Editor’s Note:
Retrieved from the Red Meairs Archives. (Red Meairs, ISC Hall of Fame manager of the 10-time World Champion Long Beach Nitehawks)
This one should say “Throw-Way-Back”. 1968. For perspective, we had not yet landed on the moon.
It’s a few pages from the ISC’s printed newspaper/magazine from the 1968 ISC World Tournament, including the Winners and Loser’s Brackets (up to the Winner’s Bracket Final Four.)
The tournament was held in Rock Island, Illinois. The tournament was won by the Long Beach Nitehawks, their 8th world title. They would go on to win twice more, in 1970 and 1975, and hold the ISC record for ISC World titles.
The Long Beach Nitehawks men’s fastpitch softball team won the ISC World Tournament in the following years:
- 1959
- 1960
- 1961
- 1963
- 1965
- 1966
- 1967
- 1968
- 1970
- 1975
In the 1968 tournament, the DerWienerschnitzels, of LaMesa, CA were among the favorites, though they wound up finishing third. Rock Island Bombers finished second.
Click here for the complete order of finish and award winners.
Milt Stark, former ISC Executive Director for many years made first team all world (catcher) as a member of the Long Beach Nitehawks. Milt was inducted into the ISC Hall of Fame in 1981. His teammates included Nitehawk pitching greats Bob Todd and Don Sarno.
