Starting in grammar school, John C. Lee spent nearly half of his life playing his favorite sport: softball. By age fifteen, he was learning the art of six-teen softball by serving as a bat boy for teams in the Pro Windy City League. In 1949, he played for the Alcott Aces, and helped them win […]
Three things come naturally to Jimbo Levato; 16″ softball, socializing and working. And few people have mixed in the things they value as well as Levato. Perhaps because of that, Levato, who turned 67 three days after his induction to the Hall of Fame, has the demeanor and physical movement of a much younger man.
For over forty years, Art Lurie has been involved in 16” softball. Growing up in Albany Park on Chicago’s Northwest side, Lurie got the taste for 16” as a bat boy for his father, Irv, who played in the legendary Windy City League. Art moved on to Roosevelt High School, where he played with the
Blue Island resident Paul Leonard made his transition from a 16″ softball player to an umpire early in his career for a simple reason – he needed money after getting married. In 31 years behind the plate, Leonard would approach each game as if it was the most important of his umpiring career. In
Vince Lombardi once said ‘ The spirit to win, the will to win, and the will to excel are the things that endure. These qualities are so much more important than the events that occur.” This quote and these qualities especially fit the career of Jimmy Lang. He started his softball career in the early
Burt began umpiring in the 1960s and officiated more divisions and more parks than any other umpire. He was known around softball during the 60s as atop umpire in the mens divisions, recreational divisions, and in women’s leagues and women’s tournaments. Burt always officiated the “big game” at Kelly Park during the ‘70s and ‘80s.
Ask any sixteen-inch softball player to mention some of the top organizers for the past thirty years and Tom Levar’s name will surely appear at the top of that list. He started his organizing career as league director at Indian Road Park, running “A” and “B” league tournaments in 1977. The next year he moved
Like many softball players, Gail Livingston loved the game from an early age. However, she grew up in a time before girls played high school sports, so she began playing 12” softball in the parks of Chicago Ridge in her early teens. After she got married in 1967, Gail Livingston signed up to play softball
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From the humble beginnings of Ponytail softball at Kelly Park to winning ASA National Championships with powerhouse Rose and Crown, the kid who shagged softballs for the men’s teams at Kelly Park went on to become a major figure in softball, basketball, rugby, and Olympic team handball. Chick Lillis’ softball career began in 1967 when
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Mike Lopez started playing softball when he was eleven at Mitchell School at Ohio and Leavitt in Chicago. He ran track at Ridgewood High School for four years. In 1987, he started playing Major softball with Sports Station, a team he was honored to play for. They won the ASA Nationals that year. He then
