If there was one player who brought notoriety and exposure to slow pitch softball in its early days it was Big Jim Galloway. Standing 6-feet 4 and weighing 230 pounds, Galloway was the long-ball hitter deluxe. His career spanned the period 1946-1980 and he was as exciting player as there was playing slow pitch softball with his tape-measure homers and outstanding defensive plays. He was named an ASA All-American nine times. “Jim was such a gifted athlete that he threw the ball underhanded across the infield. When he started a double play from first base, he would flip the ball backhanded to the shortstop like a second baseman does,” said Doc Linnehan, Jim’s former manager. “He hit the ball harder and further than anybody,” said Dave Neale, former manager of Steele’s Silver Bullets. “Back then you had your sluggers like Tex Collins (of Detroit). Collins hit home runs, but Galloway hit tape-measure home runs.” Jim played in 10 ASA nationals, hitting 75 homers and driving in 162 runs. and was a member of a national championship team in 1968, two runners-up (1966 and 1973), one fourth (1969), one 11th, one 12th and one 13th place. Galloway was born June 1, 1935.
