After the 1947 baseball season, a knothole meeting was held at St. Teresa Church. At this meeting, Glen Carder and Ed Stanton, Delhi residents, decided to form a team or two in Delhi Township. Naturally, funding these teams would be a problem. Glen Carder obtained a case of whiskey, which they raffled off. Incredibly, $800 was raised in that raffle, enough to outfit three full teams in time for the 1948 season. Next on the agenda was obtaining players and parental support. A mass mailing began where the association founders “volunteered” parents to come to the first meeting. Thanks to an excellent response, the teams were ready for the 1948 season, using Delhi School (now known as Delhi Middle School) as their home field. Originally, the monthly meetings were held at the Delhi Hills Inn, presently the site of Lipps Car Wash.
As the association grew, a yearly carnival was held at the Green Woods, a picnic grove in the now Romance Lane area. Mothers helped raise funds by baking cakes, which were promptly raffled off.
Gradually, more teams were added with the help of parents, carnivals, raffles (tires, radios, TV’s, etc.). In 1950, girls’ softball came into existence, growing to the current number of seventeen teams.
1952 was an important year for the association. Glen Carder, the “C” team coach, spotted a young player at Bold Face Park who needed a team to play on for the upcoming season. Mr. Carder was so impressed with the ten year old catcher, that he agreed to drive him to the practices and the games. This player was none other than Pete Rose. He helped lead Glen Carder’s team to an undefeated 16-0 season and Delhi’s first city crown. Glen Carder remembered Pete as “a good player who always hustled, behaved, and always followed instructions.”
Around this time, Mel Rueger became active in the organization, and with his background in law, volunteered to write the Association Constitution and By Laws. He was very instrumental in obtaining Delhi’s non-profit charter. Also, in the mid-fifties, as Delhi grew, the need for more ball fields became apparent. A committee was formed to begin searching for park space, a process that took a few years.
Yearly sports banquets were held, and at the 1956 banquet, form New York Yankee great Waite Hoyt was the featured speaker. The banquet that year also honored Delhi’s first football team.
By 1958, Delhi Park (then called Foley Road Park) was ready and the three fields there were constantly busy. In that year, Delhi expanded to twelve knothole teams and two football teams. The girls’ softball team also won its first league title. Monthly meetings were moved to the Township Administration building on Foley Road.
1959 saw DAA win city baseball titles in both the class “A” and “C” divisions. Both teams were undefeated those years.In the early 1960’s, monthly meetings were attended by forty to fifty members, and the association began sending out a monthly newsletter. Delhi Park expanded to six ball fields as the township grew at a rapid pace.
HALL OF FAME
By the year 1965, the association had grown, thanks to the efforts of many men and women. The officers of the association at this time decided to create the DAA Hall of Fame to honor those whose hard work had led to the success of this group. The purpose of the Hall, as taken from the original document, is ‘To honor those members who have given their time and put forth exceptional effort for the advancement of the DAA. In doing so these men have helped the youth of this area”. The officers at this time elected the original nine founding members of the association, along with three active members. The first Hall of Fame night was held on September 23, 1965 at the old Township Administration office on Foley Road. In 1966, qualified members were elected by Hall of Fame members, not officers. In 1987 the induction meeting was moved to July. Currently there are over eighty members.
The early 1970’s saw the association expand into the growing sport of soccer. Eventually, with the addition of so many teams, land at Pontius and Rapid Run roads (currently Rapid Run Middle School) was developed, divided into five soccer fields, and is used about eight months out of the year.
In the late 1970’s the DAA became active in the “Delhi Skirt Game”, held on the first Friday of August each year. Money is raised for Delhi families in need. It is strictly a volunteer, non-profit group of people who have a concern for others in need.
Presently, the association is governed by a ten member Executive Board and a ten member Manager’s Committee. Meetings are held the third Thursday of each month at the Delhi Lodge. We are always looking for quality new members, and would welcome your attendance at our meetings.