From a softball career that began in 1965, and proceeded to winning seven championships with the power house Rose-N-Crown, Toni Paolini ranks near the top in Women’s 16” softball. In addition to the championships with Rose-N-Crown, Paolini also played with their arch rival OJ’s / Buffoons. She played short center for most of her career, and hooked up with Hall of Famers Pat McGuire and Mary Kay Schaefer Monaghan to form some of the best double play combinations in the era. A graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago (where she was inducted into their Basketball Hall of Fame) Paolini has worked for the Chicago White Sox, and was one of the Pioneer players in the Women’s Professional Basketball League with the Chicago Hustle and the Minnesota Fillies. In 2000, Toni Paolini was a recreation teacher for the Lemont Park District, living in Lemont with her husband Jim and daughters Rachel and Amy. She coaches basketball teams and runs basketball clinics throughout the year. She was also a IHSA volleyball and basketball official.
