Historical Albion, Michigan

A tribute to Jerry Sacharski
The inventor of t-ball

Birth: Feb. 6, 1916 West Allis Milwaukee County Wisconsin, USA Death: Feb. 27, 2009 Albion Calhoun County Michigan, USA	Jerome Sacharski gives instruction on how to play T-ball to Craig LeClair, 5, in 1958. Sacharski was instrumental in helping Albion be one of the nation's first communities to play the game as an organized sport.

Albion lost one of our most beloved heroes last week, Jerry Sacharski. But in the aftermath of his passing, we gained something too. We gained appreciation for a man that looked for solutions, and didn't want to take credit for a game --which he invented-- that took off like a home run.

From the Wall Street Journal: "The game's exact origin is unclear but, behind Sacharski, Albion in 1956 became one of the nation's first communities in which T-ball was played as an organized sport."

On June 19, 2002, former U.S. Rep. Nick Smith, a Michigan Republican, offered a tribute to Sacharski and his T-ball efforts from the House floor.

Soon after the passing of Mr. Sacharski, Albion Historian Frank Passic had phone calls from journalists from the Wall Street Journal, Associated Press and L.A. Times who had seen his articles on AlbionMich.com "Historical Notebook" and requested more information and photographs. After their research we found it was indeed true, Jerry was a hero, not only to the youth in Albion that he helped to enjoy the sport of baseball before they were quite ready, but to people young and old around the world who now enjoy the game of T-Ball, that Jerry called "PeeWee Ball" back in 1956, before anyone else was playing the game.

News articles about Jerry Sacharski:

• Voice of America - article published 3/9/09
• L.A. Times - "Jerry Sacharski dies at 93; he pioneered T-ball as an organized youth sport"
• Wall Street Journal - "T-Ball Creator Gave Small Fry a Chance
  Despite evidence to the contrary, Jerry Sacharski insisted he didn't invent T-ball."
• FindaGrave - Forum with link to tribute- "Coach Jerry Sacharski has passed away at the age of 93. He was the inventor of what became known as Tee-Ball, a sport designed to teach youngsters the fundamentals of baseball at an early age. He fashioned the first batting tee which was first officially used in an organized game in 1956. The concept caught on nationwide and millions of youngsters have participated in Tee-Ball for over 50 years. Here is his Findagrave link:"
• Detroit Free Press - T-ball pioneer Sacharski dies at 93, Ex-teacher helped to lead Albion in popularizing sport - Jerome J. (Jerry) Sacharski, a retired teacher known for helping to popularize T-ball as an organized youth sport, has died. He was 93.
• Taiwan News On-line - T-ball pioneer made game a huge hit over 50 years -Jerry Sacharski crafted his first batting tee from metal piping, some pieces of rubber and part of a garden hose.
  Half a century later he still was coaching T-ball, a game that introduced baseball to millions of kids from backyards to the White House lawn.
• Boston Globe - Jerry Sacharski, 93; helped bring T-ball to the masses
• Other news articles about Jerry Sacharski - there are very many articles as of March 9, 2009.

The original stories about Jerry Sacharski
by Albion Historian Frank Passic on AlbionMich.com:

• T-BALL INVENTED IN ALBION - Morning Star, April 28, 2002, pg. 5. "Several months ago you might have caught a bit of news that President Bush “sponsored” a game of T-ball for the kids, on the White House lawn."
• 1960 TELEVISED T-BALL GAME - Morning Star, September 3, 2006, pg. 13 - "With 2006 being the 50th anniversary year of T-Ball, begun here in Albion in June, 1956 under the name of Pee Wee baseball, we’d like to feature another aspect about this fascinating game. It was on Thursday, July 28, 1960, that Albion’s “All Star” Pee Wee Baseball players traveled to the campus of Michigan State University, where they played an hour-long exhibition game to educate the public about this new sporting phenomenon. The game was played at the MSU intramural field in East Lansing."
• 50th ANNIVERSARY OF TEE-BALL - Morning Star, June 18, 2006, pg. 13 - "We continue with our theme this month of “summer fun.” Next week marks an important anniversary, not only in Albion history, but in sporting history as well. It was on Monday, June 25, 1956 at 10:00 am. that the first organized game of what later became known as Tee Ball was played, and it was right here in Albion. It was the first time in sporting history that a batting tee was used in an officially organized game. Known locally as Pee Wee Baseball, this new sport was the brainchild of Albion coach and baseball director Jerry Sacharski."
  

• Growing up in Albion - a book by Frank Passic. On the cover is Jerry and a bus load of kids going to play ball.
• TEE-BALL IN ALBION - "The year was 1960, and two groups of young boys from Albion made their way to Michigan State University in late July to demonstrate a new variation on an old sport. Jerry Sacharski, often credited as the founder of tee-ball, was the baseball instructor for Albion's Department of Recreation in 1956 when he helped to develop the first tee-ball game in the region, if not the country. He noted that, as in many trends that catch on, it is difficult to say for sure where tee-ball originated. However, he had no outside influence when he came up with Albion's version, and it was soon adopted in nearby communities such as Marshall and Hastings."
• Bits and Pieces #1 - A note from Jerry about Pee Wee Baseball - "DID YOU KNOW that on July 8,1957, the MOUSKETEERS ( 56 ) and TWEETIES ( 7 ) set a single game Pee Wee Baseball scoring record of 63 runs ??????? The game was played on the north Victory Park diamond off of Hannah Street."


Jerry Sacharski stayed active and participated in the planning of the Albion Community Mural in 2007. There is a tribute of the invention of T-Ball in Albion in the center of the mural, in the summer portion of the year long design.






There are other famous things that started in Albion, invented or started by
people who each saw a problem, and came up with a solution.
We will gather together their stories.
We know that they each loved Albion, and the people of Albion,
and they would want us to spread the word.