PONY Baseball and Softball was proud to recognize Dick Whitt, PONY East Zone, South Region Director and Secretary of the Board of Directors, for 50 years with the organization yesterday at the DICK’S Sporting Goods Pony League World Series. A man who had been coming to Washington, Pennsylvania since 1971, Whitt was grateful for the recognition at the event.
“I’m honored,” said Whitt. “I couldn’t have done it without a spouse that supported me. The biggest supporter I have is her. I’ve worked with great people.”
Looking back on 50 years of memories with PONY, quite simply, just being at the ball field stands out most to Whitt.
“I don’t think there’s anything that’s more attractive, to me, in sports, than being at a baseball field, just prior to the game — when the field’s marked, the lines are down, ready to go,” said Whitt.
Prior to joining PONY, Whitt joined the Marines in 1961, primarily because he didn’t know what he wanted to do in life out of high school, but also because he liked the Corps and what they stood for. After attending basic training at Paris Island, Whitt said he was sent to infantry training at Camp Geiger in Jacksonville, North Carolina. He spent six months in Norfolk, Virginia as a radio telegraph operator in the second platoon communications team. He was happy to move on to Camp Lejeune, Jacksonville, North Carolina where he was in operations for the next six years, four active-duty and two inactive, before he retired at the official rank of Corporal E-4.
After moving on from his life spent with the Corps, he spent 18 months as a warrant deputy or, as we would know today, a magistrate. It was then that he had a calling to coach, so he spent the next three years at Guilford College and the following five years teaching health and physical education in Greensboro, North Carolina, while coaching football, basketball and baseball. The remainder of his working days was spent with the Greensboro Parks and Recreation Department. He was a supervisor of 13 recreation centers, an athletic director for nine to 10 years and he finished his career as the Director of Safety.
Whitt joined PONY in 1967, when he was coaching a 15-16-year-old team called Northeast Colt. Region Director George Warner retired and asked Whitt to replace him for the Colt Division in 1971-72 and Whitt agreed. Bill Britt named him a Division Director in 1999 and he has been a member of the PONY Board of Directors ever since. Besides being the only baseball league offered in his area, Whitt said he joined PONY because of two things.
“What sold me on PONY were the field dimensions and that it was a two-year age group, at that time,” said Whitt. “I realize we have to adapt and adjust and change to be competitive. We play the game the right way, and we play MLB rules. That’s the name of the game.”
Whitt, who turns 76 in January, says he has been blessed to still be in good health, which keeps him motivated to achieve his goals for the organization.
“I just like to give back,” said Whitt. “I will continue to give back and support PONY Baseball. I love PONY Baseball. This is like a family to me.”