Hoppe remembers playing in 100-degree heat in Tacoma, Wash., one day and in sub-zero cold the next day in Barrow, Alaska. He even pitched on the Great Wall of China. Drag images here or select from your computer for Eddie Feigner memorial. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. Sun Devil Hall of Fame & Hall of Distinction, Sun Devils Qualify 3 Events for NCAA Indoor Championships, Jackie Johnson Enters Pac-12 Hall of Honor, Track and Field Ready for Final Indoor Meet, 5 Sun Devils Competing in USATF Indoor Championships, Track & Field Records Fall in Fayetteville. Sports Illustrated once called him "the most underrated athlete of his time. He is also a former editor at VICE. Comerica Park, Detroit: 87 If I got nine together, the game would be a farce. 4. He was my toughest coach, Dugger said, adding he inspired Dugger to pursue pitching. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. Beyond these staggering numbers, he created his most lasting impressions with a series of remarkable pitching stunts. As the town gathers around the burning satellite, they see the MLB logo on it and realize that, wow, Major League Baseball was spying on them for market research. He appeared in all 50 states and in 98 foreign countries. But classmates, balking at his religion, refused to let him into their games. Chase Field, Phoenix: 76.5 12, Minute Maid Park, Houston: 80 But Wes was never hit. "I've made more money at this than any other ballplayer at any other sport," he told The Washington Post in 1976. Think of the King and his Court as sort of like the Harlem Globetrotters but for softball. Still, Feigner pleased fans and baffled batters everywhere. That ended his playing/performing career at age 75. Feigner suffered a stroke in 2000, the year he was inducted into the National Senior Softball Hall of Fame and one day after he threw out the first pitch before the womens softball competition at the Sydney Olympics. I don't know how anybody ever hit the guy.". A guy asked me if I ever pitched against Sinatra. Richard Jarfly Dugger was inducted into the USA Softball Tennessee Hall of Fame in 2006 and is a member of the Carter County Sports Hall of Fames inaugural class of 2012. Try again later. When a local team did win, it was big news. At each stop, he sold t-shirts, hats, and even self-published guides on how to play softball like the King. But despite their popularity, Feigner and his Court never made livable wages and, by 1950, found themselves at a crossroads: either abandon the show or take it national to see if that improved the bottom line. Once you make a girl cry, they are done. The games werent fixed, but Feigner and his squad nearly always won. You know, there was a time when communities built stadiums to efficiently serve multiple teams and sports, and the fans were perfectly content as long as the team, you know, won. The result was a challenge. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. Tom FitzGerald has been the Stanford beat writer for The San Francisco Chronicle since 2009. By the time he retired, Feigner had pitched in all 50 states and 98 countries. Jar is the real deal as a teammate and a friend, Bunton said. He lives in Benicia. He was 81. Jarfly played in the National Tournament where he won four games, losing only to Federal Lock and Key, who won the National Title. ?? Failed to report flower. The second-year Sun Devil ran a 45.40 in the 400m final of the USATF Indoor Championships, claiming gold and shattering his own Arizona State program record he set less than 24 hours earlier. Thanks for your help! In 2000, Mr. Feigner threw out the first pitch before the women's softball competition at the Olympic Games in Sydney. 20. One batter who faced Mr. Feigner described the experience to the Orlando Sentinel newspaper: "I was waiting for a pitch, heard a noise, watched the catcher throw the ball back. But the week's most interesting line was by Philadelphia's Roy Oswalt, who officially started games on consecutive days and didn't allow a run in either. Not long after Eddie Feigner experienced an emotional reunion with a mother who abandoned him at birth, he began pitching recreational softball in Walla Walla, WA. ", But the King is dead, his Court is growing old -- Hoppe is 65 -- and in a world of smartphones, a traveling softball team doesn't hold the appeal it once did. Eddie Feigner, was a crowd-pleasing softball pitcher and showman who toured the world for 55 years as The King and His Court . I Can See The Steam Spouting From the Steinbrenners' Ears From Here: You want a meaningful race between the Yankees and Red Sox? It finally happened in 1996. Adding teams to the postseason doesn't increase the tension of pennant races, it diminishes it. The King and His Court played in smaller and smaller parks, but Feigner never forgot his orphan's past. Sports Illustrated once called Feigner the last true American barnstormer and the most underrated athlete of his time, but Feigner didnt entirely accept the endorsement. There is a problem with your email/password. Sports are also a place people go together. Meters are available, but there is no validation for these locations: Directions: The Court is located in downtown Tempe, two blocks east of Mill Avenue on Fifth Street between Tempe Mission Palms Hotel and the Tempe Transportation Center. