Atmore’s 1961 Senior Little League World Series team reunites for 60th anniversary

ATMORE, Ala. — For the first time in 60 years, the group of men who represented Atmore in the inaugural Senior Little League World Series gathered in the same place at the same time.

“Every weekend we were playing ball somewhere. If it wasn’t organized baseball it was in our front yards,” said Ron Headley, a former player.

The players grew up in Atmore, playing baseball whenever they could. This weekend they traveled to Escambia County to step back in time and remember when they took the field together in the first Senior Little League World Series, held in Pennsylvania in 1961, when competitors ranged in age from 13 to 15.

“Everybody’s memory is a little bit different. I think it’s going to be fun. I don’t know if we’re ever going to come to any truth, but maybe we can come to a few things we agree on,” joked Rickey Webb, another player.

In all, 15 players represented Atmore and the broader Southeast on the team. Webb asked the sons of three deceased players to take their fathers’ places at the reunion table and share memories.

Thanks to years of planning by Webb and Bonnie Bartel Latino, the former players gathered Saturday for a 60th reunion breakfast and lunch in downtown Atmore, honored with a team ceremony and a presentation by the Atmore Historical Society.

“We went from the beginning all the way to the Senior Little League World Series together. In my opinion that was quite a feat,” said former player Wayne Godwin.

The 1961 Tournament

The first Senior League World Series, then called the Senior Division Tournament, was played Aug. 22-25, 1961, at Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Atmore was one of nine teams in the field. Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania, beat Sylva, North Carolina, in the championship game.