The Mission of the National Senior Softball Hall of Fame is to
recognize and honor players, managers, directors, umpires, and others, who have
achieved the highest honors in Senior Softball.
National Senior Softball Hall of Fame
History
The National Senior Softball Hall of Fame was
founded in 1995 by Herb and Yvonne Oliver in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The purpose
was to recognize players who had achieved honors in Senior Softball.
Players gained points with each individual award (MVP, All World, All American,
etc.) earned while playing in National or World Tournaments. Managers received
points with their team finishing in First or Second Place in National or World
Tournaments. Earning a minimum of 4 points, made a player or manager eligible to
be inducted into the National Senior Softball Hall of Fame.
In 1999, the National Senior Softball Hall of Fame was acquired, along with the
Softball Players Association, by Ridge Hooks. At that time, the office was moved
to Spring, Texas. In 2006, it was moved to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and in 2008
to its current location in Mustang, Oklahoma.
With the introduction of the Senior Summit in 2001, an annual meeting of the
organizations that promote Senior Softball programs, the election process was
revamped to include input from all of the participating organizations. A new
point standard and minimum participation rules were adopted. All applicants were
required to have a minimum of six (6) points and play a minimum of five (5)
years in Senior Softball to be eligible.
In 2003, the NSSHOF added a new category exclusively for the Pioneers of Senior
Softball. Pioneers had to be a minimum of 65 years of age. They included
Players, Managers, Umpires, and Special Categories (including Sponsors,
Directors, etc.), and beginning with 2007, the number of points required has
been increased from (6) pts to (8) pts to be considered a nominee to the
National Senior Softball Hall of Fame. Also, to become a nominee, a player must
have played Senior Softball for 10 years or more. To be nominated for the
Pioneer Category, a person must be 70 years of age or older and played, managed,
directed, or umpired for a minimum of ten (10) years.