The Chicago Transit Authority founded a softball league in Grant Park in 1969. At its inception, the league consisted of 12 teams. One of these teams was the 69th St. Raiders, which later became known as the 74th St. Raiders. This change in name was a result of a shift in work locations, but it […]
I am a 56-year-old married mother of 2 sons with Arthur. I am also a retired Cook County Deputy Sheriff, having served for 30 years. I’m from the south side, low end of Chicago. I have been loving softball for as long as I can remember, starting in fifth grade when I played on the
Introduced to softball by his Dad, along with his 3 brothers and friends played on the street corners using sewer covers as bases. Ron has played infield for over 40 years and has won over 30 league and tournament championships, playing in parks and on teams too many to list. Co-founded Icehouse in 1995 and
Pete began his 16 inch softball career in the late 1980’s with Fitz’s Gas a southside neighborhood team that battled for a decade with the Ringers winning 5 Kennedy Park championships between 1992 – 1998. He also playing tournaments with the Mudcats, East Siders, Franconello’s, and won ASA “A” National Championship’s with Men From Uncle (1998),
Murderer’s Row was named after the 1927 Yankees, arguably the greatest baseball team ever assembled. The team name was started by a group of friends who lived in the area around Kosciusko Park, located near Diversey and Pulaski on the North Side of Chicago. At age 12 this group played in a junior high league
The CTA Softball league was established in 1969, providing entertainment and fellowship for CTA employees, friends and family for generations, and 3rd Rail is an extension of that family. After winning the CTA championship in 2002 with the West Side ‘L’, Drake Jones and Tony Ward decided to form their own softball team, naming it
William “Sugar Bear” Robinson started playing 16-inch softball at ten years old after school in a vacant lot between two vacant houses. After a few broken windows, off to the park they went. His passion for softball carried him through high school. Playing chosen teams and paying fifty cents each for clinchers. This passion went
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While serving his country, Tom repeatedly requested that his mother send him a fresh 16-inch clincher softball, because he missed the game so much. When he finally returned from the Korean War in 1953, he went on to play 42 years of softball. In the 50’s, he played for the Knights of Columbus, Comets, Sincere
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The Chicago Rollers 16-inch softball team team was formed at the end of the 1976 season. It was a team that merged players from Niles, Edison Park and Notre Dame High School. The original team started with the following players – Tom Czarnik, Hugh Carmichael, Ed Murray, Craig Christiansen, Bill Maurer, Tom Jones, Mike Fragale,
Bobby Russ Jr. started his sixteen-inch softball career in the late 1980s with two Northwest Side neighborhood teams – the Levee and the Jackmen. Both teams had a number of HOF players on their roster. He played baseball and basketball at Weber High School from 1981 to 1985. He received a scholarship to play baseball
