Calvin Jackson’s 16-inch softball career started at the age of twelve (1961). He was under the tutelage of Mr. Walton in the Madden Park-Darryl Home Park District softball league, located at 3813 South Rhodes. This league had two divisions: the Intermediate (12 to 15 years) and the Senior League (15 to 17 years). Calvin first …
Don (Donny) Bianchi threw his first 16-inch softball at Portage Park in the early 1960s. He used to watch his father played there, so he grabbed a yellow Clincher and brought it to the sandlot field in Niles. Donny and his buddies played 16-inch there because not everyone had a mitt, and the windows were …
Gildo “Gil” Coldebella started playing softball at Riis Park when he was a teenager. He played third base for the Lobos when they won the state title in 1955. He played with the Rogues at Clarendon and Kelly Parks and with the Big Banjo Bruins and the Lobos at Kosciusko Park. He primarily played third base …
Raised on the south side of Chicago, Howard Blakey’s softball career started as a member of the Masterpiece softball team in the late’70’s. During the 80’s and 90’s he played with the Flamingos, B Athletes and Bandits. Considered a top infielder in the league, Howard was known for his strong and accurate arm that could …
Todd Mirrabelli loves softball the way it was meant to be played – Chicago-style with no gloves in park leagues and tournaments throughout Chicago. That’s where he loved to play and where he managed his teams. In the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, Todd’s big brother John used to take him and his brother Garth …
Thornton Lee was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago. He graduated from Chicago Vocational High School, served in the Army during the Vietnam Era, and attended Kennedy-King College and Chicago State University. He began paying organized sixteen-inch softball with the Challengers at Washington Park. He later played for the Bandits, Bad Company, …
The Gillette sixteen-inch softball team played in the Grant Park Softball League in the 1950s through the 1960s. They became the Gillette Strokers in the early 1970s. Rumor has it that they won a few Grant Park championships in the ‘50s and ‘60s, but through the ‘70s and into the ‘90s they were a competitive …
The Sorkin family has played sixteen-inch softball for decades. Stuart Sorkin’s father, Harold, played for years on the West Side and in parks and leagues throughout Chicago. He played with many players who would become Sixteen-inch Softball Hall of Famers in the Windy City League, including Jimmy DiVito’s championship teams. Stuart’s aunt played for the original …
The Stover sixteen-inch softball team was formed in the 1990’s with the majority of the team made up of Coppola brothers and cousins. It also included cousins without the Coppola last name (Langeness and McMurray) and close friends. The Stover name came from a business owner by the name of Roger Stover. In 2001, …
Rosie was born in 1963 and had five brothers. She graduated from Oak Lawn High School in 1981. Senior year, she was co-captain of the volleyball and softball teams. Also, she was voted to the SICA All-Conference Team and was Oak Lawn High School’s Most Valuable Player in volleyball. She was also named to the …
