Staff
It was an extra special night for two of the Rainy River District Fastball League’s most recognizable figures throughout the years.
Glen Kellar and Jim Fowler both were inducted into the RRDFL Hall of Fame during the year-end awards banquet recognizing the top performers in both the men’s league, as well as the Rainy River District Women’s Fastball League, on Saturday at the Couchiching multi-use facility.
“Thanks for this honour,” an appreciative Kellar said via text message from Hamilton, where he recently underwent heart surgery.
“I don’t think you will ever understand what it means.”
Kellar started playing in 1974 for the Emo Legion fast-pitch team. In the 1980s, he moved on to play for the Witherspoon Whips in the Fort Frances Fastball League and the Barwick Blue Knights in the RRDFL.
The early 1990s saw the formation of the Emo Bulldogs, for whom Kellar pitched and played first base.
He went on to win six regular-season titles and playoff championships with the Bulldogs.
Kellar was the RRDFL’s home run king in in 1980-81, and again in 1989, while being named an all-star at the utility spot in 1981, 1989, and 1995 and at first base in 1997.
In 1996, he was a part of the Sunset Merchants squad that won the Manitoba qualifier and placed fourth at the western Canadian championships in Whitehorse, Yukon.
“I truly relished my time playing in the RRDFL, but my fondest memories will always be representing our district in the Yukon with the Sunset Merchants,” Kellar said.
Meanwhile, the 75-year-old Fowler’s love affair with the game goes all the way back to when he was a coach and organizer for the Little League team he pitched for at age 11— with the rest of the kids on the team being 14.
He started playing fast-pitch in 1965 in the Fort Frances Liniment League before joining up with the Witherspoon Whips in 1969 as a player and coach.
Fowler came over to the RRDFL in 1993 and managed the Bulldogs during their championship dynasty, winning the all-star manager award in both 1997 and ’98.
He coached the Merchants team that Kellar played for, calling those times his fondest fast-pitch memory.
After the Bulldogs disbanded, Fowler stayed in the game by umpiring and became the go-to guy to work the most important league and tournament games over the past two decades.
He recently coached the Northwest Selects to a fifth-place finish at the 2016 NAFA World Series in North Mankato, Mn.
“He’s a great coach,” said Barwick Blue Knights’ shortstop and RRDFL executive member Vaughan Wilson.
“The guys would walk over coals for him.”
