Trenton Softball Hall of Famer Brad Altimore dies
A very good player himself, a leader of some of the best softball teams the area has ever seen and an all-around good guy.
These are just some of the ways people are remembering Brad Altimore, who died last week of a heart attack at the age of 59.
A celebration of life services for Altimore will be held on July 8 from 10 a.m. to noon at Colonial Hall on 701 Falls Tullytown Road in Levittown, Pa.
A member of the Trenton Softball Hall of Fame and graduate of the old Delhaas High School in Bristol Township, Altimore first started making a name for himself in softball while playing in the Bristol Boro League.
Before he was finished he was the player/coach and sometimes sponsor of teams that won numerous championships in the Mercer Major League and enjoyed tremendous success on the tournament circuit.
Among the teams he guided in the Mercer Major were Tri-Gems Builders, A-1 Limo and Altimore Concrete.
With the help of sponsor Guthrie Short, Altimore’s highly-successful tourney teams included Tri-Gems and SoJourn Travel, which won the ASA Class A National championship in 1996 in Oklahoma.
Although other area teams have won national titles, SoJourn Travel was the only won to win in Class A. As such, it stands as arguably the most impressive accomplishment any area team has ever achieved on a national level.
There was a big reason, of course, why Altimore’s teams attracted top talent and as a result won on such a consistent basis. Namely, people liked him as both a coach and person.
“There wasn’t a more generous person on the planet,” said Jeff Huggins, who got started in softball with Altimore right out of high school and was with him throughout the years. “He was also the most organized guy I ever knew. He took care of everything. It was like playing for a minor league baseball team.
“I was so glad I was inducted with Brad (into the Trenton Softball Hall of Fame) in the same year, but now I am even more glad.”
As a player, Altimore was a lefthanded pitcher and a line-drive hitter that allowed him to hit for a high average. He was named to many all-tourney teams, including several that won Trentonian Tournament titles in the top Open Division.
In addition to all the softball accomplishments, Altimore was a sports enthusiast who also enjoyed coaching high school football and recently got involved in boxing as a promoter.