Congratulations
to
Norman "Chalky" White
2011
Inductee to the Baseball Australia Hall of Fame
Norm "Chalky" White joins elite
company as a 2011 Inductee to the Baseball Australia Hall of Fame.
Norm, inducted for the era 1947-1967,
will be joined by Cecil Lamert (era 1919 - 1946), Jack Lambert (era 1919 -
1946) and Graham Cassel (era 1989 - 1999) in the class of 2011.
One of the State's outstanding
baseballers of the post-war era, Norm White rendered yeoman service to his
Adelaide Winter and North Adelaide Night Baseball Club's and the State.
Irrespective of the game situation,
he never gave up. Chalky was a student of the sport and believed no situation
was impossible until the last batter was dismissed.
Norm first played senior baseball
with Goodwood Baseball Club in 1944. In 1946 Norm transferred to Adelaide,
where he stayed until he retired from winter baseball in 1956.
Norm also played night baseball with
North Adelaide from 1952/53 until he retired from all senior baseball at the
end of the 1959/60 season.
Between his first "A" Grade baseball
game in 1944 until his retirement in 1959/60 Norm reached the highest possible
levels as a South Australian and Australian player.
Norm first became involved in junior
coaching with Goodwood in 1944 as a19 year old.
Norm transferred to Adelaide in 1946.
With increased confidence and a keen desire to spread baseball further,
realizing that junior players would be the life blood of the Adelaide Baseball
Club, Norm introduced baseball to the Sturt Street, Gilles Street and Flinders
Street Primary Schools.
During the 50's and 60's Norm
continued to spread baseball to Plympton Primary and St Leonards Primary - as
well as assisting baseball clinics in the Adelaide areas of Black Forest,
Colonel Light Gardens, Enfield, Nailsworth, Prospect, Port Adelaide and
Woodville.
After Norm retired from "A" Grade
competition with the Adelaide Baseball Club at the end of the 1956 winter
season, Norm continued his association with the Adelaide Club as its junior coordinator
for many years.
At the end of the 1953 Claxton Shield
Series in Queensland, Norm was approached and offered a contract to play with
the Boston Redsox.
The deal was that Norm would move to
America for six months without his family. As Norm was married with two young
children and had just purchased a home (with a mortgage), he decided to
reluctantly decline the contract.
One of Norm's most memorable moments
was while representing Australia at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics; playing in
front of 100,000 spectators at the MCG he hit a home run.
Norm is regarded as South Australia's
finest Baseballer during the period 1947-1967
Norman "Chalky" White's Achievements
Represented South Australia at the
Claxton Shield
1947 Adelaide
1948 Perth
1949 Melbourne
1950 Sydney
1951 Adelaide
1952 Perth
1953 Brisbane
1954 Melbourne
1955 Sydney
1956 Adelaide
Represented Australia
1952
1953
1956 Olympics
Selected in the 1954 South Australian
ALL-TIME State Team - from all players who played State Baseball for SA prior
to 1954.
2008/2009 Awarded Life Membership of
the South Australian Baseball League.
2008/2009 Selected in the South
Australian 75th Anniversary Claxton Shield All Star team.
Named in the Adelaide Baseball Club's
TEAM OF THE CENTURY in 2008 - in recognition of the Adelaide Baseball Clubs 100
year anniversary.
2011
- Inducted to the Baseball Australia Hall of Fame
