For The First Time Ever…Sam McQuade Softball Tourney CANCELLED!

The largest charity softball tournament in the world is now CANCELLED!  According to an article on KFRY-TV, the Sam McQuade Sr. charity softball tournament will not happen in 2020 due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It breaks my heart to cancel the tournament entirely for the first time since 1976, but after guidance from the state, health officials and local softball associations, this was really the only decision we could make,” said Shannon McQuade-Ely in the article, who is the secretary and treasurer for the board that puts this tournament on every year.

During my softball career and playing rec league softball in Grand Forks, the McQuade was easily the highlight of our Summer schedule every year.  Even over state tournaments.  My fondest memory is playing a game over at Cottonwood Park against a team from Las Vegas.  They arrived in a chartered bus that looked like something a professional baseball team would come to the park in.  As they stepped off the bus everyone of their guys looked like a buff college kid.  Arms that looked like guns and they all stood about 6 foot 3 or above.  I believe my radio station Rec softball team at the time was a Rec 1 team.  We were good, but not great.  We certainly wouldn't look good against them in a line-up.  However, the Vegas boys must of decided to do some drinking on the way up to Bismarck, that  I forgot to mention...As they were coming off the bus, some could barely walk.  We went on to beat them 25-1.  Goes to show, even a college looking type ball team, can't beat a bunch of past their prime 30 year olds, if they're drunk.

The tournament was supposed to go down June 26th to June 28th.  Since it's beginning, the McQuade tournament has raised over $1.5 Million for charities.  The tournament had a record 464 teams in it last year.  Until next year I guess.