Deathwish was founded and managed in 1979 by Carey B. Goins with his Phi Beta Sigma fraternity brothers, friends and family. They played their first year in Avalon Park on Chicago’s South Side. With Ted Gothard added as coach, the team began playing in the Washington Park Sunday League in 1980 and the Budweiser Saturday League AA Division in 1982. In 1985 they won the Sunday league championship and took first place during the regular season and second in the playoffs in the Budweiser league.
In 1987 they began played in the Blue Island ASA “A” League and the next year moved up to the Blue Island ASA Major League. They also began tournament play in the ASA and USSSA “A” Divisions. Ted left the team in 1988 and Carey took over as coach and manager.
Deathwish was a pioneer as one of the first black teams to play tournament ball in the ASA “A” Division.
They qualified for six ASA “A” Majors, three ASA
Major tournaments, and five USSSA “A” state and national tournaments. They won two Blue Island “A” championships and in 1993 finished third (out of eighty teams) in the USSSA “A” state tournament, finished sixth in the USSSA “A” nationals (out if fifty-four teams) and were runners-up in the ASA Blue Island Metro. After a second round upset loss, they won five straight games to reach the championship game. They also took eighth in the ASA “A” Nationals that year.