Weldon Haney was a battler, on and off the softball field. “He was a tremendous fighter,” said former teammate Bill Parker. “It didn’t matter if he was 10 runs up or 10 runs down, he’d fight as hard as he could.” That fighting spirit was evident throughout Haney’s career. In fact, he fought cancer for 17 months with the same intensity he displayed on the field before dying May 8th, 1989 at 56. Born August 28, 1932 in Kemp, TX, Haney moved to Clearwater, FL in 1962 after starring as a pitcher (310 wins, 9 losses) and utility player in Calvert, TX, Ralls, TX and Lorenzo, TX. Relatively unknown when he joined the Bombers, Haney made a name for himself in the next 11 years, winning 286 games and losing 65 for a winning percentage of .815. In national championship play, he won 24 of 28 games including 13 in a row, and struck out 270 batters in 224 1/3 innings, allowing 108 hits. The worst record Haney had as a Bomber was 1962 when he was 25-6. Seven times he earned ASA All-America honors and twice he was named as a first-team utility because he was an outstanding hitter. He is the only pitcher to win the MVP award and lead the national tourney in batting (.412, 1968).
