Grand Theft was an offspring of Fire, a Church Team, which was organized by The New Nazareth Baptist Church in 1975. The name of the team was changed when several members after a practice voted on the new name. Grand Theft was established in 1982. Located on the Southeast side in Chicago, we played in …
The Turtles were predominantly made up of players from Maine West HS and the Des Plaines Rand Park AA League. The Des Plaines Rand Park AA League of the late 70’s and 80’s featured many good teams like the Youngsters, Badgers, Bushmen, Kitty’s and Custom Tape. Many of the original Turtles players played on the …
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 …
Better known as “Hero” or “Thrash,” #21 Antone Thrash excelled in 16” Softball for two decades. Small in stature, he played the game with sheer heart, leadership and determination, and all out hustle, grit and desire that few could match. Starting as an outfielder with Jack’s Family / Dunbar Park, he moved into the infield …
In 1972, a group of guys that played sports in the Garfield Ridge neighborhood decided to form a softball team they called The Band. They proceeded to win the Normandy Park League that year against some American Legion teams & other local teams. The team name changed to Mercury and over the next few years …
The start of Tom’s 40 plus years of playing, managing and organizing 16” softball in Chicago began in 1975 when he went to watch his older brothers play a softball game in the Mount Greenwood Park League. The team was short players and Tom was asked to play. The rest, as they say, is history. …
One of eleven children growing up in Oak Park, IL, Phil played all sports. As quarterback and halfback at North Austin Boys Club football at Amundsen Park, he led each team to a Pop Warner championship. Phil started high school at Oak Park & River Forest where he quarterbacked an undefeated freshman team. After his …
Thunder is a long time group of neighborhood friends that evolved into a consistent top-ten team, and for several years were much better than that. Frank Stella started the team in the Glenview Park District and Morton Grove Park District High School leagues in 1983. Thunder is still running in 2016 with no signs of …
Up until 1983, the Northern Trust Bank’s corporate softball team had limited success. About every other year, the team finished second in their Grant Park league, which qualified them to play in the GP Industrial Tournament. Once in the tournament, however, success was fleeting. They would maybe win their first game, but rarely would go …
Tommy Thompson was a Local One Ironworker and very proud of it. He was so proud of it that in1982 he started and founded the Dollars for Diabetes Union Yes Softball Tournament, a tournament sponsored by the Chicago and Cook County Building and Construction Trades Council. Unions affiliated with the Council had been collecting money …
