A 1943 graduate of St. Rita High School, Emil Flerick played 10″, 12″, and 16″ softball in the Herald – American Tournaments in the late 1930 and early ’40s. Like many men of his era, he entered the Navy but played basketball and softball during his years of service. He was discharged in 1946 and resumed his softball career with Stony Tires, Knob Hill, and the legendary Kool Vent Awnings in the Windy City League. He also played with the Jugheads at Sox Park. When Windy City disbanded in the late 1940s, Emil Flerick played at Thillens Stadium (formerly the Northtown League) with the Weinberg Studebakers. That year Emil Flerick hit enough homeruns to place him in the top five in the league; he also batted .528 for the year in helping Weinberg Studebakers to a second place finish. Flerick teamed up with Hall of Famer Vern Parry and switched teams to join the First National Bank of Chicago in 1950. First National is remembered as the only team to retire the Erickson Trophy of Grant Park by winning it for three consecutive years. First National won the City Tournament in the 1960s. Besides playing with Vern Parry, Emil Flerrick also played with such legendary players as Tom Pilot, Art Chickenowski, Wes Alhgrim, Bill Haig, John Incardone, and other Windy City players, many of whom are current Hall of Fame members. Emil and his wife of fifty years, Mel, have two children – Paul and Ken and seven grandchildren. He retired 1985 from First National Bank as an Assistant Vice-President after thirty-five years.
