Yes, there is a baseball hall of fame here in Springfield. It’s located at the Carleton Davidson Stadium and showcases Clark County’s rich baseball heritage.
President Mark Miller points out that the hall dates back to 1959, when Roger Sharp, Don Rinker and Roy Crozier saw the need to recognize those who had contributed to the rich local baseball history, which includes a lengthy list of minor league teams that were based here from 1887 to 1951.
Around 1990, the organization took a “time out.” Miller said it amounted “to a cardboard box full of a couple of plaques and papers and files in Rinker’s office at Meek’s Sporting Goods.” The hall was resurrected in 2002, as the stadium was being built.
There are 174 individuals and 14 teams. The list includes players, coaches, managers, umpires and even sponsors and sportswriters. Twenty-three made it to the major leagues. Five have played on World Series winners.
I met one of those hall of famers last week. Dick Fearn was inducted in 1979 with well-known local Sports Editors Dan Hoyt and Bob Sullivan. It was Fearn’s 85th birthday and the 1945 Springfield High grad reminisced about pitching locally, being involved in the “Knot Hole Gang” and serving in the Navy after WWII aboard the light cruiser the U.S.S. Dayton.
He considers his induction the culmination of his baseball career, which included time in the New York Giants organization.
Carleton Davidson Stadium is located on Mitchell Boulevard in Springfield (on the site of the old Municipal Stadium
for those of us who are past the second base side of life). The hall contains some interesting displays and memorabilia and is open Wednesdays from 2 until 4 p.m., and by appointment by contacting Miller at (937) 399-6750 or spfld.baseball.org. The stadium hosts the “Talkin’ Baseball” events the first Wednesday of each month.
Potential inductees to the hall are nominated by the community. A committee screens those nominations and whittles the list down to a half-dozen. Hall of famers select the three inductees. This year it’s Bruce Brown, Roger Culbertson and Dave Simonton, along with two outstanding teams — the 1975 WBLY squad and the 1989 Kenton Ridge Cougars, which made it to the state semi-finals.
They will officially join the hall during a banquet on Jan. 5 at the UAW Local 402 Hall, 3671 Urbana Road. Tickets are available at the National Trail Parks and Recreation District office, 1301 Mitchell Blvd.; Don Henderson’s Trophy Sports Center, 2030 N. Limestone St. in Springfield; and from hall of famers Tim Bucey, Al Goebel, Don Rinker, Brian Miller, Flip Lucas, Mark Lucas, Tom Randall, Dick Fearn, Don Henderson or Miller.
The banquet’s guest speaker will be Tim Kelly, the former Wittenberg University baseball coach who is Midwest area scout for the New York Yankees.
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