Superior Youth Organization creates Wall of Fame
Jul. 20—SUPERIOR — The Superior Youth Organization is recognizing stellar athletes with ties to Superior.
In partnership with the city's Parks and Recreation Department, the SYO created a Wall of Fame for Superior Baseball and Superior Softball. Three people have been named to the Wall of Fame: MLB Hall of Famer Dave Bancroft, MLB player Morrie Arnovich and Ashley Martin Radosevich, who earned All-American honors playing softball for Wisconsin-Superior.
Jan Jago, secretary of the SYO, said author Tom Alesia contacted the organization after
penning the book,
"Beauty at Short: Dave Bancroft, the Most Unlikely Hall of Famer and his Wild Times in Baseball's First Century."
"After reading his book, I thought (Bancroft) deserved a little bit more ... that people needed to know about him, so the board came up with the idea to build a Wall of Fame," Jago said.
Men who have played for a MLB team or in the MLB's minor leagues with ties to Superior are eligible for the honor, Jago said.
The criteria for women are less clear cut since there isn't a widespread major league for softball, Jago said.
However, Jago said the SYO board wants to be selective about the athletes it honors.
"This isn't like the hall of fame at the high school where everybody gets nominated — a good coach, a good player — we're trying to be more specific," she said.
The SYO plans to hold a ceremony honoring the Wall of Fame inductees in August. Check
or
the SYO's Facebook page
for updates.
Bancroft played in the MLB for 13 years, appearing in four World Series and winning two with the New York Giants. While he wasn't born and raised in Superior, it became his home.
He was standing in his Superior home in 1971
when he learned he had been named to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
One of Alesia's favorite photos is from the Nov. 3. 1921 issue of the Evening Telegram that shows Bancroft returning to Superior after winning the 1921 World Series.
"They had known what time his train was going to be coming in, and factories closed, schools closed, shops closed and they came to the train station," Alesia said. "He ended up speaking at a hotel along Tower Avenue and just a half-mile down was his home. Thousands of people were there. I remember reading about the story and thinking 'Wow, really? Was it that many or were they overshooting it?' and then I saw a photo where the car could not get through ... all the people. There were definitely thousands of people if not 5,000 to 7,000 people. ... Baseball was king then and here was a resident of Superior arriving home after winning a World Series. It's amazing."
Alesia, who has advocated for other public displays honoring Bancroft, said he appreciates the SYO creating the Wall of Fame.
"Jan just went ahead and ran with it, and it turned out just fantastic," Alesia said. "I'm thrilled to see that he's right in the middle of that."
Besides his book, Alesia has worked to get a plaque honoring Bancroft installed in Sioux City, Iowa where Bancroft was born. He hopes to work with Greenwood Cemetery and Bancroft's living relatives to see if a marker of some sort can be added to Bancroft's grave site that mentions his history as a Baseball Hall of Famer.
"All it says is his name, his birth date, date of death and husband ... other Hall of Famers around the country, their markers for cemeteries in almost every case mention something to the effect of the Hall of Fame or their baseball career, and this one doesn't," he said.
Families familiar with the SYO probably know the name Morrie Arnovich, since one of the fields at the Hayes Court Sports Complex bears his name.
The Superior native played more than seven years in the majors He was an MLB All-Star and won a World Series with the Cincinnati Reds in 1940.
When his professional playing career ended, he coached youth baseball in his hometown.
Jeff Arnovich, one of Morrie's nephews, said he didn't know his uncle, as Morrie died in 1959. But Jeff Arnovich's late father, Paul Arnovich, shared numerous stories about his brother.
"One of the things that I think I will probably always remember are the stories of Morrie's willingness to give baseball lessons to kids. Again, that's a retired baseball player with a World Series championship willing to give back to the kids," Jeff Arnovich said. "I think the Arnovich name has carried it all the way through for many generations."
To have Morrie's name preserved for future generations to learn about is meaningful, Jeff Arnovich said.
"Keeping the name alive is obviously important," Jeff Arnovich said. "There's been a handful of phenomenal athletes that have come out of Superior, Wisconsin. Dave Bancroft and Morrie were generations ago. Obviously there's later generations of athletes and coaches, like Bud Grant. So Superior has a steep history in athletics but any time Morrie's name, the Arnovich name — it's hard to not be a proud moment any time that's mentioned."
A product of Superior High School and Wisconsin-Superior, All-American Ashley Martin Radosevich is the first woman to be selected to the Wall of Fame.
"I think that it's really special that other young girls at the SYO can see this and hopefully use it as a little bit of motivation, and keep that grit," Martin Radosevich said. "Anybody who knows me knows I'm all for women's sports and women's equality, so I think that women's sports have taken a good, positive turn, and the coverage that they're getting is really special. I'm just really honored that I can be that first example on the wall there."
She started playing baseball with the SYO when she was 6 or 7 years old before transitioning to softball. She went on to play hockey and softball with the Yellowjackets, earning All-American status in her fifth year of softball after medically redshirting during her fourth season due to a hockey injury.
After graduating from UWS, she continued went on to play with the USSSA Majors and Level A division MTO Team based in Chicago until 2021.
She continues to play the sport for recreation.
"I'm honored and I don't even know what other words to use. ... When I saw it was just us three ... my heart exploded. I'm so honored I could be on a wall with people like that," Martin Radosevich said of Bancroft and Arnovich.
She credited her many coaches for helping her find success on the softball field, including Mike Severson; Paul Velin; her mom, Dori Martin; Julie Le Bard; Reese Flint; Ray Kosey; John Seifert; Amy Zembo; Stan Karich; and Roger Plachta.
A mother of three, Martin Radosevich said hitting the field with her 7-year-old son has renewed her appreciation for the coaches she had during her career.
"They don't do it for the money — most of them give their time, it's volunteer work. They just like giving back to the kids," Martin Radosevich said.
In addition to being a stay at home mom to her children, ages 7, 3 and 1, Martin Radosevich has also worked on the side for Herbalife Nutrition for 13 years. She and her family currently reside in Appleton.
