Harry Young; 1931-2014: Custom homes builder backed baseball teams

Published: Thursday, 1/9/2014

BY MARK ZABORNEY BLADE STAFF WRITER

Harry Young, a builder of custom homes who coached and sponsored baseball teams from youth to, in recent years, adult players died Sunday in his West Toledo home. He was 82.

Mr. Young had cancer, but traveled to Fort Myers, Fla., in October for the World Series of Roy Hobbs Baseball. His team, Harry Young Builders, had a perfect record during the season and finished second out of 65 teams in the tournament. Whats more, Mr. Young was inducted into the Roy Hobbs Hall of Fame for his contributions to amateur adult baseball.

He was thrilled, his wife, Marlene, said. Its hard to explain about Harry, him and his baseball. He just loved baseball.

He learned of his illness early in 2013 but still coached his team in the Mid-American Masters Baseball League, for players age 45 or older.

It was a tremendous bunch of men, a pleasure to be around, Mr. Young told The Blade in December. They made me a winner one more time.

Mr. Young coached his sons when they were boys and continued through other age levels after they stopped playing. All told, hundreds of players were on Harry Young Builders teams from the late 1960s on.

His approach was old-school baseball, said David Perez, who first played for Mr. Young on an adult team nearly 20 years ago.

He definitely was a skipper, Mr. Perez said. The old school is you work hard. You go out and give 100 percent.

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Harry Young; 1931-2014: Custom homes builder backed baseball teams