Tom “Bomber” Horn is one of the greatest mound magicians in sixteen- inch softball history, a defensive master who won nearly one hundred championships at every level and was beloved by friends and foes alike. Horn’s dad Bernie pitched for the Lyons 45s (a team honored by the Hall of Fame) and his mother …
Curtis Granderson was born in Tchula, Mississippi. He developed a love for baseball at a young age watching his older brothers play. He began playing the game once he was old enough to swing a bat. He graduated from Tchula Attendance Center High School where he played baseball and basketball. He then attended Coahoma Junior …
Rich Catizone started playing softball when he was fourteen. He played on local teams with his friends on the playgrounds in Chicago. He was young and inexperienced and his teams lost most of their games, but he loved the game from the beginning. A few years later, Rich met Hall of Fame manager Nick …
There aren’t many sixteen-inch softball people who use the word passion to describe all aspects of the game, but John Reglein is one of those. John embodies the role of team sponsor, manager, player, friend, and successful business owner. His softball successes have come mainly from Iowa, but his business, The Graphic Edge is …
Rich grew up on Chicago’s West Side and moved to the Oak Park area. In the summer of 1973 after graduating from St. Catherine’s, Rich was introduced to Pete Chrisos. At that time they formed the Who, a park district team at Stevenson Park under the direction of Frank Zepf. It was sponsored by …
Sherman Nelson was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago. He graduated from Englewood High School in 1954 and joined the United States Air Force in January of 1955. After completing a 12 week / eight hours–a- day IBM technical training course, Sherman was assigned to a machine accounting department and spent …
Pete McGuire had a twenty-one year career playing sixteen-inch softball. Six of those years were on the major level, most notably with the Whips and the Stompers. His best memo- ries though, were the years with his cousins Mike and Tom McGuire on The Groundsmen teams from the South Side and South suburbs. But …
Renee Strasser started playing baseball at age nine in a boys Little League team in Alsip, Illinois. She was one of three girls allowed to play in the league. When Little League officials wouldn’t let them advance to the next level of competition, they joined Alsip Park District’s sixteen-inch softball for girls. At age eleven …
Growing up in Calumet Park made it very easy to be sports orientated. The town and schools were ahead of their time by offering several sports opportunities for girls. Attending Seven Holy Founders Grade School, Colleen competed in both softball and volleyball leagues. She graduated from Dwight D. Eisenhower High School in Blue Island …
Israel Sanchez was born in Falcon Lasvias, Cuba in 1962. He came to the United States when he was six and attended Von Steuben High School. He played sixteen-inch softball for the Thrashers, Red Dog, the 45s, Windy City, and Sage at parks throughout the Chicago area. He was selected MVP at Forest Park …
