STRONGSVILLE, Ohio — There are very few sounds quite as sweet as the crack of a softball bat as it sends the bright yellow sphere through the air. Dewey McVicker knows that sound very well as he's heard it often over the years.
In fact, it's been 69 years.
McVicker plays in the Greater Cleveland Senior Softball League. Every Tuesday and Thursday at Volunteer Park in Strongsville, McVicker laces up his cleats, packs up his bag, and hits the diamond playing with and against guys who, for the majority, are in their 50s and 60s. There are some 70-year-olds, too. But McVicker owns the title of the most seasoned player.
"In September I'll be 90 and it's just another day of the week," McVicker said with a laugh.
It's some feat to play softball at nearly 90 years old, but McVicker makes it look simple. It comes naturally to him, but also, he's also very accomplished in the sport.
With more than 35 championship rings, watches, medals and amulets, McVicker has an assortment of hardware that serves as testimony to his passion for something that he calls a "hobby" from his day job as a certified public accountant.
Winning is great, and many people before and after McVicker will be able to show off a ring or a trophy—but not many can call themselves Hall of Famers. Fewer can call themselves multi-Hall of Famers.
McVicker can.
"I went into the Northeast Ohio Softball Hall of Fame in 2005. Very few of the guys know that there is a Hall of Fame in Northeast Ohio, but yes, there is," McVicker said. "And in 2007, I was inducted into the National Senior Softball Hall of Fame, and just in 2017 or 2018, I was inducted into the Villages Hall of Fame in Florida, so that's my whole life it's been that."
McVicker is a softball legend. He's a "Pioneer Player," a category that is among the most highly regarded across senior softball.
His family has spent many days at the fields, cheering McVicker on. His wife, Pat McVicker, and granddaughter, Ashley Cashin, said it's something they've always loved to do.
"I grew up watching him as a kid and it was always so cool coming up here to the ball fields with my grandma, and it's just really cool seeing him still kicking it and doing this even going into 90. Pretty crazy. I love him so much," Cashin said.
The love his family has for him is nearly matched by the love his teammates and opponents have as well.
"Dewey's been in this league since it started, and he doesn't want to play anyplace else. We don't want him to. We want him here," said Ken Delfing, the commissioner of the Greater Cleveland Senior Softball League.
For the younger guys in the league, McVicker serves as a mentor and as an inspiration to keep being active and playing a sport they love.
"Hopefully, when I turn 90 as well, I have a few championship rings in my box just like Dewey, and hopefully I'm still playing like Dewey," said 51-year-old teammate JD Smooth.
And while McVicker mentors and is happy to share the surplus of softball knowledge he has, he does it with grace.
"Dewey's the kind of guy that always picks you up. He's got a wealth of experience that he likes to share with you if you ask him, but he's not a braggart. He's not a bragger. He's very humble, and he's a good league mate and a good teammate, and I can't give a higher compliment to the man," said Michael Doyle, the assistant manager of McVicker's team, Betty's Bombers.
Dewey's secret to playing guys 40 years younger than him is simple:
"I take my vitamins, I try to run, and keep my muscle tone up. That's the secret to this whole livelihood is keeping your muscle tone up," he shared.
And with his 90th birthday approaching. McVicker plans to keep taking the mound and swinging his bat as long as he can.
"I love to play with the guys, and if I can be a benefit to them, then I want to play," he said. "Whenever we play, we're children again."
