J. Herbert Simpson *

 

Player

 

Inducted 1986

 

Herb was a part of ASA softball since the 1930s.  In 1939 and 1940, he played in the ASA World Fast-Pitch Softball Tournaments in Chicago and Detroit respectively with the Norfolk Shipyard Team finishing both years at two and two.  From 1942 to 1958, Herb played with the Portsmouth Moose Club fast-pitch team winning the city title eleven times.  Herb played and managed the Parker’s Market slow-pitch team that won a berth in the ASA National tournament in Cleveland, Ohio.  He also served as District Commissioner for Hampton Roads from 1945 to 1950.  One of the highlights of Herb’s career was winning the Virginia State Fast-Pitch title in 1948.  In winning the title, Herb’s Portsmouth Moose Club defeated the Chesapeake Athletic Club in the title game 2-1 in twenty-one innings.  In addition Herb’s softball accomplishments, he was the founding force behind getting little league baseball in Tidewater in 1950; helped to found Portsmouth Sports Club; founded Virginia Sports Hall of Fame; and, was one of the founders of Portsmouth’s Downtown Athletic Club.

 

* Deceased