Jack Hoover

NCSSA started with the leadership of Jack Hoover. Jack began playing Senior Softball with the Redwood City Señors softball club in 1985 at the age of 61. Besides being the past president of the Señors, he has been the advisor for the City of Palo Alto's senior softball tournaments since 1988. It was when he participated in local tournaments that he came up with the idea in 1990 of coordinating the different tournaments in northern California to form an organization that would use the same set of rules, resolve conflicting playing dates and get parity in the bracketing of tournaments. Jack with the help of others got more than 50 interested parties to attend a meeting in Fairfield, CA in November 1990. Regions were set up and play began in 1991. Jack also served as president of NCSSA in 1993 and participated in Senior Softball World Series held in the late 80s & early 90s in Detroit, MI, Greensboro, NC and West Palm Beach, FL.

Dean Perkins

Dean has been serving on the board as a Region 4 representative of NCSSA since 1994, at times serving as Vice President. Since 1989 he has been a Tournament Director in the San Leandro / Hayward area. Dean's softball career started in 1965 when he moved to California at the age of 36. In 1989 a friend invited him to play senior softball with the Palo Alto Cherokees. In 1992 he formed the Palo Alto Chiefs 60s and is now still managing the Chiefs but playing as a 75+ team.

Seth Simpson

Seth was elected as the first Vice President of NCSSA in 1991 and served on the board representing Region 1 until 1999. At the age of 54 ran his first Penn Valley tournament with 5 teams in 1987 and this year completed his 21st year as a Tournament Director. Seth's managing career began with the California Padres in 1990. Since then he has played for the Sierra Gold, Gold Rush, Elk Grove Renegades and started the California Oaks which is still in existence today.

Roland Stiarwalt

Roland was a key figure in the preliminary discussions that were held in 1990 before the historic meeting took place in Fairfield and NCSSA was formed. In 1991 and 1992 he presided over the Board as our first President and held a position on the board until 2003. He has always been responsible for coordinating our yearly tournament schedules. He was also a tournament director from1991 to 1994. In 1987 at the age of 55 Roland began his senior softball career playing in the Vintage Softball Club of Santa Clara County. A year later he started the Vintage 55 team that is now known as the State Roofing Royals. Since then he has played and/or managed other teams such as the Nor Cal 60, Elk Grove Renegades and is currently on the Gold Rush.

Carl Wagner

Carl is a member and past president of the Stanislaus Senior Softball Association. The SSSA tournaments, under his leadership since 1992, have been some of the more successful NCSSA tournaments held. In 1993 he was elected to the NCSSA board and served as a Region 3 representative until 2007. Born in 1940 he started his senior career playing with the Modesto Classics. Carl is currently on the California Bald Eagles and has played for the California Bandits, San Jose Cobras, Diamond Nuts and other Modesto teams.

Harold Dunbar

Harold served on the NCSSA board as a representative of Region 2 from 1995 to 2006. During that time served two terms as Vice President. He first started playing senior softball in 1994 for Nor Cal 60s. In 1995 he started the Elk Grove Renegades and was a player/manager until 2003. He currently is playing the outfield for the California Gold Rush.

Harold has been directing tournaments for more than ten years and presently runs the tournament in Carson City.

Frank Kirchman

Frank began playing senior softball in the Vintage Softball League of Santa Clara County in 1990. As an outfielder, in 1994 he began playing for the State Roofing Royals. He moved from the area in 1996 and played for the Elk Grove Renegades until 2004.

While representing Region One he was a Board member for four years serving as President in 2001 and 2002.

Noel Lanctot

Noel has been playing senior softball since 1991. He is a past president of the Vintage Softball Club of Santa Clara County as well as a long time NCSSA board member. Noel has been doing some of the thankless NCSSA jobs such as the minutes and the rankngs. He has been a tireless worker and is almost always cheerful around everyone except with an umpire or two. In many ways, he is the glue that holds NCSSA together.

As a player and manager, Noel has played all over the US and is a memeber of the National Senior Softball Hall of Fame. In addition to some of the Vintage tournament teams, Noel has played for the Cobras, Bandits and Diamond Nuts.

