2003 — Sponsor Inductees — Illinois USSSA Hall of Fame

Jim Fox

Within several years of opening his sporting goods business in Peoria in 1984, Jim Fox and his buddy Myron Schroeder were making plans to form and sponsor a Men’s 40 & Over team to compete in the 1988 Men’s Master’s Nationals in Louisiana.

They didn’t realize it at the time, as they sat on a bench in Bartonville’s Alpha Park, but they were laying the ground work for the creation of the Illinois USSSA’s Master’s Program.

Over the winter of 1987-88, Fox, whose regular job was with the CILCO electric cooperative, and Schroeder put together a team of “old-timers” Fox agreed to sponsor it and Fox’s Sports Center was born.

That first season, the team competed against mostly younger teams in an effort to prepare for the Master’s World Tournament in Carencro, Louisiana. They also spent much of the summer on the phone, seeking men’s 40 and older teams to compete against. Six teams joined them in the first ever Illinois USSSA Master’s State Tournament. Fox’s won that inaugural event, defeating Quincy Bud Light.

“Jim has not only provided me with opportunities to find success on the ball diamond. But countless youth and veteran participants as well.”

— Myron Schroeder

That September in Louisiana, Fox’s became Illinois’ first-ever participant in the USSSA Master’s World. They soon became the talk of the 76-team tournament, defeating the defending World champions, the #1 ranked South Carolina Thunderbirds. Fox’s also beat New Mexico, New York and Georgia before finishing tied for 13th place.

Fox’s went on to play in eight more USSSA Master’s Worlds and were Illinois USSSA Master’s champs four times. In 1991 and 1992, Fox’s also won the USSSA Men’s 35 & Over State Titles as well.

A total of twelve teams with the Fox’s Sports name on their uniforms have competed in USSSA World Tournaments, with one World Title and seven State Championships.

Jim Fox’s generosity wasn’t limited to adult softball, however. When Schroeder needed a sponsor for his entry into the USSSA 15 & Under Boy’s Slow Pitch World in Milwaukee in 1990, Fox stepped forward. That team, the smallest in a 26-team field, won the 1990 15 & Under World with a 14-13 extra inning victory over Georgia.

“Jim has not only provided me with opportunities to find success on the ball diamond,” Schroeder said. “But countless youth and veteran participants as well.”

Marcel Levesque

Throughout his life, Marcel Levesque has been known as a people person.

After high school in Lewiston, Maine, he joined the Navy. His ship, the aircraft carrier Bunker Hill, was hit by a Kamikaze plane and Levesque was credited with saving the lives of numerous wounded shipmates.

Following the war, Levesque went to work at Lewiston Trust Company in his home town, and soon after married Theresa, literally the girl next door.

In 1951, Levesque moved to Chicago to work for Harris Bank. In 1965, he moved to the Bank of Westmont, where he worked his way up to president within five years. Though the bank was sold twice during his tenure there, Levesque was retained as President and CEO each time.

Levesque’s Bank of Westmont sponsored the powerhouse Bank of Westmont team for 20 years. In that time, “The Bank” won 18 consecutive league titles in Downers Grove and Woodridge, and played over 1,500 games, winning approximately 80 percent of them. In the process, they won over a hundred tournaments, including the 1989 State Tournament.

Levesque’s support of sports was not limited to elite 12-inch teams. He generously underwrote numerous Little League and Babe Ruth baseball teams, park district basketball teams, women’s fast pitch teams, high school sports and 12-inch and 16-inch teams.

However, the Bank of Westmont’s men’s team was the most successful of all his teams. Besides dominating the local 12-inch scene, The Bank finished fifth at the 85-team 1983 USSSA World Tournament. The following year, they were tenth in a 90-team Class A field in Anaheim, California.

“It was a real family affair at games with wives, children, girlfriends all there cheering them on rain or shine,” Bank of Westmont player Ron Havelka said. “Marcel couldn’t just stand by and watch them win, though. He often coached and made those guys run the bases.”

“It was a real family affair at games with wives, children, girlfriends all there cheering them on rain or shine. Marcel couldn’t just stand by and watch them win, though. He often coached and made those guys run the bases.”

— Ron Havelka

Levesque is remembered fondly by many more of his players, including former Bank player Jim Cushing.

“I don’t think there was a better sponsor in the state than Marcel through the 70s, 80s and 90s,” Cushing said.

As much as Levesque loves sports and public service, he loves family more. He and his wife Theresa have three children – Maria, John and Michael – and seven grandchildren. One grandchild, Melissa, is following her grandfather’s path, serving in the Navy aboard the aircraft carrier USS Lincoln in the Persian Gulf.

“To be inducted into the Illinois USSSA Hall of Fame is just an extraordinary honor,” Levesque said. “I was so lucky to have had such dedicated players. Win or lose, they were always winners and we had so much respect for each other. I feel very humble and proud.”