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1st Little League Baseball Champions

August 22, 1954

The Tigers defeated the White Socks

Hartford Michigan

1st Little League Baseball Champions 1954 - Hartford Michigan

Front Row L-R
1. Larry Larson, bat boy 2. Gary Lightner

L-R
1. Richard Avery 2. John Smith 3. ____?____ 4. James Rademacher 5. Tom Norden 6. Primo Capovilla, Jr 7. __?__ McKenzie 8. David Lightner 9. __?__ Longway 10. Bob Kendzior 11. David Bigelow 12. Jim Squires

     Hartford Little League was started in 1954 by my father, John Kendzior, Art Swisher, Rich Rademacher, and Charles Martin. They all got the equipment we needed.
     When Little League started, every boy in town was put on a team and they all had to play in the game - lose or win. We were taught how to play the game.
     We played on the northwest end of the old football field. There was no raised pitchers mound and we could lead off, just like the big boys. We played in blue jeans and t-shirts. Baseball started when school let out for the summer and we played until school started again in the fall.
    Teams were formed and the 2 teams with 2 best records played at the end for the championship.   Our team, the Tigers, won the first game - Tigers 11, White Sox 3.
     If I remember correctly, Jim Rademacher pitched the first no hitter, and I was the catcher.
December, 2008 - historic note by Bob Kendzior HHS 1961
(Bob has #15 on his shirt in the photo above)

November 2008
Photo contributed by David Norden HHS 1963 (may be the boy batting in the background on the right?)

Information for this web site was gathered from personal interviews, newspaper articles, scrapbooks, personal photo albums, and other documented materials - many available to the public at the Hartford Public Library or Van Buren County Historical Museum. Please report any typographical errors, updated information, or incorrectly stated information to the webmaster for correction. Reprinting for personal and instructional purposes is permitted, however, unauthorized commercial reprinting of this information or unauthorized linking to photos-pictures on this site is strictly prohibited without written permission from the webmaster.

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A Pictorial History of Hartford Michigan
Emma Thornburg Sefcik
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Revised: January 03, 2009