Carl Neaterous

Carl has as his email address ncssaprez for a reason. Carl, as a representative from Region 3, presided over NCSSA five years as its President while serving on the Board from 1995 until 2008. He is presently the tournament director of NCSSA's Hall of Fame Tournament.

Carl started playing senior softball as a member of the Lodi softball association where he served as both vice president and president as well as the manager of Neat Roofing. He is presently pitching for the Brannon Tire Ravens. Carl proudly sports a ring that he earned by participating fifteen years in the Huntsman World Senior Games to go along with 4 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze medals.

Richard Seward

Dick, a pitcher began playing senior softball in 1992. For ten years he was a player/manager of the Sacramento Mavericks. As a representative of Region 2, he served on the NCSSA board from 1995 until 2001. If not busy enough, Dick has served as a tournament director from 1994 to the present. Besides running the tournaments for the Sacramento TPA he also runs tournaments raising money for the Rio Linda High Special Ed track team and field trips. Now retired, he is still very much involved in taking the kids on field trips.

Bob Strand

Bob, affectionately known as “Mr. Tommahawk” or to others as the “Web Master”, has been playing senior softball since 1993. Bob's career started as a member of both Vintage and Redwood City Señors. He is currently using that “swing” playing for the California Olden Bears.

Using his computer expertise, Bob built up the NCSSA's website and has maintained it since 2003. He has spent thousands of hours working and developing programs making it easier for our tournament directors and getting information out to our members. One could say that Bob's value to NCSSA is “priceless”.

Norman S. Blackwell, Sr

Norman began playing in the Sacramento Golden Seniors softball league at the age of 50. He was one of the original players that formed the Tournament Players Association in Sacramento and is still active in the TPA. Norman has played and managed the Sacramento Gold for more than twenty years, a team that has been very successful. The Gold , under Norman's leadership is a much respected team. Norman's teams have been supportive of the NCSSA by attendance to numerous tournaments throughout the years. Norman may be getting older, but his competitive nature has not slowed. In 1996, Norman had the great honor of carrying the Olympic Torch as one of Sacramento's heroes. Norman has spent most of his life supporting various community and sporting groups by helping the youth and the elderly that need it the most. Norman has been inducted into seven Halls of Fame, such as the La Salle Club Baseball Hall of Fame, the Optimist Hall of Fame and the March of Dimes Hall of Fame.

Bob Elwood

Bob is currently serving as a member of the NCSSA Board of Directors and was also on the Board from 1998 thru 2005. During which time he was treasurer one year and for three years he was both the treasurer and the recording secretary. Bob started playing senior softball in 1986 as a member of the Redwood City Señors Softball Club. A year later, he started playing tournament softball with the Redwood City Cardinals. Bob managed the Cardinals for three years. Under his leadership, the Cardinals won the SSUSA tournament in Reno and they won two silver medals in St. George, Utah. Since 2001, Bob has played for the State Roofing Systems Royals 65's and 70's teams that have won the Reno tournament twice, the California Cup, Western Nationals, World Championships, NCSSA championships four times and Huntsman Games two times. Bob's proudest moment was winning in St. George and having his wife, Helen, present him with his gold medal out on the playing field.

John Kranz

John began playing senior softball in the Chico Senior Softball League in 1992 and continues to play there still today. The following year he began playing in tournaments for the Lucky 7 team. Currently, John plays and manages the Sharks tournament team. In 1993, John was elected to the board of the Chico league. In 1997, John was elected president of the Chico Senior Softball League, a position he held for ten years. John still serves as a member of the board in the Chico league. John was inducted into the Chico Senior Softball Hall of Fame. John became a board member of the NCSSA Board of Directors in 2001, representing region one and is currently a NCSSA board member. As a member of the NCSSA Board of Directors, he has held the positions of president and vice president. John has also served as tournament director for the NCSSA. In 2005, he was tournament director of the NCSSA Championships in Reno and in 2008, the Hall of Fame tournament in Manteca.

