The Mission of the National Senior Softball Hall of Fame
To recognize and honor players, managers, directors, umpires, and others, who have achieved the highest honors in Senior Softball.
National Senior Softball Hall of Fame
History
The National Senior Softball Hall of Fame was founded in 1995 by Herb and Yvonne Oliver in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The purpose was to recognize players who had achieved honors in Senior Softball.
Players gained points with each individual award (MVP, All World, All American, etc.) earned while playing in National or World Tournaments. Managers received points with their team finishing in First or Second Place in National or World Tournaments. Earning a minimum of 4 points, made a player or manager eligible to be inducted into the National Senior Softball Hall of Fame.
In 1999, the National Senior Softball Hall of Fame was acquired, along with the Softball Players Association, by Ridge Hooks. At that time, the office was moved to Spring, Texas. In 2006, it was moved to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and in 2008 to its current location in Mustang, Oklahoma.
With the introduction of the Senior Summit in 2001, an annual meeting of the organizations that promote Senior Softball programs, the election process was revamped to include input from all of the participating organizations. A new point standard and minimum participation rules were adopted. All applicants were required to have a minimum of six (6) points and play a minimum of five (5) years in Senior Softball to be eligible.
In 2003, the NSSHOF added a new category exclusively for the Pioneers of Senior Softball. Pioneers had to be a minimum of 85 years of age. They included Players, Managers, Umpires, and Special Categories (including Sponsors, Directors, etc.), and beginning with 2007, the number of points required has been increased from (6) pts to (8) pts to be considered a nominee to the National Senior Softball Hall of Fame. Also, to become a nominee, a player must have played Senior Softball for 10 years or more. To be nominated for the Pioneer Category, a person must be 85 years of age or older and played, managed, directed, or umpired for a minimum of ten (10) years.