BELLAIRE – The summer of 1965.

LBJ occupied the Oval Office.

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Minnesota Twins in the World Series. The St. Louis Arch was completed, and the first U.S. combat troops were sent to Vietnam.

It was also the summer that a group of 12-year-old baseballers from Bellaire came within a whisker of making the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.

The Bronco League (as it is called locally) All-Stars were comprised of players from five teams from Bellaire and one from Neffs. Their tournament trail commenced in Shadyside and ended in New Bedford, Mass., a single win from reaching youth baseball’s Promised Land – the Little League World Series.

The remarkable feat was celebrated by 11 team members and their families at a 50-year reunion Oct. 10 at Undo’s in St. Clairsville.

Players returning for the event included Steve Halicky, Jim Joe Thoburn, John Ostrander, Ed Burgy, Ed Dalto, John Vavra, Danny Sabatino, Joe Norden, Jim Olinski, Rich Wasko and Fred Blumling. Team members not making it to the celebration were Mike Senatore, John Kapral, Joe Robinson and Pete Lemley (deceased).

The team was coached by George Lemley and Frank Woollard.

“At the time we were little kids, you didn’t realize how big a deal it was,” said Thoburn, one of the team’s three mound aces. “But looking back now and seeing how huge the Little League World Series is, you feel pretty good about what we accomplished.”

The Bellaire All-Stars won their first tournament title in Shadyside. That propelled them into the district tournament at Martins Ferry’s Fodor Field.

Bellaire faced Martins Ferry in the tourney finale with a trip to Massachusetts on the line.

Ferry was holding a three-run lead late in the game before Senatore blasted a three-run homer to knot the affair. Burgy provided the game-winner when he unloaded a prodigious blast that landed on top of the American Legion Post across Zane Highway.

Little League baseball back in those days started later than its current May commencement. Thus, the Bellaire regional journey to Massachusetts played out in mid-August.

“I remember that a group of parents drove us, and it was a long trip. I think maybe 12 hours. We got there, and they put us up in a school gymnasium and we slept on cots,” Thoburn said. “Other than going to watch the tourney games, we didn’t do much. They did take us to the ocean one day, and we also toured a battleship and a whaling center. Once we got back home, we started school about a week later.”

Once the regional began in New Bedford, the Bellaire stars faced a rude awakening.

Unbeknownst to them, the regionals used international rules. The biggest change was base-runners didn’t have to wait until the pitch reached the catcher. Consequently, pitchers needed to make use of a stretch, a technique totally foreign to Bellaire hurlers.

“We had no idea about the rule until our first game, and the runner took off. Our coaches argued and were informed about the international rule,” Thoburn said. “It did present some problems for us. We never had to hold runners on before.”

Undaunted, Bellaire debuted impressively.

Burgy took the hill in the opener against Acushnet (Mass.) He was brilliant, striking out 17 and allowing one hit in a 2-0 win. Burgy provided the runs as well, blasting a two-run homer after a Blumling double.

Game two pitted Bellaire against the host team – New Bedford. Bellaire dropped a close pitching duel. Ostrander struck out 14 in the setback.

Game three was another matchup with Acushnet. Burgy was again brilliant on the hill, tossing a shutout.

That victory set up a rematch with New Bedford with a trip to Williamsport on the line. Thoburn was superb on the hill, but Bellaire dropped a 3-1 nod, ending its magic carpet ride.

A team from Connecticut was the eventual Little League World Series champions, defeating Canada in the finals. Bellaire finished as the eighth-ranked Little League team in the nation.

“On our return trip, we were greeted at the north end of Bellaire with fire trucks and were given a parade through town. We also were treated to a spaghetti dinner later on,” Thoburn said.

Ironically, Bellaire High did not have a high school baseball program at that time. One was started, however, when Burgy, Thoburn and Ostrander were sophomores. Those three served as the nucleus of a prep team that was successful quite quickly.

As fate would have it, the trio experienced another tough diamond loss. The Big Reds dropped a 1-0 regional finals loss, costing them a state tournament berth.

Burgy, an OVAC Hall of Famer, still ranks sixth all-time in the OHSAA for lowest career ERA – 0.63. He was selected out of high school by the New York Mets in the sixth round of the Major League Baseball Draft.

“We were fortunate growing up to receive quality coaching. Coach “Eugene” Badia taught me a great deal in Bronco League and was one of the best coaches I ever dealt with,” Burgy said. “We had a lot of good players on that all-star team. It was a great time to play baseball.”

Burgy is viewed by many to be one of the best – if not best – prep baseball players in Ohio Valley annals.

Halicky was the driving force in making the reunion come to fruition. Vavra, meanwhile, is now a Belmont County judge.

BUBBA’S BITS

THE SIXTH annual Lois Stobbs Memorial Veterans 10K unfolds Saturday, Nov. 7 in Wheeling. Proceeds from the event are donated to the West Virginia Chapter of Paralyzed Veterans of America. Thus far, the Stobbs Memorial 10K has channeled $68,000 to the paralyzed veterans cause. The race has now been awarded the USATF Three Rivers Association 10K championship for the sixth year. Three Rivers covers all of Western Pennsylvania and Northern West Virginia. Event officials have also received a $1,000 gift certificate from Cabela’s for a drawing at the race banquet.

WITH THE prep football regular season winding down, basketballs will be rolling out Friday in Ohio as girls’ hoop practice officially begins that day. Boys’ basketball practice begins Oct. 30 in the Buckeye State.

CHAZ ROE enjoyed a solid year pitching for the Baltimore Orioles. The hard-throwing righthander – born in Steubenville – posted a 4-2 record with four holds. Roe fanned 38 batters in 41 innings of work. His dad, Don, was a Buckeye North High and University of Kentucky grid star. Roe’s uncle, Jim Hoover, was also a Buckeye North and Eastern Michigan standout. Hoover teaches and coaches at Martins Ferry High.

FORMER BARNESVILLE High track coach Dennis McCrate recorded a hole-in-one on hole No. 8 at Bec-Wood Hills on Oct. 7. McCrate used a utility club to ace the 190-yard par 3. Darrell Davis, Dennis Huntsman and Dan Watson witnessed the shot.

WESTERVILLE CENTRAL improved to 8-0 Friday night by downing Westerville South, 42-7. The Warhawks are guided by former Bellaire High coach John Magistro. They face an acid test this week, hosting 8-0 Hilliard Darby.