This past Tuesday saw Romeo High School (RHS) 1974 graduate Doug Simunic get inducted into the American Association of Professional Baseball Hall of Fame. This was due to his work as manager for the indepedent teams the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks from 1996 to 2017, the Winnipeg Goldeyes from 1994 to 1995, and the Rochester (Minnesota) Acres in 1993. He won six league championships and was named league Manager of the Year six times. To top that off, according to the American Association of Professional Baseball, Doug is the winningest manager in indepedent baseball history with 1,346 career regular-season victories by the time he retired.
It may be cliche to say that Doug had shown greatness when he was younger, but it was true. To prove this, I dug up this photograph from the June 6, 1974 issue of The Romeo Observer. In it, Doug on the right and Romeo Bulldogs Varsity Baseball Captain Dave Maxwell hold the Oakland A League championship trophy. The caption explains that they won this with a 8-1 record.
Doug is also listed as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) for that season. Looking at the Romeo High School Athletic History from Barnado to Barr, 1936-1996 book, it's easy to see why. In 1974 alone, Doug had seven homeruns, which is tied as the most in any season in RHS history. He was MVP in 1973 as well. One of those reasons was that he initiated the most put-outs in one season with 213 of them.
If any person deserves to hold the championship trophy along with the team captain in 1974, it would've been Doug.
Once again, congraluations to Doug Simunic - 2023 inductee to the American Association of Professional Baseball Hall of Fame!
Source: The Romeo Observer, June 6, 1974, p.8-A; the American Association of Professional Baseball; and Romeo High School Athletic History from Barnabo to Barr, 1936-1996 : 60 years of Bulldog records complied by Jerry Barr, 1996