2022 Hall of Fame Team Inductees

Al Scott, Sponsor/Manager—Durobilt Furniture

Born July 3, 1939, Al Scott played for and coached the slowpitch softball team sponsored by his family business, Durobilt Furniture & Upholstery.

Scott played baseball and ran track at Clover Park High School before graduating in 1957. He began working at Durobilt in high school—his dad started the business in 1948—and he took over the business before eventually selling it to his son.

The Durobilt softball field started play at Peck Field, as Scott teamed up with fellow Marine Corp Reserve members Gary Fultz, Art McClarney, and Brian Miedinger. With Scott in the outfield and managing, the team eventually moved to Sprinker Recreation Center to play in the highly competitive Western Washington League against such teams as Heidelberg, Lucky Lager, Wested Tire, The Haven, and Murrey’s Garbage Service.

The team’s busy schedule featured doubleheaders on either Tuesday or Thursday in league play, followed by postgame drinks and a late arrival at home. As Scott recalled, “ We would then turn right around and leave on a Friday for a tournament and play all day Saturday and most of Sunday. So, we kind of got in trouble with our wives for not being around very much.”

While the slowpitch team finished play in 1976, Durobilt Furniture continued to sponsor teams including a modified fastpitch team into the 1980s. Overall, Durobilt Furniture & Upholstery sponsored teams for 18 years.

John Messina-the architect of the St. Rita’s Church/Sons

of Italy Softball Teams

Few teams in any sport in Tacoma have had the long history and continuity of players as the softball teams of St. Rita’s Catholic Church and the Sons of Italy. In a thirty-year span, the core of the team began as the St. Rita softball squad in 1958, was transformed into the Sons of Italy teams about ten years later and then returned to the St. Rita’s banner in the late 1980’s.

In 1958, Father Anthony Baffaro asked an 18-year old St. Rita’s Church parishioner, John Messina, to form a softball team to play in the Tacoma Church League. John did not have to look very far to pick up his players. They all lived within walking distance of the church on So. 14th and Ainsworth. The players were all Italian, married to Italians, or lived in the Italian section of Tacoma.

The St. Rita’s/Sons of Italy teams competed in men’s fastpitch and slowpitch, earning several trips to national tournaments. They also fielded corec and women’s teams as everyone wanted to get in on the act. After 30 years the teams hung up their cleats, but they left behind a memorable legacy of fun, camaraderie and athleticism in Tacoma softball history, thanks to John Messina and his love of the game.

1915 South Tacoma Tigers

The 1915 South Tacoma Tigers team is one of the few local squads to play for the national title. While records are understandably sparse for a team more than a century in the past, the Tigers won the City League crown and were billed as the Pacific Coast champions despite claims to the title that seem a little vague.

The National Amateur Baseball Association national championship series pitted the Tigers against the Cleveland White Autos in a three-game series at Emervyille Park in San Francisco. Tacoma claimed the first game 3–2 behind the pitching of southpaw Orville Eley, defeating Cleveland ace Louis Crowley, who was called the “Alexander of the sandlots.”

Cleveland came back in a big way to dominate the second game 8–0 as the Tacoma defense fell apart. The Tigers turned to their ace once more on short rest in hopes of claiming the rubber match, but the short time between starts rendered Eley ineffective. Cleveland again ran away with a big win, 15–5, and took the title on Oct. 26, 1915. That South Tacoma squad, managed by Walt Holmberg, featured a pitching staff of Orville Eley, Ocky Haugland, Chief Gus Davis, and Nick Dahl. Their catchers were Lester (Pat) Patterson, who went on to scout for the New York Yankees, and Jack Farrell. The other members of the team included shortstop Allan Browne, center fielder Julian Shager, third baseman Ocky Jensen first baseman Eddie McTighe right fielder Roy Wilkowski second baseman Paul Shager left fielder Hank Crowl, and center fielder Ob Woods. 1915 City League batting champion Roy Wilkowski joined the team for the championship series.

This postcard, dated Oct. 18, 1915 was sent by Roy Wilkowski, a member of the South Tacoma Tigers to his wife. It reads: Hi Honey, We went to the Cliff House today. My hand is feeling fine again. Will write you a letter tomorrow. Roy.

Roy Johnson circa 1937, pictured here in his Boston Bees uniform. Roy Cleveland Johnson was born in 1903 in Pryor, OK. He played major league baseball from 1929 to 1938 an outfielder for the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and the Boston Bees and appeared in the 1936 World Series. Like his younger brother, Indian Bob Johnson, Roy was one-quarter Cherokee and grew up in Tacoma, Washington. From 1926 to 1928 he teamed with Earl Averill and Smead Jolley to give the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League one of its most feared hitting outfields in minor league history.