2001 Hall of Fame Inductees

Billy Wallace | Kurt Boyd | John Heelan | Sue Peters | Aaron Pointer

	Billy Wallace, Male Player Category Billy has been a member of USSSA Washington Slow Pitch softball for 15 years.  Of 225 tournaments, 3 were while competing on the USSSA Major National Invitational circuit.  Representing the Northwest on such teams as Slo-Pitch News, Northwest, Rainier TPS and Hendu’s 42/TPS, Billy amassed an impressive resume with the following accomplishments:  15 tournament MVP selections, 75 All Tournament team selections, 5 consecutive selections to All Washington SPN team and was voted by his peers as the most feared base runner 3 consecutive years.  Billy was also voted the Defensive Player of the Year.  Perhaps the most important contribution Billy made to his teams was his presence in the ‘club house’.  His love of the game and respect for teammates are consistent with the qualities associated with a “Hall of Famer”.  Billy’s career highlight occurred while representing the state of Washington and helping his Slo-Pitch News team to a 5th place finish in the 1992 USSSA Major World Series held in Daytona Beach, Florida.
	Kurt Boyd, Male Player Category Kurt has been involved with USSSA softball for 25 years dating back to his Armed Forces participation in 1975 through his present participation with Team Swollen (defending Masters State Champions).  Some of Kurt’s highlights were placing 5th in the 1999 USSSA Masters 40+ Major World Championships in South Carolina, placing 3rd in the 1995 Church ‘A’ World in Atlanta, GA and coming within 5 outs of earning a berth to the 1995 Men’s Major World Series.  Kurt’s wife, Lisa, and two children, Matt and Jessica are life long supporters.  Kurt played outfield early in his career and now pitches and plays first base.  Kurt’s lifetime batting average is .652 with over 4000 hits.  He is one of Washington’s leading homerun hitters with a career total of 1031 homeruns.  Kurt’s lifetime pitching record of 555 wins ranks as one of the tops in USSSA.  Kurt has approximately 14 All State USSSA awards and 9 Regional and National awards.  He has also taken 3rd and 5th places in Major NIT Home Run contests.
	John Heelan, Sponsor Category John has owned and operated O’Blarney’s in Olympia since 1985.  John began sponsoring teams in 1983 and is still doing so.  During his time he has sponsored over 70 teams in a variety of programs including Men’s, Women’s, Mixed and Masters. His teams have participated in over 25 State Championships, with an O’Blarney’s team winning the Men’s 40+ in 1998.  Each year when softball rolls around, John tries to limit his involvement to a certain number of teams, but if you are a softball fanatic and a friend of the community, he finds it next to impossible to say no.  A day doesn’t pass that you can’t find John and his wife, Eileen, hard at work in the business they love.  John is a true supporter of softball and the needs of the community
	Sue Peters, Female Player Category Sue has played softball for over 30 years.  She was active in USSSA for more than 18 years.  During her career, she played 3rd base, shortstop and for the last 9 years played one of the most demanding positions in the game, catcher.  She played every game with great intensity and was fearless behind the plate.  Her accomplishments include a lifetime batting average over .550, with 30 homeruns, 3 state titles, going undefeated and winning the NIT in Lancaster, CA as well as finishing 2nd at the National tournament in 1998.  While her play was unselfish, she received numerous individual awards that include over 30 All Stars and 8 All Tournament team selections.  “USSSA Softball has given me many opportunities to travel, make lifelong friends and share my love of the game with my family” she says, “they love sports as much as I do!”
	Aaron Pointer, Special Category Aaron began his career with Pierce County Parks in 1972.  During that time, he began looking into the prospects of other associations and their rules and by-laws for his teams.  He contacted the USSSA National Office and received the information in 1978.  In 1979, when Bob Roach contacted Aaron for fields to host USSSA Washington’s first tournament, Aaron acquired the Puyallup School District’s Fir Grove fields and became USSSA Washington’s 1st Tournament Director.  In 1980, Aaron became one of the “original 8” USSSA Umpires.  With his teams affiliating with USSSA, Aaron knew they now had a chance to be exposed to State, Regional and National tournaments.  Aaron has run one or more USSSA tournaments each year, since 1983 through 2000.  Aaron says, “Switching over to USSSA has been the best thing that has ever happened my teams and I.”  In 2000, Aaron received USSSA Washington State’s Special Service Award for the outstanding job that he has done for USSSA.