By Hugh Bernreuter
SAGINAW, MI — Art Gillis brought some of the best softball players in the world to Saginaw, building a fastpitch dynasty and making his mark in Saginaw, the United States and the world.
Gillis died Tuesday night. He was 89. See his obituary here.
“He brought the best pitchers in the world to Saginaw, and I got to play with them,” his son, Marc Gillis, said. “I tell people that all the time, that the best players in the world played for Saginaw, and it was because of my dad.”
Gillis, who was inducted into the Saginaw County Sports Hall of Fame in 2006, was born in Saginaw, but moved to Plymouth.
“In Plymouth, he grew up across the street from a softball diamond,” Marc Gillis said. “He would go across the street starting when he was 8 or 9 years old, and play softball whenever he wanted. He played it pretty much his adult life.”
Gillis moved back to Saginaw and starred as a catcher and pitcher. After he retired, he put his energy into making Saginaw a destination for the top players in the world.
He brought pitchers Kevin Herlihy, Owen Walford and Michael White to Saginaw to play for his team, the Saginaw Bolters. The team won the International Softball Congress world championship in 1979.
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Editor’s note:
The first time I heard Kevin Herlihy’s name, it was as a member of the Saginaw Bolters. I read about the greatest pitcher, and the greatest team, Art Gillis’ Saginaw Bolters. I was born in Michigan, but found myself looking at a map to locate Saginaw. A few years later, in 1983, Herlihy headed west, to the Lancaster Chameleons, and later the Lakewood Chameleons. But it was Art Gillis that introduced him to the fastpitch world, and put Saginaw on the world fastpitch map. RIP, Mr. Gillis. Your impact on the game continues.