Tommy DiSalvo is being inducted into The Villages Softball Division 3 Hall of Fame. He may be 88, but DiSalvo still has some pep in his step.
“He called me the other night,” said his son, Scott, who is here for the induction ceremony, when the rest of the inductees will be announced. “My Dad said, ‘I was out in The Villages and I had a good night. I was dancing with five chicks.’”
DiSalvo, a New Jersey native, came to The Villages around 23 years ago and started playing softball as a shortstop. He made his mark as a manager in Division 3, by racking up 379 victories in 33 seasons.
“I enjoy managing; softball isn’t rocket science,” DiSalvo said. “You have to be able to get along with all kinds of people. You have to have patience and understanding.”
DiSalvo is 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighs slightly over 100 pounds. Don’t let his diminutive size fool you; he is a fierce competitor.
“When I started out managing, I was kind of fiery with everybody,” said DiSalvo, who still acts as an assistant manager. “But I learned there are a lot of new players in The Villages, or people who haven’t played since they were kids.
“You’ve got to bring them along slow and encourage them. I’m here to help them.”
Long before he came to The Villages 23 years ago, Tommy DiSalvo led a remarkable life. He grew up in Jersey and starred in basketball and baseball.
“My idol was (New York Yankees) shortstop Phil Rizzuto,” DiSalvo said. “He was like me – small but tough and he played the same position as I did.”
Growing up near New York in the 1940s and ‘50s, DiSalvo went to games and saw the best players of that era. “I saw Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, Whitey Ford and Mickey Mantle.”
DiSalvo may have been a better basketball player. He was a guard and attracted some college scholarships. That changed with the start of the Korean conflict.
DiSalvo served in the Navy and worked as an engineer. He and his late wife, Gertrude, had three sons: Scott, Tom and Michael. DiSalvo worked as an engineer in civilian life, until his retirement at 69.
Soon after, he came to The Villages.
“We made a visit, looked at a house, and right away we wanted to live here,” DiSalvo said. The couple was married 62 years, until Gertrude died last year.
“They loved each other and they loved living in The Villages,” Scott DiSalvo said. “My Dad gave so much to softball and he enjoys every minute of it.”
His father was also pleased during an “Honor Flight” trip to recognize his military service. “That meant a lot to him,” his son said.
Scott DiSalvo – like his father – is looking forward to the softball hall ceremony. “I’m 62 now, and he is still my hero,” Scott said. “He is so proud of this.”
“It means so much to me; I’ve been walking on air since they told me,” Tommy DiSalvo said. “It’s not just me; I feel proud for the others that will be inducted. It’s the Villages Softball Hall of Fame, and we’re all a part of it.”
