2022 Meritorious Award Recipient continued

Sandy Molzan

In her 30s, Sandy Molzan had a full-time job at Cheney Lumber and was an accomplished softball player, playing third base for national tournament caliber teams. She had plenty going on, but the late 1960s and early 1970s were also an emerging time for female sports opportunities.

To help give more girls and women a chance to play, Molzan carved out time after her Cheney Lumber work to be a recreation supervisor for women and girls programs at the Pierce County Parks and Recreation Department.

Working late afternoons, evenings and weekends, she organized events, scheduled officials, ran instructional clinics, supervised rec-league play and made sure things were done right. During this time, Title IX was passed, providing equal funding for girls’ athletic programs in the schools shifting some of the play from rec leagues to the new WIAA state high school system. With competitive opportunities expanding for women and girls, Molzan participated as an official for local volleyball matches and basketball games. She rose to a national rating as a girls, women’s and college basketball referee.

Molzan, a 1954 graduate of Stadium High, competed on the basketball court and softball fields for many years as well. She was a member of a Cheney Lumber basketball team that was a state qualifier. In fastpitch and slowpitch softball, she played for several teams from the mid-1950s until the early 1980s. First for Darigold, then Hollywood Boat & Motor, before joining the Cage Tavern team in 1965. That team became the first from the area to play in a women’s national tournament, traveling by bus to Omaha, Nebraska. Later, Molzan was a standout on the Creekwater Dispensary team that also went to a national tournament. Over the years, she also played for Spud’s Pizza Pete, B&E Tavern and B.J.’s All-Stars. She frequently received all-star awards at major tournaments. She was a tough competitor on the field and appreciated by many for her efforts off the field as well. That is why she is recognized with the Marc Blau Meritorious Service Award.

1995 OMT SLOWPITCH TEAM—

Back row l. to r.: Shirley Hemion, Donna “Yaki” Kerns, Vicky Miller, Rhondi Adair, Lisa Barron, Alesia Williams, Julie ?, Trena Page, Cathy Swanson, Chris Phillips, Stephanie Rezentes, Teddi Bottiger, Patty Blanchard and Whit Hemion. Front row l. to r.: Unidentified, Kathy Hemion, Becki Wetli, Kathy Kinnaird, Laurie Callahan, Cathy Percy, Wendy Tibbs and Carol Auping.

Marv Scott Coaches Award

Little did Tacoma City League fans know that they were in for a rare treat indeed, with the ball diamonds of the 40’s and 50’s influenced by Marv Scott whose positive coaching style affected numerous athletes.

A graduate of Stadium High School, Marv toiled at the hot corner for the Tacoma Tigers of the Western International League for the 1946 season, compiling a .283 batting average but Marv’s calling was to teach and coach and the next year he was back at his alma mater, serving as head coach for the Tigers of Stadium from 1947–57.

Scott then moved on to Wilson high to coach the Rams when that school opened up in 1958 and he remained the varsity coach through the 1967 season with several City League titles under his belt. Already involved as a part-time scout, Marv then went into it full-time, spending 25 years as a scout with the New York Mets, earning World Series championship rings from 1969 and 1986.

Joe Stortini who played against Marv and later coached with him at Wilson recalled, “I really admire how he managed his time. If it rained he never wasted a turnout opportunity. We’d go into the gym and he’d spend an hour explaining the finer points of the game. He was a real perfectionist when it came to baseball. Coach also felt that the first thing players needed to do was to learn how to hold a bat and bunt. He always said that if you could learn to bunt you would be a better hitter. In fact, a lot of his teams would win games even though they would not get the ball out of the infield.”

“Marv would have been a great National League coach because he loved the small ball concept of moving the players along with the short game. His teams were always well drilled and they loved to bunt,” said Stortini.

Joe concluded, “What impressed me the most was not only how well-prepared he was, but that he made sure his boys were, too. He was pretty even-tempered and he would never embarrass a player. If he was mad, he would take the player aside from everyone, have a one-on-one conversation, and create an understanding between both of them. I marveled at how he dealt with the players.”

Denny Brand played for Marv at Wilson in the mid-60’s and vividly recalled, “Coach could spot talent better than anyone ever knew. He was what I would call ‘a man’s man’ and you just wanted to do well for him, play hard, hustle, and not let him down. He shared his knowledge and taught us to respect the game. If we made an error we still came off the field with our head up. If we struck out, we hustled back to the dugout. He taught us to be glad for the opportunity to be playing baseball and to realize that no one was bigger than the game. We were in awe of him,” commented Brand.

Joe Stortini, still actively playing Senior Softball summed it up appropriately when he said, “When I look back at high school coaches, I realize how lucky I am that I got to play for Bill Mullen and coach with Marv Scott. Without a doubt they were the best and they certainly don’t make coaches like Marv Scott anymore.”