Hall of Fame and Museum

Don DeDonatis

Name Don DeDonatis
Position Executive Director/CEO
Year 1999
 
Don DeDonatis has been inducted into the USSSA Hall of Fame in the Executive Category. In 1981 Don DeDonatis coached a Men's 'C' Tram by the name of Miller High Life. After three years he had build this team up to where it qualified and participated in the USSSA Men's Major World Series in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1984. His team finished fourth in the event. However, it would not be as a coach that Don would make his imprint on the USSSA. In 1979 he was appointed as a USSSA Area Director in his native sterling heights, Michigan. Four years later he was appointed as the USSSA Michigan State Director by the Late Fred Schleuter. At that time there were a little over 500 teams in Michigan playing USSSA. In 1997 Don's lat year as the State Director of the state of Michigan registered over 9,500 teams with USSSA. In just his second year as State Director he was presented with the prestigious President's Award at the National Convention in 1984 at El Paso, Texas. In 1988 he was appointed as the Executive Vice-President of the Great Lakes Division, the largest division in the country. In 1996 Don was elected and served as the USSSA National President for two years. After the vote for approving the reorganization of USSSA at the national meeting in 1997, at Myrtle Beach, he was appointed as one of the three Assistant Executive Directors of the association. With the passing of Al Ramsey in 1998 he was selected to lead this organization into the next millennium. His ideas and decisions in just the past fourteen months will effect this association for the better, for many years to come.