Herman Davidson

 

Sponsor

 

Inducted 1987

 

To define what the word sponsor means, one only needs to talk to those individuals who played for Herman Davidson.  Although Mr. Davidson funded many local teams, he was best known for his business team, River Oaks Shell.  From 1968 through 1980, Mr. Davidson gave the game of softball everything he had in order for his teams to be the best in Tidewater and one of the top teams in America.  From 1968 until 1974, Herman both sponsored and managed his number one team.  In 1974, he decided he needed to devote more time to his business so he brought in Leonard Hamburger as Manager.  At that point, these two men combined to give Tidewater the best Class A team in the area.  River Oaks Shell proceeded to win such tournaments as Coach House Invitational, Firecracker Open, C.A.C, Norfolk and Western, Red White and Blue, and 4400 Club Classic.  In addition, the team traveled to New York and North Carolina to play in both invitational and national tournaments.  Competition for the River Oaks Shell teams included Little Caesars, Poindexter Lumber, Howard Furniture, Jarrell’s Truckstop, and Greenbelt Shell.