Steve grew up on a farm near Amaranth. During his school years, he excelled in softball with local teams. At 19, he moved to Portage where Peter Dewis recruited him as catcher for the Portage Bisons of the Intermediate A Central Manitoba Fastball League, and that first year, they defeated the 7 time league champion Portage Mercurys to win the league championship. He played in the league for 15 years. Three times the team competed provincially. They won the provincial championship twice. In 1973, he was the prominent organizer honoring Hall of Famer, Peter Dewis for his 25 years playing with local teams. In 1976, with two sons and a daughter playing ball, he retired from play and began to coach and help organize Portage Minor Baseball. He initiated annual player awards and the development of coaching programs. In 1980, the Manitoba Sports Federation honored him with the Outstanding Volunteer in Sport-Community Award. As well, he joined Portage Old Timers slo-pitch team. In 1986, at 45, the Portage Wintergreens recruited him. They won 8 league championships during his 22 years with the team. Two of these were as coach. Steve is a rare, ‘salt of the earth’ player, coach and organizer.
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