BIG LEAGUE LOVE FOR MAGICS LEGEND Golf outing sells out; donations still accepted
By CHRISTINA McCUNE
BGNN managing editor
Die-hard fans of baseball and its history likely are familiar with Willie Mays’ famous over-the-shoulder catch in 1954. Considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time, Mays, who passed away last year at 93, capped his second full big league season 70 years ago with “one of the most famous defensive plays in history,” according to www.biography.com.
But to add another layer to this fascinating historical trivia about the famous play, do you know who hit the ball? Do you know who the pitcher was? Do you know who was on base at the time?
Hal Naragon, of Barberton, had fun throwing curveballs like these questions into conversations about baseball trivia.
“His memory of facts and stats for baseball – it was almost like a party trick the details he could remember about games and situations,” said Chad Bradley, one of Naragon’s grandsons. “He really always liked quizzing people on stuff.”
And he didn’t need to look up any historical facts or stats about famous plays such as the iconic catch of legendary Mays during the opener of the 1954 World Series.
He was there.
“My grandpa was there watching it live as a player during that World Series,” Bradley said.
The kind former professional baseball player and Barberton sporting goods store owner who as a 17-year-old Barberton High School baseball player had wowed a new Cleveland Indians owner in 1946, died in 2019 at age 90.
Born nearly a century ago, not many people are around nowadays who have stories dating back to when they played Major League baseball with Naragon. But countless people have meaningful stories about interactions Naragon had with them – some big, some small.
The Barberton High School varsity baseball field was named in Naragon’s honor in 2004 and Naragon was inducted into the
Barberton Walk of Fame in 2015. Naragon’s family enjoys hearing stories about how this hometown hero made a positive impact on people’s lives.
“I’ve never met anybody that was more genuinely positive all the time,” Chad Bradley said. “It didn’t matter what the situation was his response was always positivity. You couldn’t fail — it was a learning experience. Whatever it might be: in sports, in life, a choice — if something didn’t go right he would do everything he could to help you try to see the positivity in it or look at what could become a positive out of whatever that situation was.”
After Naragon passed away, Bradley and his brother, Evan, wanted to do something to carry on his legacy and memory. They established the Hal Naragon Memorial Scholarship fund through the Barberton Community Foundation to be awarded to Magics baseball and softball players each year; they began a golf outing as a main fundraiser for the scholarship; and now they’re looking into establishing possibly another scholarship for students aspiring to pursue a trade after graduation.
As of last week, the 2025 Hal Naragon Golf Classic May 2 at Spring Hills Golf Club had sold out. People are still welcome to
provide sponsorships and donate to the scholarship fund. Donations toward the scholarship fund may be made payable to Barberton Community Foundation, 460 W Paige Ave., Barberton, OH 44203. Donations also may be made on the
website at www.barbertoncf.org. For more information about the golf outing and how to help, email [email protected].
Naragon’s story is the stuff of beloved movies to be watched over and over again.
Chad Bradley said a favorite story about his grandfather is how he got his start. While Naragon was still in high school and a Magics baseball player, he and a friend responded to open tryouts for the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians.) The new owner, Bill Veeck, was impressed with Naragon but the 17-year-old hadn’t even graduated high school yet, so couldn’t sign a contract.
According to an article by Tracy J.R. Collins on the Society for American Baseball Research website, Naragon relayed the story: “My dad was going to kill me if he knew I was in Cleveland trying out for the Indians. So I came home and explained what
happened to my dad, and he drove up to Cleveland with me the next day. Mr. Veeck explained his interest in me to my dad and my dad told him I had not graduated from high school, and so Mr. Veeck asked if I would give the Indians the opportunity to sign him the following spring. My dad asked, ‘Will a handshake do?’ Mr. Veeck said yes. The two men shook hands and that was that.”
Naragon signed a minor league deal in Spring 1947. The next year on Oct. 10, 1948 he married his high school sweetheart Joanne Schake, in Barberton. The couple had a daughter, Pamela, two grandsons Chad and Evan Bradley and two great grandchildren: Whitney and Maverick.
“Growing up, my brother and I spent most of our summers in Barberton at my grandparents’ house,” Bradley said. “So we had a
gang of friends in the neighborhood we would play backyard football with or we’d play baseball in the street with my grandpa. That was fun. All the neighborhood kids would come out and we would play baseball in the street and some different games and it was a riot.”
Bradley said baseball was one of his grandfather’s loves but after he retired he was able to focus on family and he also enjoyed golf, which is one of the reasons the Hal Naragon Golf Classic is a fitting tribute.
“He was an excellent golfer,” Bradley said. “That was his passion after his playing career – was golfing with my grandma.”
Bradley said he felt fortunate he was able to “experience things most kids only dream of as far as baseball goes.” He and his brother met many baseball greats over the years and attended many special games and baseball events. “He played during
one of the best eras of the game and he was friends with these players that were on a pedestal – on another level – for so many fans and he was just like a casual friend with them,” Bradley said.
Naragon’s career as a catcher for the Indians (now Guardians) lasted several years, beginning with spring training in 1951. After that season, he was drafted into the Marine Corps and served until December 1953. He played for the Quantico baseball team while in the military. He returned to the Indians for the historic 1954 season. He also played for the Washington Senators, Minnesota Twins, and became a bullpen coach for both the Twins and the Detroit Tigers. He retired from baseball in 1969 after
being on three American League Championship teams, including the 1968 World Series Champion Detroit Tigers.
After his playing career, Naragon transitioned to coaching and he bought Barberton Sporting Goods.
“It was another way he could be active in the community,” Bradley said. “He was really close with Coach Greynolds. Everybody has stories about going in there.”
Bradley has heard many stories about his grandfather’s kindness — including from one of the past scholarship recipients about how he was playing catch by himself in his yard as a kid and Naragon was driving by, stopped, got out his glove, gave him some instruction and gave him a baseball and went on his way. The Hal Naragon Memorial Scholarships will be presented April 24 at the BCF ceremony. Magics baseball hosts the Hal Naragon Invitational April 26 and Bradley said his niece or nephew may throw out the first pitch.
