Eleven Elected to ASA National Softball Hall of Fame
11/9/2007
Louisville, Ken.The Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA) announced today that eleven people including five players are among the ASA National Softball Hall of Fame class of 2008 after being elected at the 76th ASA National Council meeting this week in Louisville, Ken. The 11 people will be enshrined next year in Oklahoma City when the ASA celebrates its 75th anniversary and holds the ASA National Council meeting in Oklahoma City for the first time since 1976.
The five players selected include Mitch Munthe of Modesto, CA; Jim Marsh of Yukon, OK, who played the majority of his career in California; Jenni Harp Oliver of Chattanooga, TN; Roberta (Robbie) Mulkey of California and Kermit Lynch of Oklahoma City. All of the inductees starred in fast pitch except for Harp, who earned All-America honors five times in slow pitch.
Six people were elected in the non playing category and include Jerry Stewart of Arcola, IL (meritorious service), Freddie and Virginia Ezell of Midland, TX (meritorious service); Garland Thompson of Wilmore, KY (commissioner); Kevin Ryan of Stanley, NC (umpire) and Ron Galemore of Gaithersburg, MD (umpires).
The ASA National Softball Hall of Fame was established in 1957 and honors players and non players during annual induction ceremonies held at the ASA National Council Meeting each year. With these 11 inductees the Hall of Fame will have 335 members.
About ASA
The Amateur Softball Association, founded in 1933, is the National Governing Body of softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. The ASA has become one of the nations largest sports organizations and now sanctions competition in every state through a network of 84 local associations. The ASA has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 240,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than three million. For more information on the ASA, visit www.asasoftball.com.
About USA Softball
USA Softball is the brand created, operated and owned by the ASA that links the USA Mens, Womens, Junior Boys and Junior Girls National Team programs together. USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting these four National Teams to compete in international and domestic competitions. The USA Softball Womens National Team is one of the only two womens sports involved in the Olympic movement to capture three consecutive gold medals at the Olympic Games since 1996. The U.S. women have also won eight World Championship titles including the last six consecutive. For more information about USA Softball, please visit www.usasoftball.com