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Jerry Kelleher

It seems that Jerry Kelleher’s appearance on a team yields interesting results -they win championships. With the Strikers he won championships at Ridge, Foster, Kennedy, and Ashburn Parks. The Blazers won the championship at Curie. 1981 was a particularly good year as Kelleher played on two National championship teams – with the Bobcats in winning …

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Rollo Kuebler

Rollo Kuebler’s love of softball began early when he was in grade school at Audubon School on Chicago’s Northside. He started playing fast-pitch with teams during the late 1930s, but switched to playing sixteen-inch ball with Witt’s Audubon’s, a group of neighborhood kids playing at Welles Park. They won numerous championships during the early ‘40s. …

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Vic Kostecki

Growing up on the Southside of Chicago, Victor Kostecki developed the skills that would ultimately lead to his playing 16″ softball during the Golden Years of softball with one of the premier teams in the game. He graduated from St. Rita High School in 1948 where he lettered in football. He played one year of …

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Edward “Dooner” Koss

Like many great players of his era, Eddie Koss had a traditional Chicago softball upbringing. He attended St. Ann Grade School and St. Ann High School. He played sports as a boy at Union League Boys Club, and honed his athletic skills by playing and defeating many top teams from other Boys Clubs in Chicago. …

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Vic Kariolich

Vic Kariolich began his softball career with Jimmie Rose’s Loafers at Roby Field at 59th and Damen. In 1947 he played with Joker’s from Harper High School. They competed against such Southside teams as Bonetti’s Liquors, Chesty’s Spartans and Valerie Florist. His softball career was interrupted, like so many others, between 1951 and 1953 when …

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Roy Kindt

In nominating Roy Kindt to the Hall of Fame, fellow Hall of Famer, Bob LaMont, describes Roy as someone who was never in the limelight but was someone who had a profound effect on the popularity of 16-inch softball. As one of softball’s great managers, he played with some of Chicago’s great athletes during the …

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Alex Kuhn

Al Kuhn, who grew up on the North Side of Chicago and attended Senn High School, will be remembered as one of the great pioneer of 16″ softball. He played with North Shore Congregation in 1937 with Stanley Stein, Morris Pomeroy, and Hall of Famer Ben Branman. In later years he played with in the …

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Andrew “Gipp” Karkoska

Born in 1922, Gipp Karkosa played short – center, hit .500, and managed some of the top softball teams of the past forty years: Lake Valley in 1940 – 45 and ’45 – ’46, Zolna’s Tavern from 1948 – 50, and the legendary Bobcats in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. A boxer who never lost …

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Willie Klemchuk

fter many seasons he was rated the best player in the Windy City League and Mr. Softball in ’48. That season the great defensive short center had the most hits in Windy City history with 83. He played on a variety of teams including Aducci’s and Witt Hanley Yankees… especially the ’47 and ’48 Midland …

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