(1933 – 2012)
SPORT | Minor Baseball
POSITION | Executive Member, Coach
YEAR OF INDUCTION | 2013
Builders
Morris, Norman “Chirp”
Chirp was born in 1933 in Wales, Great Britain and immigrated to Canada with his family after the Second World War. He attended Chatham Collegiate and after graduation started working at International Truck Works. In his youth he played soccer and knew nothing about baseball, but quickly became an ardent student of the game, as a coach and manager. He credited John Best and Bruno Casanova as his mentors in his study of the game and in the importance of developing fully rounded young athletes. Chirp spent 27 years of his life as a coach or manager of Chatham ball teams. Over the years, he passed his knowledge and passion for the game on to players of all ages, ranging from tyke baseball to men’s slo-pitch.
Chirp was born in 1933 in Wales, Great Britain and immigrated to Canada with his family after the Second World War. He attended Chatham Collegiate and after graduation started working at International Truck Works. In his youth he played soccer and knew nothing about baseball, but quickly became an ardent student of the game, as a coach and manager. He credited John Best and Bruno Casanova as his mentors in his study of the game and in the importance of developing fully rounded young athletes. Chirp spent 27 years of his life as a coach or manager of Chatham ball teams. Over the years, he passed his knowledge and passion for the game on to players of all ages, ranging from tyke baseball to men’s slo-pitch.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Career
1956 – Began his involvement with Chatham Minor Baseball as a house league coach at the Pee Wee level
1958 – Joined with Doug Allin and Joe Bondy to coach the Pee Wee travel team as well as coach in the house league – between 1958 and 1965, Pee Wee teams won 5 OBA Championships at the highest level in the province
1966 – 1970 – Coached at the Junior level with Ross Day and Cliff MacArthur
1970 – Was first base coach for Kent Concretes as they won the OBA Senior “A” Baseball Championship
1971 – Coached with Bob Swift and Doug Allin, leading the Lion’s Club Juveniles to an OBA “A” Championship
1979 – After a brief absence, returned to coach the Bedell Generals Junior team with Bob Swift winning the OBA Major Junior “A” Championship
1975 – 1979 – Coached slo-pitch, winning 2 championships with the Prodenchuck’s team in 1975 and the Alex’ Roofing team in 1979
Accomplishments
During his time with CMBA, Chirp was on the executive for a number of years, serving in several different positions including president in 1968 when Chatham hosted the OBA Convention and again in 1972 and 1973. As President, in 1973, he represented the City of Chatham and CMBA when the Pee Wee Team went to North Battleford, Saskatchewan and won the Canadian Championship.
In 1966, because of his contributions to the Kinsmen Pee Wee baseball program, Chirp was made a lifetime member of the Chatham Kinsmen Club. Chirp died in Chatham in 2012.