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History of the Ohio Lawmen
“Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan"
– Knute Rockne
Every Ohio Law Enforcement team in the 1990’s were constantly being beaten and embarrassed by other teams from all over the country. Small market teams such as Cleveland CPPA, Cleveland FOP #8, Toledo, Columbus, Dayton, Mid-Ohio Lawmen, Middletown, and Butler County Sheriffs spent many tournaments together--- in the losers bracket. All the Ohio teams were about equal. Each team was capable of beating each other at any moment. However, one thing remained constant. The beatings handed out by just about all the teams from New York, Florida, Michigan, Texas, and St. Louis. Those were not fun times by any stretch of the imagination.
Being frustrated with the constant poundings, the wasted time away from the family, the wasting of precious vacation time and the overall feeling of helplessness, a move was made to promote and build a team pooling talent from the whole state of Ohio. In 1999 came the birth of Ohio Lawmen Softball Team. From scratch, our team was put together in about six months. The team consisted of some fine talent from the Cleveland teams and by word of mouth. There was some dissent amongst some officers and rightly so. Many believed in the old thinking and wanted to remain loyal to their respective city. But that couldn’t stop this train. It was brought up to every player that the organization’s needs had to come first and remain first. Winning would have to be one of the goals and a priority. Fielding the 10 or 11 best players, without prejudice of where they worked or who their friends were, couldn’t be an issue, and never was. Together, we managed to get over the hump and learned to work together and respect each other’s opinions and thoughts. The friendships, and team chemistry always remained strong.
Our journey and list of players expanded into the areas of Sandusky and Southwestern Ohio. Officers from Hamilton, Cincinnati, Hamilton County Butler County, Green Township, Springfield, Blue Ash, and Fairfield have been part of the Ohio Lawmen. Officers on the team from Northeast Ohio include the cities of Independence, Cuyahoga Heights, Cleveland, Bedford, Lucas County, several agencies in Michigan, and now several agencies in Indiana.
We are always looking for talented players that are able and willing to make a commitment to our team with a focus and a desire to win on the field, and help those in need off the field.
In the beginning, the road was rough, like any new road would be. We will always have fond memories of what once was and what will be. We have fought through adversity and will continue to be better ball players and better people. To all the former Ohio Lawmen players that made the commitment and followed through, we thank you for being the cornerstone and foundation of the Ohio Lawmen Softball Team, the 2005 Police World Champions! We have indeed achieved some major goals and will continue staying with the plan!
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