Roy Mansfield

The superior man is modest in his speech but exceeds in his actions. – Confucius

Growing up in Bridgetown, Roy Mansfield seemed to have learned that truth from an early age. Throughout his life he has been very humble about his accomplishments on the playing field, even though he is undoubtedly one of our most gifted athletes.

During his school years, Roy was one of Jack Walker’s “Boys”, dedicated to soccer and track and field. He was a member of three Headmasters Championship teams during the late 50’s, early 60’s.

In addition to that, Roy played Suburban hockey, joined the Legion hockey team, the Legion pool team, the Western Valley Darts League, a Bridgetown Bowling League and refereed High School, Intermediate and Minor Hockey. He was also a Director of the rejuvenated Bridgetown Hawks hockey team in 1985.

Where Roy excelled and where he became best known, however, was in fastball.

He began playing baseball in Bridgetown on an under-12 team coached by Dewitt Dargie. He continued Babe Ruth Baseball with Roy Evans and then moved on to Juvenile Ball in Greenwood with Coaches Bill Cooper and Murray Bennett.

Roy started playing fastball (fast-pitch softball) at age 15 for the Bridgetown 7-Up’s, Bridgetown Advertisers and the Clyde Everett Limited team; teams which won three Nova Scotia titles and one Maritime title in Intermediate “C” and/or “D” during the next few years. He played mostly at shortstop but could also more than adequately cover off at third or as a center fielder.

In League play he earned the “most runs batted in” titles in 1965 and 1966; was “home run” champion in 1966 and won a “Triple Crown” in 1967.

In the early 70’s Roy started playing in the Mainland Nova Scotia Senior “A” Fast Pitch League, first for CFB Greenwood and then for the Berwick Alpines. Several times he led the League batting average. In 1974 he came back to play with three local teams and won a fourth Provincial title with the Continental Kitchen team playing out of Annapolis Royal. Roy was known to have a “good glove”, a “good bat” and “good feet”. He was also always known as a “good sport”. Throughout his playing years he won countless MVP awards and many Most Sportsmanlike Player trophies.

Roy’s proudest moment in sports was being selected for, and playing for, the Nova Scotia Softball team in the very first Canada Summer Games, held in Halifax in 1969. The year leading up to the Games was busy with an amalgamated team touring and playing the Maritime Provinces in preparation for the Games. The friendships established then have lasted over forty years.

Roy retired from fast pitch around 1980, but continued to play slow pitch and umpire for several more years. For those who remember watching him play, Roy was one of those gifted athletes who made every movement seem effortless. Added to a strong competitive nature, his natural humility and his sportsmanlike attitude, Roy Mansfield was a winner and a “Class Act”. He remains so to this day.