Longtime Miami Lakes Optimist Club member Jack McCall has coached so many young baseball players including his sons and four grandsons during his 42 years with the organization that he lost count.
But the humorous anecdotes from his former players help jog his memory, as the coach of their kids and grandchildren, who told him he was a big inspiration in their lives.
“They would come up to me and say, ‘Mr. McCall, do you remember me? You coached me in T-ball and Mustang leagues with the Athletics. You were a great coach and mentor’.”
McCall created a legacy at the Miami Lakes Optimist Club, marked by three generations of coaching and participation, and he served as the organization’s president and South Florida District Optimist International’s lieutenant governor and two-term governor.
In 2012, he was enshrined in the South Florida District Optimist International Hall of Fame, signifying four decades of devotion to helping youth both on and off the field.
Joining the exclusive club epitomized his optimist career, but he’s not planning to slow down anytime soon, given the opportunity to coach his youngest grandson as the newest member of the Green Machine.
McCall adopted the moniker years ago as the Little League version of the 1970s Cincinnati Reds’ Big Red Machine, and because of his Irish heritage.
“Since 1973, I always loved to volunteer and coach kids because it’s a passion of mine,” McCall said “I will be volunteering and coaching until the end.”
McCall’s team recently played with the luck of the Irish on their side. During a tournament game in Palm Springs North, his team executed the impossible – a triple play by a five-year-old and six-year-old.
To his recollection, it was the second time in T-Ball play the rare act of making three outs during one continuous play occurred.
“The kids executed it flawlessly,’ he said. “The kids didn’t realize what they had accomplished.”
For eight years, McCall simultaneously coached two Athletic teams in the T-Ball and Mustang leagues.
He said attorney John Perez offered to help coach, and the lawyer’s father helped jog his memory about coaching his son years ago.
“His father approached us and said John played with the Green Machine, and now I am coaching John’s son,” McCall said. “It’s very rewarding to see former players to coach and volunteer with their kids and grandchildren. It means a lot.”