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. Beyond the staggering numbers, Mr. Feigner created his most lasting impressions with a series of remarkable pitching stunts. Though it would be nice if Florida ownership could have found the money to keep the out of town scoreboard. For reasons that require footnotes, which we eschew, Seventh Day Adventists didnt play baseball, so King took up softball as a grade schooler. I cant tell you how many times I have been in South Carolina, North Carolina or Georgia, when people would ask me where I lived. which was 814 ft. ts all his power. In 1949 and 1950, the King and His Court beat the world champion softball team. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. Then the catchers, Cat McInturff and Amy Holt, then Katie Johnson just graduated from UVA Wise. I dont need monuments built to me, Feigner told SI in 1976. I throw other pitches nobody can. I spent a lot of time by myself. For six decades, Eddie Feigner and his three softball teammates toured the nation, then the world, as The King and His Court. They played in prisons where the inmates bet cigarettes on the outcome. Besides his son, survivors include his fourth wife, Anne Marie Feigner, who played first base for The King and His Court; three daughters; nine grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. The Ballpark in Arlington, Texas: 77 Bradley is one of my favorite (relatively unsung) magazine writers and also the author of a great memoir about his days playing football at Louisiana State University called It Never Rains in Tiger Stadium. Anyway, here he is describing Feigner in 1983: Then go ahead and read Feigners New York Times obituary. He pitched a perfect game, striking out 19 of 21 batters. 19. TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) -A man accused of domestic abuse withdrew his not-guilty plea Monday. His opponents took up the challenge, allowing Mr. Feigner to add a shortstop and first baseman. Hoppe is a natural lefty who lost full use of the arm in Vietnam and taught himself how to pitch right-handed. Goshen Valley Road heads south from Highway 11W in Church Hill, Tennessee. The record shows that it would have been "impossible" for TVI to separate . Jarfly won with 624 votes, followed by The Midnight Rambler with 500 votes. Year should not be greater than current year. It just pleases me to look out there and see these girls play and in all the years Ive only had one thats gone, Jessica Robinson. Press Esc to cancel. To give his opponents a chance, he often pitched from second base or, on occasion, from center field. After Feigners four-man team routed the convicts 7-0, regional newspapers picked up the story and spread it throughout the Pacific Northwest. ,for Kilburgs Grocery of the Green Pea League. His son, Eddie Jr., played alongside him for 25 years. CourtCaseFinder.com is not a consumer reporting agency and does not supply consumer reports as those terms are defined by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. While Feigner and his Court became softballs equivalent of the Harlem Globetrotters, there was one key difference. CourtCaseFinder.com is not a "consumer reporting agency" as defined by Fair Credit Reporting Act. More Impressively, He Even Made a Trip to Toledo Seem Worthwhile: Props to Tigers veteran Brandon Inge, who accepted a demotion to the minors in mid-July and then returned with a home run in his first at-bat back with Detroit on Saturday. His fastball was officially timed at 104 mph and unofficially at 114. By clicking I Agree, you acknowledge and agree to our Terms of Service, and agree not to use any information gathered through this website for any purpose under the FCRA, including but not limited to evaluating eligibility for personal credit, insurance, employment, or tenancy. Feigner and his Court developed into a regional phenomenon over the next four years, rarely traveling east of Idaho. He previously worked for publications in Washington, New York, North Carolina and Florida. He made Nolan Ryan look like a Little Leaguer. Make sure that the file is a photo. AP Photo Eddie Feigner formed the King and His Court more than 14,000 games and 4 million miles ago in his hometown of Walla Walla, Wash. He was just phenomenal. Pitching in hundreds of games each year against local all-star teams, Mr. Feigner won 95 percent of the time. He discovered that his birth mother was living nearby and took her last name. Soon came challenges from practically every town and city in the state and, before long, The King (Feigner) and His Court were on their way. AT&T Park, San Francisco: 94 He made millions, and was generous to a fault.. Onsite Spanish translators. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. The Marines finally threw him in the X Ward. Mryle King called it the rubber room., The X Ward was a place for wackos, and I belonged, the future softball whiz told Sports Illustrated. The state of South Carolina inducted him into its sports Hall of Fame, because he beat its teams so many times. "It was like being on the Rolling Stones, only with a softball.". Feigner had an exaggerated windup and he would do things like pitch blindfolded, or pitch an inning from behind second base. Verify and try again. 