By GENE KEMMETER
of The Gazette
Stevens Point's Mike Disher was inducted into the Wisconsin Amateur Softball Association (WASA) Hall of Fame Saturday, July 26, at Zenoff Park in Stevens Point.
Disher, the main force behind the creation of the Stevens Point Softball Association (SPSA) in 1974, joins three other Stevens Point residents in the hall, which is located in the Stevens Point Holiday Inn and Convention Center. The others are Don Kottke and Richard "Dick" White who were inducted in 1988 and Bruce Weinkauf who was inducted in 1991.
Joining Disher in the Hall of Fame Class of 2003 are the late Harry Kraft of Kenosha, Rod Peterson of Madison, Tom Raimer of Portage, Larry Stuhr of Melrose and Bud Smith of La Crosse and Ingleside, Texas.
Randy Wievel, a longtime official in the SPSA, introduced Disher for induction, saying Disher "has no off-season" because he works on softball throughout the year. "Mike has done everything there is possible to do on this field. I don't think anyone does more for this facility than Mike."
He called Disher "an outstanding player, manager, commissioner and tournament director. He has done an awful lot. What he has done on the diamond is eclipsed by what he's done off the field."
Disher thanked his family, fans, teams in the state Class D Tournament at Zenoff during the weekend and the other inductees into the hall. "The road to get here was a lot more fun because of the friendships fostered over the years since 1969," he said, adding "I started when I was four."
He thanked those he's played with through the years, members of the SPSA, the scorekeepers, umpires, grounds crew and people in his office at Disher Insurance "who answer more softball questions than about insurance," he said.
"Successful leaders have great people behind them," he said. "I've had excellent people working for me."
His parents, the late Raymond and Wanda Disher have died, he said, but he remembers them telling him "when we lost to cool my jets." He thanked his in-laws, Fred and Caryl Scheppler of Marshfield, for their support and understanding of his desire to participate in softball.
His brother, Tony, introduced him to the game, Disher said, his brother Greg played with them, and his sister Debbie and her husband Cliff Pflugradt helped him with the program.
His sister Donna and his brother-in-law Ralph Olsen were also major supporters, allowing him to leave work for softball. Olsen was also on Stevens Point's Common Council when Zenoff Park was proposed, working to make the complex a reality, Disher said.
He credited Dave MacDonald, former Stevens Point parks and recreation director, with getting the SPSA started. "He took a hot-headed hot shot and told me to start my own organization," Disher said. "And here we are 29 years later."
He thanked his sons Matt, Ben, Michael and Andy. "They understand that at times softball came first," he said.
Then he paid tribute to his wife, Debbie, saying "nobody understands more about what goes on behind the scenes at the office and softball association. Thanks for putting up with me and being my best friend."
Disher said the induction to the hall is an important honor, but there's more that someone can do for others. "It's not what you take with you when you're gone, he said. "It's what you leave behind."
Disher, who went on to serve as the SPSA president for nearly 25 years, has had an enormous impact on softball in Stevens Point, as well as Wisconsin, both on and off the diamond.
He was a driving force behind the development of the Zenoff Park softball complex and directed numerous American Softball Association (ASA) national, regional and state tournaments in Stevens Point, including the first ASA slow pitch national tourney ever held in Wisconsin, the Men's Class A in 1993.
Since 2000 he has served as the ASA Great Lakes regional director and on the ASA's Board of Directors, he has been WASA player representative since 1996 and he was WASA Slow Pitch commissioner from 1989 to 2000.
He played slow pitch from 1969 to 1998 and was a noted power hitter of his era, hitting more than 1,500 home runs while attaining a .500 batting average.
He managed and played for six WASA Class A state champions in the 1980s under the sponsorship of The Flame and Miller Premium Brands of Stevens Point. He was also part of five WASA state champions during the 1990s with Bankers Life of Eau Claire and the Point Merchants.
He was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1976 WASA Men's Class A Slow Pitch State Tournament and the 1995 WASA Men's Masters 40 & Over Slow Pitch State Tournament.
In 1996 he was named second team All-American as a catcher in the ASA's 45 & Over National Tournament at Meridian, Miss.
He also set a Point Classic home run record in 1986 with 12 home runs during the Class A event.