was referred to as the "porcelain bowl" because of both school's overwhelmingly white student population. In 1989, a retired NFL player, Glenn Collins, was the color commentator for Jackson Academy football radio broadcasts. Collins, who is black, was instructed by Jackson Academy athletic director Bobby West not to attend the game to be played at East Holmes Academy on account of his race. When he was later interviewed about his action, West attempted to cast blame onto a supposed third party whom he refused to name, explaining that he had "passed along the information given" to him, disclosing neither the source nor substance of any such "information." Jackson Academy currently fields 23 athletics teams, 10 male and 13 female. JA's football team, which competes in the Midsouth Association of Independent Schools, won nine MAIS titles from 1995 to 2016. The girls' volleyball team has won six titles since 2014 (including back-to-back titles in 2019 and 2020), and has played in every MAIS championship match since 2012. In 2018, girls' basketball coach Jan Sojourner celebrated her 900th win. In her 36 seasons at Jackson Academy, Sojourner has coached her teams to 22 championships, including six MAIS titles. Alumni Brunson Green, film producer and Academy Award nominee for the movie The Help. Dr. Calvin Thigpen, physician and oncologist References Educational institutions established in 1959 Schools in Jackson, Mississippi Private K-12 schools in Mississippi Preparatory schools in Mississippi Private schools in the Jackson metropolitan area, Mississippi Segregation academies in Mississippi 1959 establishments in Mississippi