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 of Fame players Larry Kelly, Ron Ziemann, Pat Moran and Steve Prostran, they were a dominant force within the traveling leagues at Kelly and Clarendon Parks. In the ‘80s Mark moved to the Runts, Coopers Sporting Goods, Bud North and Automart, teams made-up of the same core of players along with Hall of Fame players John O’Connor and Eggs Czarnik. Mark’s reputation as the premier short center of his era began to take shape during this time. His skills helped the 1987- 89 Bud North teams win three consecutive championships at the Forest Park Tournament, one of only two teams in the thirty-seven year history of the tournament to accomplish this. In the early ‘90s, Mark became an integral part of Fritz Zimmerman’s March Manufacturing, a dominant force in the emerging Mt. Prospect League. In 1995 while with Primetime, he had the unfortunate distinction of being a member of the only Chicago-area team to lose an ASA Nationals championship to an out of state team (Carpet Country of Iowa). In the late ‘90s Mark joined up with Wally Pecs and Red Dog to capture the championships at the only two 16″ Softball Hall of Fame Tournaments ever held. When Mark joined Bob Rascia’s Miller 45s in 2001, he began a quest for that elusive ASAtitle. That dream became reality in 2001 at Schaumburg when Miller 45s captured the ASAcrown. They also won ASANational Titles in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 at Marshalltown, Chandler, Arizona and Mt. Prospect. During his four decades playing 16″ softball, Mark was named to numerous North Side All-Star Teams, was named to the First Team All Mt. Prospect League (as voted by players), was the Forest Park Tournament MVP in 1987, earned ASA Second Team honors twice and was named First Team All-American three times. He played on teams that took second place at the ASANationals eleven times and won five ASA titles. Mark credits Danny Cocco and Mike McGovern for giving a former hardball player a shot at big time softball, Wally Pecs for his years of friendship (admittedly strained at times due to their competitive nature), and Bob Rascia for helping to make his dream of national titles come true. More importantly, however, he credits his wife, Nancie, their children Reid and Reese, and the rest of his family for their patience and understanding as he played Chicago’s “crazy” game. Currently, Mark works for Glenview State Bank as vice-president of Commercial Banking/Commercial Real Estate and resides in Arlington Heights.
