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The late Post-Dispatch sportswriter Neal Russo and St. Louis Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame charter member Greg Marecek head a list of 15 inductees into the St. Louis Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame at its annual awards banquet April 6 at 6:30 p.m. at the St. Louis Marriott Hotel at the Airport.
Former Cardinals relief pitcher Todd Worrell, the 1986 National League Rookie of the Year, will be the guest speaker. Tickets are $35 each and can be purchased by calling Al Grosch at 314-631-9795.
The late Russo covered the Muny League and amateur baseball like it was a professional beat from the late 1940s until 1959. Marecek, the former sports editor of the St. Louis Suburban Journals and present owner of all-sports radio station KFNS, has been associated with the organization since its inception in 1973.
Russo and Marecek join nine players, three contributors and one umpire.
The list of players includes Charlie Coe, Don Cooksey, Walter Hammermeister, Frank Joyner, Jim Kick, Jay Mason, Jim Moore, Elmer Otey and Doug Pipes. Jack Bender, Larry Jennewein, Frank Mormino, Russo and Marecek are being inducted as contributors. Russo and Mormino are being inducted posthumously. Ken Morganstern, the former president of the Greater St. Louis Association of Umpires, is the umpire inductee.
Longtime Ritenour coach Lee Engert is the winner of the Bob Broeg Award given to the top high school coach.
The Rising Star Award, given to the top high school player, will be announced at the dinner. The finalists are Danny Jackson (Edwardsville), Ronnie Ray (Pacific), John Sternberg (John Burroughs), Devin Collis (Francis Howell North) and Matt Buschmann (Lafayette).
Here's a look at the inductees.
PLAYERS
Charlie Coe: A former Public High League star infielder and pitcher at O'Fallon Tech and Beaumont, Coe hit .328 in 1967 with the Blue Jackets and was named to the All-Conference and All-Metro team.
Coe, 52, played with Mathews-Dickey and helped the Knights to a semi-pro title in 1973. He continued at Meramec Community College and played with the 1970 junior college national champions.
He finished his collegiate career at Kansas State in 1971 and was named All-Conference. Coe was drafted by Detroit in 1971 and spent three years in the Tigers farm system before finishing his career...