NSA Hall of Fame: Chuck Middleton (1996)

CATEGORY: Director

YEAR INDUCTED: 1996

AWARDS WON:

• 1987 Presidential Award of Excellence

Chuck Middleton’s wish was to see all of the Hall of Fame Committee inducted into the Hall of Fame before him.  The Hall of Fame Committee simply couldn’t wait that long.  Chuck Middleton’s vision for forming the Hall of Fame is one of the reasons that we are here today.  The Hall of Fame Committee unanimously voted Chuck Middleton into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot not for his vision but for his contributions to the game of softball.

As of 2002 Chuck Middleton has been involved in the game of softball for approximately 70 years.  A labor of love for over 70 years is what Chuck calls it.  In those 70 years Chuck was an umpire for 50 years, umpiring in over 10,000 games.  In 1985 Chuck joined the NSA family as a local director in the St Louis, MO area.  Chuck registered hundreds of teams in the St Louis area and converted Johnny Macs Sports Complex to an NSA facility.  In 1986 Chuck was appointed to the NSA Board of Directors as a Vice President.  In 1987, Chuck was appointed as Chairman of the NSA Sports Hall of Fame Committee.  During this tenure Chuck became the driving force behind the Hall of Fame. 

In 1988 Chuck held the first Girl’s Fast Pitch World Series for the NSA in St Louis MO.  Chuck was instrumental in the formation of the NSA Youth Fast Pitch Division.  Chuck’s first tournament has grown from 36 teams in 5 age groups to over a thousand teams annually.  Chuck was appointed the National Youth Fast Pitch Director in 1988.  Chuck’s contributions to the game of softball and to the NSA have gained him national and worldwide respect among softball enthusiasts. 

In November 1996, Chuck Middleton became the third Director to be inducted into the NSA Sports Hall of Fame.