Clayton Jones, one of softball’s premier shortstops, played with the Safari Tigers during the 1980s and with the Be- Athletes into the ‘90s. As a three-time All-American selection in 1985 and 1986 and again in 1995, Clayton’s excellence at shortstop excited fans for over twenty years. Playing with La La Washington (HOF) and Stretch Lee […]
Mark Wilson’s softball career began when he was fourteen and started playing in the Friday night high school league at Peak’s Park in Worth, Illinois. From that early beginning, he would go on to play with some of softball’s great teams (Barrel of Fun, Francanello’s, Whips, Bud Runners, Renegades, Bats, Hollywood Casino, Men from Uncle,
Jim Kraus has always loved sports. As a boy, you could always find him at the park playing baseball with his brother Joe. This interest in baseball led him to be a starting pitcher at Proviso East High School. He started playing softball in the early ‘70s with Spirit, a team made-up on high school
Kurt Uidl’s competitive softball career began in 1979 and ended in 2001 with a national championship while playing for the Miller 45s. During those years, he was a valuable member of teams that won four ASA or USSSA National championships, and he played in places as close as Mt. Prospect and as far away as
Sixteen-inch softball has always been a part of Al Placek’s life. From the early days playing in the parks of Chicago to his days with the Bud 45’s, he always believed that to be the best you had to play against the best. He started his career playing CYO softball with a team from Our
Rich Mahoney’s softball career started when he, Phil Pieczynski and some other Kennedy High School buddies formed a team named Elite. The problem was that no one on the team was more than eighteen years old, so they had to get permission from other teams to play in the men’s league at Minuteman Park. The
After completing a successful baseball career at the University of Illinois at Champaign, Mark started his softball career in 1976 with the Bakers at the behest of Danny Cocco. In the late ‘70s, the Bakers merged with Mike McGovern’s Dwarfs to form the Amalgamonsters. Even though the Amalgamonsters never clinched a national championship, with Hall
A graduate of Maine South High School in Park Ridge, Illinois, Bill Finnegan played basketball and baseball, earning all-conference honors in baseball his senior year. He began his softball career in 1978 with the Magicians, a Park Ridge team made up of a group of young high school friends. During the summer of 1980, after
Ken Cooper’s twenty-year softball career began in 1975 when he started playing for his father and Hall of Fame member, Dick Cooper, on the Meadows Baptist Church team. In 1977 the Meadows moved up to the Rolling Meadows Park District league. After that, he played for the Taggers, the Straycats, Cooper’s Sporting Goods and Splinter’s
Born in 1956, Larry Washington’s 28-year softball career began in 1970 when he started playing with the Princeton Stars. His talent was noticed quickly and in 1972 at the age of sixteen he joined the legendary Safaris and coach Claude Rhodes. From 1970 to 1976, he played simultaneously with Safari and the Flamingos until his
Larry “La La” Washington Read More »
