Ray Fantozzi caps baseball career with hall of fame induction

By Wendy Turrell

Raymond Fantozzi is a local baseball legend, known for his pitching and hitting prowess as a student athlete, in adult league play, and now as a coach and mentor for young players. In September, Fantozzi’s baseball contributions culminated in an induction into the Greater Akron Baseball Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame recognizes “Individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the game of baseball” in playing, coaching or managing in Summit, Portage, Medina and Wayne Counties, according to its website. Fantozzi’s family and friends were present at St. George Antiochian Hall in Copley to see him receive his Hall of Fame ring.

Fantozzi is the head baseball coach for Copley High School, as well as the Sagamore Hills zoning inspector. He is currently an instructor at Strike Force Baseball Academy, and has coached baseball for Nordonia High School and many community leagues.

His love of baseball was nurtured by his father, a star high school pitcher who was once offered a tryout from the New York Yankees. When the scout wanted to sign him, but offered him only $200 a month, he turned them down. “My Dad, with all his Italian pride, said ‘no’ because he was making more money at home,” said Fantozzi. “My Dad loved the game, but it was just that. I don’t think he ever thought of it as a way to make a living.”

Fantozzi remembers watching televised games with his dad, attending local games, and his father always making time to play catch with him.

“We would talk about the game and the players … what pitches were being thrown and why. It all just instilled a passion in me for the game,” Fantozzi recalled.

Fantozzi played standout baseball at Brecksville High School, where he was MVP and All Conference, graduating in 1974. Only six out of 140 players made the team at Arizona State University tryouts, Fantozzi being one of them. He played there one year, and then developed arm problems. Because he wanted to keep playing, he transferred to Cuyahoga Community College, where he won the Coaches Award for Team Leadership. He finished his collegiate career on a scholarship to the University of Cincinnati.

Following his collegiate years, he played in highly competitive adult leagues, including the Plain Dealer AAA, Cuyahoga County AAA, Northeastern Ohio Roy Hobbs, and the Cleveland and Canton Men’s Senior Baseball Leagues. In every league, Fantozzi pitches and plays infield, a position he said he loves.

“I imagine I have pitched over 1,000 innings in these leagues and have over 400 hits. I used to play three to four games a week, but the older I get, it’s more like one game a weekend,” Fantozzi mused. “Time catches up to everyone.”

In 2019, Ron Westren, a friend he had played baseball with and against for many years, nominated Fantozzi for the Greater Akron Baseball Hall of Fame. Fantozzi said he was honored that his friend thought he should be considered.

Although his GAB Hall of Fame induction may be the capstone to a lifetime of baseball achievements, Fantozzi has been no stranger to awards and accolades. He was named Most Valuable Player in multiple leagues. He has played every year since 2004 in the Cooperstown Legends of Baseball Tournament in Cooperstown, New York—home of the professional National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. In Legends Tournaments he won the Bobby Uhl Pitching Award and the George Goodall Lifetime Achievement Award.

Fantozzi said he was “humbled” to have received the Legend awards, as well as the Cliff Archer Heart of the Team Award, named for minor league player, fireman and 9/11 first responder Cliff Archer. Archer has managed a team in the Cooperstown Tournament since its inception. Fantozzi says of him, “He has always given of himself, helped those in need, and has always taken care of his Cooperstown ‘family.’ His love for the game comes second to the people he calls teammates.”

In describing Archer, Fantozzi may have painted a picture of the role model he has been for others in the game. And at age 65, he has no plans to retire from the field:

“I plan to continue playing for the foreseeable future. [It’s] hard to imagine not playing. I will always try to get back to Cooperstown, as it is a special place with special people in my life. I might try other tournaments; there are plenty of them to participate in.” ∞