Mattingly, Leon

WHAT LEON MATTINGLY OF MT. WASHINGTON ACCOMPLISHED ON THE SOFTBALL FIELD FROM 1966 TO THE PRESENT (2006) HAS NOT BEEN SEEN BY MANY IN THE GREAT COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY. AND, WHAT HIS TEAMS HAVE ACCOMPLISHED, MUCH OF THAT COULD NOT "LITERALLY" BE SEEN. AT LEAST NOT THROUGH THE EYES OF LEON HIMSELF, COACH MATTINGLY WAS DIAGNOSED IN THE EARLY 80'S WITH A HEREDITARY EYE DISEASE KNOWN AS RETINITIS PIGMENTOSA, AND HIS PROGNOSIS WAS THAT HE WOULD EVENTUALLY BECOME BLIND.

THREE YEARS AGO, LEON LOST 99% OF HIS EYESIGHT, YET WITH HIS CANE AND COACHING ASSISTANTS HE STILL HAS PLENTY TO OFFER TO THE SOFTBALL COMMUNITY.

LIKE MANY IN SOFTBALL, MR. MATTINGLY STARTED AT THE BOTTOM COACHING "D" BALL, AND NOW HE WILL JOIN HIS KENTUCKY HALL OF FAME SPONSOR, GEORGE HOFFMAN FROM THE MT. WASHINGTON MILLER BEER TEAM.

FROM NEW HOPE MILLER BEER AND MT. WASHINGTON MILLER BEER, LEON MATTINGLY CLIMBED THE SOFTBALL RANKS PROGRESSING TO THE "A" LEVEL. HIS RIVERSIDE, GATEWAY PRESS. AND UNDERWOOD CATTLE TEAMS WERE NOT ONLY AMONG THE FINEST IN KENTUCKY, BUT THEY ACHIEVED TOP 40 RANKINGS AMONG THE NATION'S SUPERIOR MEN'S SOFTBALL SQUADS.

IRONICALLY, AS MATTINGLY'S SIGHT GOT WORSE, HIS TEAMS GOT BETTER, CULMINATING LAST SUMMER (2005) WITH THE NSA "B" NORTH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP AS SPITZ SEEDS/TPS.

MATTINGLY'S LOVE FOR THE GAME AND HIS INFECTIOUS SPIRIT WILL KEEP HIM COACHING AS LONG AS IT CONTINUES TO BE "FUN" FOR HIM. AND, ALTHOUGH HE CAN'T SEE. HIS FEEL FOR THE GAME SHOULD BRING HIM MANY MORE HONORS IN THE FUTURE.