Al Meyers

Al Meyers joined the Redwood City Reds senior softball team in 1986 as a pitcher. As a member of the Reds, Al's team played in a National Invitational tournament in Las Vegas in 1986 and 1987. The Reds took second both times in the Las Vegas tournament. In 1989 the Reds went to Greensboro, North Carolina and won the first Senior Softball World Series. Over the years, Al has managed the Redwood City Reds, Remax 55's and the Nor-Cal Blue Jays. Al's teams have been strong supporters of NCSSA by their participation in many NCSSA sponsored tournaments each year. Al Meyers has always had some of the best softball players from the NCSSA area and they have won numerous National championships. In 2003, Al was inducted into the National Senior Softball Hall of Fame.

Pete D'Avignon

Pete D'Avignon began playing senior softball at the age of fifty two in the Chico area. In addition to playing senior softball, Pete has managed and been tournament director a number of times in the Chico area. He served on the Chico Senior Softball League in the capacity of secretary for four years and president for two terms. Pete was inducted into the Chico Senior Softball Fame of Fame in 2002. In 2007 Pete was elected to the NCSSA Board of Directors. Still a member of the NCSSA Board of Directors, Pete has held the position of NCSSA secretary since his arrival to the board. After surviving a life threatening bout with cancer, in 2010 Pete founded CAN-sirs a nonprofit organization. CAN-sirs, a national program that promotes awareness and prevention by personally sharing cancer experiences with others.

Albert Morales

Albert Morales started playing senior softball in 1984, when he joined the Sacramento Golden Seniors Softball League. Albert played on Rookies, the first traveling team that was formed by the Golden Seniors. He began managing the Sacramento Rebels in 1984, a position he still holds today. For many years Albert has played and managed numerous teams in the Golden Senior League. In the middle 1980's, Albert was one of the co-founders of the Sacramento Tournament Players Association. He has also served as an alternate representative on the NCSSA Board of Directors. Because of his many achievements and dedication to softball, Albert was inducted into the Mexican Hall of Fame in 1989.

Bob Schwan

Bob Schwan, in 1984, joined the Sacramento Senior Softball League. In 1985, he co-managed and played on the Sacramento Rookies II tournament team. Bob along with four other men formed the Sacramento Tournament Players Association. Shortly after the TPA was established, Bob became president, a position he held for twenty five years. Robert was one of the organizers of the NCSSA. He worked with others to set up the bylaws for tournament play. Bob formed his own Golden Senior's softball team, the Silvers. He played and managed the Silvers for seventeen years. Though Bob was unable to play due to illness, he continued to go out and manage, saying there is game to be played. Robert passed away in June, 2011.

Gary Tryhorn

At the age of fifty, Gary Tryhorn had heard of an organization called Northern California Senior Softball Association, which he quickly joined. After two years of playing senior softball, Gary began playing for Dan Smith Plastering. In 1998, he formed the California Rebels. Gary, in 2000, took over the Old A's, a team that has won thirty seven of fifty two national championships. Under Gary's leadership the Old A's were inducted into the Softball Players Association Hall of Fame. Gary currently plays and manages the Omen Softball Combine, a sixty five major plus team. In 2001, Gary became Western Regional Vice President for SPA. As a SPA delegate, Gary is a member of the Senior Summit that meets each year. Gary's commitment to softball has him serving on the NCSSA Board of Directors for a number of years. Presently, he is president of the NCSSA Board of Directors, a position he has held since 2008. Gary Tryhorn is a member of the National Senior Softball Hall of Fame and he also serves as western representative of the Hall of Fame for the Senior Summit. National Senior Softball Hall of Fame .

Dick Willson

Dick Willson began playing organized senior softball at age fifty-four on the Fairfield Seniors softball team. Dick has played on numerous NCSSA teams. He has played for Solano Enforcers, California Gold Rush, Palo Alto Chiefs, Diablos, and currently the Elk Grove Renegades to name a few. During his years of play, Dick has earned many awards for his defensive talents at various tournaments. Dick was instrumental in the success in the formative years of the NCSSA. Dick served as treasurer on the NCSSA Board of Directors for three years. Without Dick's ability to control the treasury with very limited resources, the NCSSA might not have succeeded. Dick has also contributed to the fact that the NCSSA and good sportsmanship do go hand-in-hand.