Six new members will be inducted into the International Softball Congress Hall of Fame when the ISC World Tournament is held in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, August 9 17.

These new members of the Hall of Fame will be enshrined in three of the categories set up for recognition: Three will be inducted for their achievements as players; one for his distinguished service as an umpire; and two will enter the Hall of Fame as Bob Welby Recognition of Service recipients.

To be inducted as players are: Outfielder Larry Nolan; infielder Marty Kernaghan; and catcher Butch Chambers.

Les Novak will be inducted for his service as an umpire.

Bob Welby Recognition of Service honorees will include: Dan Yantzi and Neil Fennell, the first Canadians to be inducted in this category.

Royce Heath, long-time Chairman of the ISC's Hall of Fame Committee, was ecstatic in his praise of the six new members:

"It is a pleasure to welcome such a deserving group of men into the ISC Hall of Fame this year. The Hall of Fame and the ideals behind it mean a great deal to me. It is a means of honoring those people who have made so many contributions to the sport of fastpitch softball. I am happy to have the opportunity to recognize and show our appreciation for these men and their contributions to fastpitch softball. I'm looking forward to the Hall of fame induction ceremonies at the ISC World Tournament in Kitchener-Waterloo."

A brief sketch of the achievements of the "Class of 2002" follows:

Larry Nolan was four times chosen to the ISC's All-World team as an outfielder with the Long Beach Nitehawks (1980); and the Camarillo Kings (1981, 1982, and 1983). In 1981 Nolan was the Most Valuable Player in the ISC World Tournament as well as leading the tournament in hitting with a .600 batting average. He led the Kings to ISC World Tournament titles in both l981 and l982.

Marty Kernaghan was arguably the finest hitter in the game for more than a decade. He was an ISC All-World selection an incredible eight times between 1984 and 1995 beginning the string in 1984 and 1985 with Calgary Brake and Clutch - - - when he was the tournament Most Valuable Player in 1985 as he led the event in RBIs with 10 - - - and continuing with All-World selections with Sioux City Penn Corps (1988, 1989, and 1990); with Sioux City NHCD (1992 and 1993); and 1995 with the Gateway Soos.

Butch Chambers was a catcher honored three times with All-World team membership when he caught for Phoenix Tally-Page (1971); again in 1974 with Page's Raiders of Sun City, Arizona, and finally in 1975 with the Southern Truck Raiders of Sun City. Mr. Chambers passed away just this week. His wife, Shannon, plans to be in Kitchener for what now must be a posthumous induction into the Hall of Fame.

Les Novak, an ISC administrator since 1999, is perhaps the most recognizable of all the men who have umpired in ISC World Tournaments. He has called
'em in no less than 13 World Tournaments. A widely-renowned umpire who has conducted clinics in such places as New Zealand, Japan, Thailand, and Korea, as well as in North America. He was the driving force behind the creation of the Carrol Forbes Foundation by the International Softball Congress.

Dan Yantzi is being inducted into the Hall of Fame as a recipient of the Bob Welby Recognition of Service award. Yantzi was a pitcher for the Waterloo Twins and was Canada's first player representative to the ISC. He has worked to develop young pitchers since his retirement from the mound after a 17-year career. He was selected to the ISC All-World team in 1991 with the Midland Explorers and in 1993 with the Waterloo Twins. He has had a major impact in refining the recent changes in the pitching rule.

Neil Fennell is a second inductee in the Welby Service award category. This native of Picton, Ontario, is the Founder and Chairman of the Perth Shootout, a top-tier tournament which was a feature of the fastball scene in Ontario for 12 years beginning in 1989. He has long been a leading spokesman in Canada for the ISC brand of fastball.

The Kitchener-Waterloo organizing committee is planning a slam-bang program around the induction ceremonies at the annual Hall of Fame Breakfast on Sunday, August 11. This is set to include such features as a bagpipe band leading the inductees and dignitaries into the breakfast and an elaborate printed program containing inductees' photos and biographies.

The stage is set to honor six outstanding new members of the ISC Hall of Fame this August in Kitchener.

March 4, 2002


By: Gordon L. Wise - - - ISC Information Officer
Mailto:sgwise@woh.rr.com
http://www.fastpitch-softball.com