17 Sep 2025 The Ball keeps on rolling

By Stefanie Brazile

Jacksonville running back and linebacker Mason Ball finds motivation in his grandfather’s athletic legacy. Coolidge Ball was recruited by the University of Mississippi in 1970 and was the first African American student-athlete at Ole Miss. A bronze statue of him was unveiled on campus in 2021, and Mason and his family were there to celebrate the moment.

Born in 1951 in Oxford, Mississippi, Coolidge graduated from Gentry High in Indianola, Mississippi. Several colleges approached him, and he chose to play for the Ole Miss Rebels because of support from the athletic department. “The times were very different in those days and there was a lot of adversity because of skin color. That shows his perseverance as a man. He got through all of that unnecessary backlash.”

Mason’s mother, Heather Ball, remembers Coolidge’s comments about that time, 55 years ago. “When his grandfather told us stories about him coming to Ole Miss, he said that his coaches and teammates helped him make the decision to go there because they were very supportive,” Heather said.

In 1979, Coolidge founded Ball Sign Company in Oxford. “Granddad was hard-working and extremely humble,” Mason said. “I’m still hearing about the connections he had with people, and that he had a clear and level head.

“He taught me that sports and school together is a lifestyle. You can’t just like it, you’ve got to love it. He was very big on keeping God first and going to church every Sunday. He said, ‘We can do all things through Christ.’”

After Coolidge died in 2023, Mason had a pendant made that he always wears on a chain. It has a photo of his granddad in the center about to shoot a basketball. “One of the reasons I wear it is to remind myself about my granddad and the decisions I make,” Mason said. “He’s still a part of me.”