. It’s a closeness that, for the most part, was only found at gatherings like sporting events when he was a kid.

“We had the best support you could ever have, even at football games it was standing room only. You didn’t have nothing to do but to go to the game on the weekend. Basketball games was the same,” Jackson said.

Jackson attended Gibbs High School when schools were still segregated. It was a time when everyone in the gym or on the field was Black and their team wasn’t allowed to play "whites only" schools.

“We had to travel all over the state including some parts of Georgia just to play football during the segregation period,” said Jackson.

He had some trying times on and off the field. But in spite of that, he was still able to score some wins doing what he loved.

“That’s where I got my start when I was 14 years old being a lifeguard. That’s how I got with the city for some 56 years and I moved right up the chain,” he said.

His career working in the city of St. Pete’s parks and recreation department for more than 56 years gave him a front row seat to every game in the city. He took a trip down memory lane looking at old photos.

“You could see how crowded it is in the gym here. It was just that crowded. It was just that crowded. The football games was standing room only. You couldn’t even get to the field. The bleachers were filled to capacity and all around the field where we were playing at. It was amazing to see so many people out at one time,” he said.

Jackson recently retired and isn’t able to get out to games as much, but his presence is felt. Especially at the rec center that bears his name: The Thomas Jet Jackson Rec Center in south St. Pete. He beams with pride whenever he thinks about the building dedicated to him a few years ago.

“It’s great! It’s a good feeling,” he said.

It’s a place filled with history for him and most of the people who grew up near here.

“This is the new building because the old building we used to call 'the match box.' The best basketball in the world was played in that gym. People from New York, all across the country, college coaches would come in recruiting ball players,” he said.

He hopes those memories stay alive at sporting events for generations to come.