GABHoF Special Awards
Click Here to see a year by year list of inductees.
Glenn ‘Speed’ Bosworth Award
The GABHoF instituted the Glenn ‘Speed’ Bosworth award in 1988 to recognize the personal efforts of any person in the community whose contributions supported, served and organized any level of baseball in the Greater Akron area.
Honorees
1989 – Ben MacDonald
1990 – Joe Sherman
1991 – Robert Stein
1992 – Clifton Skeen
1993 – Lawrence ‘Doc’ Ricker
1994 – William J. ‘Doc’ Malone
1995 – William ‘Tiny” DiMenna
1997 – Russ Ilg
1998 – Jon Durgala
1999 – Tom Hafler
2000 – Walter W. Bettinger II
2001 – Leo Kline
2002 – Dave Gagat
2004 – Tom Stavroff
Glenn Bosworth
An organizer, promoter, manager and tremendous friend of baseball for 60 years, ‘Speed’ Bosworth had a keen impact on baseball played in the Akron area. Bosworth played with the General Tire baseball teams that won the Akron Industrial League and semi-professional championships. The infielder then became a backer/manager of youth baseball. The highlight of his career centered around the Akron Orphans, who won several championships but none more gratifying than the 1945 team that captured the 1945 NABF National Championship. He closed out his colorful career as a scout for several Major League teams. In 1957, Bosworth was a charter member inductee of the Summit County Sports Hall of Fame.
George Popp GABHoF Service Award
The GABHoF George Popp Award was established in 1988 and is given annually to recognize the individual deemed by the GABHoF Board of Directors to have contributed the most to the successful operation of the organization during the past year.
Honorees
1989 – Keith McClure
1990 – Ed Millhoff
1991 – Alex Ellesin
1992 – Jeanie Rakich
1993 – Steve Paschen
1994 – Paul Carroll
1995 – John Porter
1997 – Don Plusquellic
1998 – Ed Millhoff & Rudy Piekarski
1999 – Carl Kieffer
2000 – Bill Johnson & Bob Piekarski
2001 – Patty Pangle
2004 – Louis Yovanovich
George Popp
Colorful sports figures like George Popp are welcomed anywhere they travel. And in George’s case, his career has seen a lot of traveling … as one of the best baseball umpires to ever come out of the Akron area. In the early years, Popp sparkled in baseball, track and football at Akron’s Garfield High and got his first taste of A League baseball for Michael A.C. However, umpiring is Popp’s claim to fame. He says he got to into the profession by accident. Evidently he and lifelong friend, Hermie Ziruolo, took a wrong turn when they ended up at McGowan’s Umpiring School in Florida. George was appointed to the Tobacco State League, but eventually rose through the ranks to be the best in the Southern League. In 1956 he became the first professional umpire to strike for better wages and returned to Akron to take up officiating on the local level. His career has been highlighted with a thousand zany stories, no doubt precipitated by his flair for showmanship, his quick wit and marvelous sense of humor.
Frank Garcia Award
The GABHoF established the Frank Garcia Memorial Outstanding Player Award in 1956 in honor of the memory of Frank Garcia, who passed away at an early age in the midst of an outstanding career as a player-manager. The award annually honors a player, manager or sponsor for outstanding contributions to the Akron AA Baseball League.
Honorees
1957 – Dave Young
1958 – Mike Grimm
1959 – Pete Baltic
1960 – Don Lombardi
1961 – Karl Kramer
1962 – Ray Glinsky
1963 – Linc Hackim Jr. & Jim Barton
1964 – Rick Handy
1965 – Art Kusnyer
1966 – Carl Rakich & George Nichols
1967 – Jeff Hogan
1968 – Dick Lui & Jim Olson
1969 – Jack Bisesi
1970 – Jerry Johnson
1971 – John Pangle
1972 – Don Croskey
1973 – Scott Carnes
1974 – Dave Kerestly
1975 – Winston Austin
1976 – John Rasicci
1977 – Tim Justice
1978 – Scott Fletcher
1979 – Rudy Donatelli
1981 – Winston Austin
1982 – Doug Gruber
1983 – Jeff Tabaka & Jeff Brown
1984 – Ed Vargo
1985 – Joe Nauer
1986 – Dan Rizzo, Ron Piekarski & Byron Sturm
1987 – Dave Weithman, Scott Wightman & T.J. Myers
1988 – Rod Rickert
1989 – John Mast & Brian Williams
1990 – Jeff Rollyson & Scott Jalowiec
1991 – Mark Dean & Roger Begue
1992 – Brian Butash & Dave Layton
1993 – Matt Dennison
1994 – Jeff Fisher
1995-2004 – AA League dormant
2005 – Jesse Michel
2006 – Jeff Forbes
2007 – Ron Spears
2008 – Sam Crea
2009 – Danny Campfield & Craig Knott
2010 – Casey Jirsa
2011 – Phil Smith
Frank Garcia
Although his career was cut short in 1950 at the relatively young age of 38 due to a back injury, this great player lived long enough to see his teams become perhaps the best in the history of Akron sandlot baseball. Garcia was player/manager on teams that won 4 AA League titles and 4 Ohio Amateur Baseball Congress championships. Twice his teams came within a victory of the AABC National Championship. In 1945, he led the Akron Orphans to the NABF National Championship, earning the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. As a player, he was good enough to be signed by 3 Major League teams – Yankees, Phillies and Cardinals. He even had a fling with pro basketball with the Cleveland Alleman Transfers. His name lives on, on the award that goes to the annual winner of the AA League MVP.
Jack S. Tramonte Award
The Jack S. Tramonte Award was established in 2003 to recognize outstanding contributions to the game of Baseball.
Honorees
2003 – Dave Gagat
Jack S. Tramonte
Through his interests in amateur sports and personal influence, Jack Tramonte, along with his brother Don and the Tramonte Distributing Company, sponsored the powerful and tremendously successful Black Label teams of the 1960s that have become a model of excellence for the Class AA League. Along with winning championships in 9 years, the Labels became on of the strongest and most-feared teams on the State and national levels. Jack Tramonte not only provided his own teams with everything they needed to display their winning style of baseball, but also could always be counted on to help other teams in the AA League.