Chicago 16" Hall of Fame

Class of 2009

Fritz Zimmermann - Man of the Year

Fritz Zimmermann has sponsored and played on teams at the major level and at the neighborhood level since 1974. These teams include Splinter's, March, Meadows, Stallions, Lumber Jacks, and others. His teams have won league championships in parks in Chicago, the surrounding suburbs, and at ASA and USSSA state and national tournaments. Besides being a great team sponsor, he has helped Chicago's game in other ways. In 2009 his generous donation to the Sixteen-inch Softball Hall of Fame provided the necessary funding to complete the Hall of Fame Outdoor Inductee Park in Forest Park, adjacent to the future museum building. He is truly the 2009 Hall of Fame "Man of the Year".

Zimmerman was under the weather so his close friend Mark Frighetto (Hall of Fame 2006) accepted for him by saying, "When Ray Topps first came up with the idea about having an outside inductee park in conjunction with the Forest Park Park District and it was blessed by the board. I went to Fritz Zimmerman and said 'Fritz we got an idea. What do you think we're going to need a little bit of help'? He looked at me and said what's it going to cost? I reached into my briefcase pulled out the proposal and he said 'I'll take care of it.'

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