1st hour is free, the court validates for an additional 2 hours. He often appeared on television and once knocked a cigar out of Johnny Carson's mouth with a pitch -- while wearing a blindfold. This Space For Rent, Florida 73 He could comfortably fire unhittable strikes around his back or through his legs. A day later, he had a stroke and never pitched again. Scotty and Jarfly traveled as a team playing for Rawl Coal Company in Matewan, West Virginia. SPORTS LEGEND Eddie Feigner was the King And His Court a Professional Softball. But before they can process this fact, Mark McGwire appears in a black helicopter carrying a baseball bat. "We had a Hall of Fame lineup (except for Wills)," said McCovey, now a senior adviser for the Giants, adding that Mickey Mantle was there too and also struck out. Learn more about merges. He was a Navy Corpsman with the Marines 3rd FSR, FMF home based in Okinawa from 1966 until 1970. My in-drop and in-raise are super pitches and unique. I had told them before the game, this is my last game. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. He was 56 at the time. Far as we can tell, the grudge rematch never happened. Some of the things he did was strike out two batters while wearing a blindfold, another while pitching from second base and another with a fantastic triple windup.. He struck out players while blindfolded, while pitching behind his back or between his legs 8,698 times. Feigner claimed nearly 10,000 victories, 141,000 strikeouts and almost 1,000 no-hitters. Eddie Feigner, was a crowd-pleasing softball pitcher and showman who toured the world for 55 years as The King and His Court, He was with out a doubt the greatest softball pitcher who ever lived. His stats, which he supposedly kept detailed records of, are also cartoonish: 9,743 victories, 141,517 strikeouts, and 230 perfect games. Eddie "The King" Feigner, perhaps the greatest men's softball pitcher to ever live, and his "Court" of three players a catcher, first baseman and shortstop came to town to take on a. He was thrown out of school in his teens and joined the Marine Corps during World War II but was discharged after a nervous breakdown. It will end where it should. That was when Mr. Feigner was 59 years old. We made this place together, we own it together, we run it together. The official 2023 Softball schedule for the Arizona State University Sun Devils. Feigner loved to tell stories about how many times umpires called his phantom pitches for strikes rather than admit they didnt see them. Corey Schuettler is at Cloudland, now back teaching what she learned in softball. My arm never ceases to amaze even me., Im proud to be a friend of Joe Namath and Andy Williams and Glen Campbell and the rest of that new breed, he also told The Times. You can see highlights of the King and His Court from about 50 years ago here and a news report from about 15 years ago here. At his peak, Mr. Feigner threw a softball harder than any major league pitcher has ever thrown a baseball. I was wacky and wanted to die. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18089855/eddie-feigner. Feigner added two more players: enough that even with the bases loaded, his team would always have somebody available to bat. So do yourself a favor this weekend. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. By 1964, they started receiving TV gigs, including an appearance on CBSSports Spectacular, and by the mid-1970s they all made comfortable livings even though they only worked half the year. Two games, a scoreless tie and a 1-0 win over the Tip Top Tailors, then the world softball champions, not only attracted enormous publicity, but legitimized Feigner and his Court. Since the standard softball mound is only 46 feet from home plate, he would often give his opponents a chance by pitching from second base or, on occasion, from center field.He appeared on television and once knocked a cigar out of Johnny Carson's mouth with a pitch while wearing a blindfold. Undeterred, Feigner and the Court struck out for the South in a pair of station wagons, receiving a nasty surprise when they arrived in El Paso, TX. But we get teams who dont care about the people in the stands, the show, the money or anything. & A. with Thiel can be heard every Friday during Morning Edition at 5:45am and 7:45am and again that same day on All Things Considered at 4:44pm. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. Had Feigner played a higher-profile sport, he would have been a sporting legend known far and wide. Get the top stories sent to your inbox every Thursday. He even pitched from his knees. Hell, if you live anywhere, get to Walla Walla. 18. The cast of characters around Feigner would change, but the result would be more or less the same. ", "I'm a pipsqueak because I'm caught in a nothing game," Mr. Feigner said in 1972. You can follow him on Twitter at jimcaple. He once told The New York Times, Its a good feeling to know that I am the only one of my kind in the history of the world., He told Sports Illustrated, If I was this good in golf I could buy and sell Arnold Palmer. A psychiatrist told me Id never straighten up until I found my mother. Nevertheless, he persevered through the years, driving from one small town to the next, leaving a trail of pleased fans and baffled hitters behind. The River was filmed in the Holston Valley area of Church Hill, Tennessee. Tropicana Field, Tampa Bay: 68. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. In one of Feigners most popular, Globetrotter-style acts, he launched into a triple windup. 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