An ASA All-America five times, David Grimes (5-10, 175-pounds) was the kind of player a manager liked having on a team because David could play just about any position in softball. After lettering in college baseball at Florida State University (1970-71), and receiving a degree in criminology and corrections, two years later (1973), Grimes joined the famed Clearwater, Fla. Bombers. The timing couldn’t have been better for Grimes as the Bombers won their 10th and final ASA national championship. Grimes was named a second-team All-America utility player, batting .263. He finished the year with a .318 average, hitting 10 homers. After gaining the championship round in 1973, the Bombers advanced to the championship game in 1978, but lost in the finals to Reading, Pa., and Larry Bergh. Grimes, however, was selected a second-team All-American outfielder. Dave played in the next two nationals, 1974-75, and batted .200 and .300. In 1974, he batted .343 for the Bombers and was the third leading hitter on the team. He was the team leader in homers (24) and RBIs (81), which was a team record. He became only the fourth Bomber ever to get 100 or more hits in a season. Grimes had 102 hits in 297 at-bats. In 1975, Grimes led the Bombers in batting with a .330 average and was second in runs (63), doubles (20), homers (20) and RBIs (63). In 1977, he batted .316, second best on the team, hitting 10 homers. He led the team in game-winning hits (15), RBIs (62), runs (63), hits (73) and doubles (19). With softball accepted as a Pan American sport for 1979, Grimes was one of the 17 players selected to the team and was named captain of the team by Manager Cliff Smith. The Games were held in Puerto Rico and the USA lost to Canada 1-0 in 14 innings. Grimes batted .391 in the Pan American Trials and exhibition games. He batted .412 in the Games (7-for-17), scoring the tying run against the Virgin Islands and having the game-winning RBI and hitting a two-run homer against Puerto Rico. Earlier in the year, Clearwater played in the U.S. Olympic Festival in Colorado Springs, Colo., and won a silver medal. Grimes batted .217 and hit a HR against Ty Stofflet in a 3-2 win. A versatile player, Grimes played second base in 1981 and batted .278 in the national championship to earn another second-team All-America honor. Grimes’ performance earned him a spot on the Fast Pitch All-Stars Team against the national champion, Decatur, Ill. Grimes batted .214 in the All-Star Series and one of his hits was a grand slam homer. It was the third and final All-Star Series Grimes played in during his career. He also was named the Bombers’ MVP that season. In 1987, nearing the end of his career, Grimes led the Bombers with a .394 batting average and hit 14 homers. He connected for three homers in the Southern Regional and was named a Southern Regional All-Star, one of eight times he was selected for that honor. In 1988, Grimes batted .357 and was named to the third-team All-America team. He duplicated that feat the following year before retiring for good after the 1992 Men’s Class A National Championship. After retiring, he was president of the Clearwater Bomber Booster Club for 1990, and co-manager of the team with Hall of Famer Ray Truluck that season. Based on information available, Grimes batted . 250 (26-for-104) in seven ASA national championships. He played in 12 nationals overall. Grimes, a third generation cattle rancher, was born August 8,1949. He owns a 1,300 acre cattle ranch in Lakeland, Fla. He has two daughters, 15 and 17, both fast pitch players, and coached a travel ball softball team for seven years. Grimes finished his career with a .321 batting average including 126 homers and played four different positions: DH, shortstop, second base and center field and left field. Elected November 8th, 2007 to the ASA National Softball Hall of Fame, Grimes said, “I am very, very humbled by this.”
