LASTING LEGACY
On Bear Stadium’s 40th anniversary, Boyertown program celebrates its past and present
BOYERTOWN » American Legion baseball existed in the Boyertown community decades before 1982.
But two occurrences the summer of that remarkable year laid the foundation for the numerous successes the program experienced over the last 40 years. Those occurrences were a big part of the Alumni Weekend activities staged at Bear Stadium June 17 and 18.
Heading the weekend’s activities were the recognition of Boyertown Legion alumni, from teams covering almost 75 years, Saturday evening. There was also the induction into the program’s Hall of Fame a trio of managers/ coaches who oversaw the program starting in 1988 and continuing to 2019.
Special recognition was given to the 1982 Bear team, which achieved the unprecedented feat of winning its first World Series. The feat was made even more remarkable by the fact Boyertown served as host for the World Series in the recently-completed Bear Stadium facility — a role for which it had to qualify through the post-season tournament process, and one that has never been duplicated by any other Legion program in the country to date.
“We won it for the teams that preceded us,” team member Ivan Snyder Jr., the American Legion’s 1982 National Player of the Year, recalled. “It was a memorable thing.”
When the stadium was dedicated on Aug. 17, Snyder marvelled at how it compared to the field on which the team played up to that point: A field on the Boyertown High School campus that was basically the field itself.
“We knew one thing: It was state-of-the-art,” he noted. “It was a classy place to play. The first
and third-base lines were done so bunts rolled true. That was a big part of our game.”
Todd Seymour, a Boyertown Legion player from 1980 to 1983 who was third baseman for the World Series team, affirmed Snyder’s observations about the stadium.
“Compared to where we played — we didn’t even have bleachers there — it was as good as you could have,” he said. “Walking into there, with the groomed infield ... taking infield practice was great.”
It was a facility fit for a program whose players were coming off mixed results in high school the two seasons leading up to the ‘82 World Series.
Boyertown High had won the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) big-school championship in 1981, and it made a repeat run during the 1981-82 school year. A loss in the title game — at the time, the playoffs were in a single-elimination format — ended the Bears’ season.
“Losing at the end of the high-school season, it inspired us to do what we did,” Snyder recalled. “It was a disheartening loss. We vowed we were going to take it all the way.”
“Our total focus was on the World Series,” Seymour, currently a principal at a school in West Virginia, added. “We knew we had to win our way there, even though we knew we were hosting the World Series.”
Another team member, Greg Gilbert, who recently completed his 23rd season guiding the Owen J. Roberts high school team, lauded the level of community involvement in the construction of the stadium. The project was born of conversations during the 1977 Mid-Atlantic Regional, for which Boyertown qualified after winning its fourth Pa. championship and was on the way to a first-ever title at that level.
The idea was put on the back burner until 1979, when Boyertown was hosting the Mid-Atlantic Regional that year. With no sufficient facilities available locally, the tournament was played at Reading Municipal Stadium.
“The community came together on it,” Gilbert recalled. “The whole town was part of it.”
Other players from the ‘82 team recognized at the event were Scott Gilbert, Bob Snyder, Andy Souder and Dave Hiryak.
The oldest alumni present for the event were Paul Moatz, who played for the team in the 1945-47 time frame; and Bob Ellis, a player around the same time. Ellis went on to be the program’s longtime and highly-regarded scorekeeper/statistician.
The stadium project cost was estimated at $600,000, of which only $75,000 was public money. Don Specht and Adam Surgeoner co-chaired the stadium building committee, with significant volunteer contributions coming from Ken Ellis and Claude “Bud” Garber (construction companies), Bill Levengood (electrical work), Bob Horn (plumbing work), Ralph Talarico of Talarico’s Sandwich Shop (concession stand kitchen) and Ed Gruber (stadium playing surface).
“The team felt real pride in it,” Gilbert said. “You certainly felt like you were privileged.”
Bear Stadium was dedicated on Aug. 17, prior to the Sept. 2 start of the World Series. Boyertown capped the tournament with a victory over Lafayette, Calif., in a game that was estimated at drawing more than 6,000 spectators — a considerable swelling of a borough population estimated at 4,000 residents.
“It was incredible, the celebrations,” Snyder recalled. “The continuation of community support has been big.”
“It’s something that stays with you the rest of your life, the parade through town after the game,” Gilbert added.
The program’s administrative functions were cited by the latest HOF inductees — manager Rick Moatz, coaches Craig Eddinger and Pete Hiryak — as key to facilitating their jobs. With various volunteers handling logistical matters, they were able to focus on working with players to get them gameready.
“I was able to enjoy what I was doing,” Moatz said. “It’s a big tribute to the organization, and the people who were there with me.”
Moatz and Eddinger, who coached together for more than 30 seasons (1988-2019), were part of 1,311 victories in that span.
Moatz’ induction into the Hall continues a run of Boyertown managers who’ve been accorded that honor: Melvin “Buck” Rhoads (1958-70), Richard “Dick” Ludy (1971-85) and Dave Specht (1986-87). He and his former coaches join a total of 10 previous inductees who impacted the program’s fortunes as either players, coaches or administrators.
“All the coaches I had were top-notch,” Moatz said. “They contributed highly to the program.”
They all contributed to the program’s sterling legacy of achievement, highlighted by 23 state championships, nine Mid-Atlantic Regional titles and nine World Series qualifications.
Though he was connected with Moatz and Eddinger a shorter time (25 years), Hiryak enjoyed his time in the program.
“Rick nd Craig gave me the opportunity to coach,” he said. “I have nothing but good memories about it. They’re the best in the business.”
The Alumni Weekend festivities included a golf tournament Friday at Hickory Valley Presidential Golf Course, food truck festivals both days, performances by the high school alumni band and BAHS choir Friday, an alumni cornhole tournament and wine tasting Saturday. The current Boyertown Legion team played non-league games both days with Wyomissing and Perkiomen Post, contributing a pair of victories that upped its season record to 11-1-1 through the weekend.
Bear Stadium will add to its extensive history of post-season tournament hosting this summer by serving as the site for the Pa. State Tournament July 23-27. To get to the Bear, the Berks County League champion will have to win the Pa. Region Two Tournament being held in Quakertown July 15-19.