RVC Little League inducts 1978 champs to Hall of Fame

Rockville Centre Little League President Peter Klugewicz and the organization’s board of directors recently announced plans to create the RVC Little League Hall of Fame, honoring players, coaches, administrators, founders, and past teams.

Chairman Frank Keating said that the Hall of Fame’s 2023 inaugural induction class will include players Bill Carey and Chris Carter of the 1978 Eastern Regional champions. The other inductees will be coaches Charlie Jansen and Bob Glover, league administrator and 10-year president Bob Klein, and founders William Seward and John Nofi, who were instrumental in creating the minor league, which opened the organization up to more children.

The village Little League was founded in 1951 by Seward, Nofi, and the league’s first president, Edward J. Bligh. Over the past 72 years, league teams have won more than 100 district championships, 24 Nassau County championships, 20 Long Island titles, and four state championships.

The induction ceremony will take place during the Little League parade and opening day festivities on April 22. The parade will begin at South Side Middle School at 10 a.m. and will head down Maple Avenue to Hickey Field for the opening ceremonies. The opening day game will be played a few hours later after teams have the chance to warm up.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of the 1978 Eastern Regional championship team — the first squad on Long Island to reach the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. After winning 13 straight games, the team went up against the San Ramon Valley Little League from Danville, California, in the first round, and lost, 4-1, before a crowd of nearly 12,000.

One of the pitchers from that team, Bill Carey, who will throw the ceremonial first pitch on opening day, said he distinctly remembers what he described as an incredible summer for the league.

“I still remember it like it was yesterday,” Carey said. “I made some of the best memories I’ve ever had with the RVC Little League, and it helped me to become the person I am today.”

Carey, who now lives in Manhattan, has worked in the textile industry for the past 30 years but has never forgotten his roots. After Little League, he played high school ball at Holy Trinity in Hicksville, and then at the college level at St. John’s University from 1983 to 1987, on a team that twice made it to the NCAA regional championships. He played for a minor league affiliate of the Chicago White Sox for another couple of seasons before hanging up his spikes.

“I want the kids to have a good experience,” Carey said. “I think it’s also important to acknowledge the men who took the time to teach us. They’re the ones who are the real heroes.”

Today, as a father of two, Carey said he recognizes that what is most important is acknowledging all the parents who devote their time and energy to helping their kids take part in organized baseball.

“This is a great honor for the program,” Carey said of the Hall of Fame induction. “My kids don’t know that much about it, so it’s a nice icing on the cake to be honored.”

Another member of the 1978 team, catcher Chris Carter, said that playing in Williamsport was an experience he will never forget.

“Every single one of my teammates played a role in our success,” Carter said. “All 15 players on that team had some role, in one shape or form. It was a team effort. We had to win 13 games without a loss to get as far as we did. You’d probably have a better shot at winning the lottery.”

Carter also played baseball in college but left the game when he decided to pursue another of his passions. For the past 34 years, he has been a golf pro and PGA member and has helped run several country clubs including one in Roslyn Harbor.

Carter said he would never forget the “magical summer” of 1978. “It’s a bit emotional,” he said of being part of the Hall of Fame’s inaugural class. “It’s really special to be part of the first group and to look back on these memories … it’s quite special.”

The team received multiple mentions last year when the Massapequa Coast Little League advanced to the 2022 World Series. Carey and Carter both said they were cheering on Massapequa when the team played in Williamsport.

Today, the World Series features 16 teams in a double-elimination format. Forty-five years ago, there were only eight teams, playing single-elimination games.

In addition to the player honorees, the induction ceremony will also honor the parents and coaches who helped guide them.

Coach Charlie Jansen, who led the 1978 team to Williamsport, will be honored posthumously during the opening day ceremonies. His son, Tim Jansen, said his father died 10 years ago, but his role as the coach of the World Series team was something that left an impact on Tim that has stayed with him to this day.

“It was a team effort,” Jansen said. “Every win got you to a bigger game. The stakes were very high to get to the metro and regional championships. That pressure was intense. One little mistake could lose the game.”

Jansen said that he had a special bond with his dad, whom he looked up to and who would encourage him to continue playing baseball into his teenage years. “For me, personally, it meant a lot,” Jansen said of playing baseball with his father. “It was something we talked about every day.”

Over the years, Jansen has kept in touch with Frank Keating, who was one of the team’s younger coaches at the time. Today Keating chairs the Rockville Centre Little League Hall of Fame committee, which comprises former All-Star players including Dan Lennon, Tom Michels, John Aicher, and Mike Lawless, many of whom later served as coaches and board members.