Rick Pyle first became involved in softball during 1964 by organizing and playing on an intramural team at Glenbrook High School in Northbrook and continuing that summer in the Park District Teen League. He continued playing on and managing various teams into the early 1980s, but his real love for the game was in organizing all levels of play while working for park districts. In 1970 thru 1972 he was the Tournament Director for the Northbrook Park District Annual Tournament of Champions. He moved to the Mt. Prospect Park District in 1972 and met local team managers Frank Holan, Jack Olson, Herb Teichert, Ken Doktor, John Ewert and Scott Rossi. They collectively had aspirations to raise the level of competition to a higher level and Rick was “all in” to make this happen. He created a local Classic League, increased team opportunities and along with Jack Olson started offering several competitive tournaments. With this success, the search was on for additional opportunities and new facilities were required. Fellow staff member Bob Ancona (HOF) and Rick worked tirelessly, and with the tremendous help of the park district attorney, Mike Hogan, identified property of the Metropolitan Sanitary District, where a new sewage treatment plant was under construction. After eighteen months of back and forth negotiations, the park district received a lease for the desired property. Bob and Rick measured out the fields during a snowstorm and designed the conceptual complex on a cocktail napkin at a local sandwich shop. That facility is now known at Majewski Metro Park and is adjacent to the Northwest Tollway. The softball/soccer complex couldn’t have been completed without a generous donation from Everett Weaver of the American Colloid Corporation, which provided funding for lighting the fields. Jack Olson, Bob and Rick met in 1981 to set in motion a series of meetings with the top teams to form a top flight “Classic League” for the 1982 season. And the rest is history. Rick ended his park district career after nearly forty years. His career included new softball complexes at Mt Prospect, Freeport and Streamwood. Getting paid to help organize a sport he loved made all the odd hours of work all worthwhile. He spends his retirement years between Arizona, Florida, Illinois and Wisconsin.
