In July 1925, retired Army major and commissioner of the collegiate Western Conference John Griffith came to the South Dakota American Legion convention in Milbank with a message. He urged the Legionnaires – many of them veterans of World War I – to take up a new mission: to shape the next generation of Americans through sports. Athletics, he said, “teach courage and respect, sportsmanship and citizenship.”Shortly thereafter, American Legion baseball was born.
Over the last century, American Legion baseball has been part of the formative years of more than 10 million Americans. More than just a summer sports league, Legion baseball instills the virtues of competition and patriotism. It connects young people to coaches, mentors, and lifelong friends. And it brings communities together – whether from next door or another state – to gather around the baseball diamond for our national pastime.
Legion baseball was born in South Dakota, and it has grown and thrived in our state over the course of its 100-year history. In the league’s first season, South Dakotans enthusiastically took part, forming 925 teams around the state. South Dakota also pioneered local sponsorship of teams, which became a national model for the league. Over the years, thousands of young South Dakotans have worn a Legion jersey and pledged to adhere to the Code of Sportsmanship, including this former ballplayer for Murdo Post 75.
Of all South Dakota’s storied Legion teams, Rapid City Post 22 stands out. Coach David Ploof is a legend in South Dakota sports, leading the Hardhats to 34 state championships, appearing in eight American Legion World Series, and winning the 1993 World Series. Over his nearly five-decade career, Coach Ploof’s 2,483 wins make him the winningest coach in Legion history. And his legacy lives on in the Firecracker Tournament he started 50 years ago, which remains a highly anticipated event each season for players and fans alike.
One hundred years on, American Legion baseball is doing all that John Griffith hoped that it would. It teaches sportsmanship and citizenship. It brings people together and instills in young athletes a respect for the past, pride in our country, and the integrity and courage that make a good athlete and a good citizen. I’m proud that South Dakota can claim to be the birthplace of such an enduring institution.
