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Richard Bedard inducted into Western Massachusetts Baseball Hall of Fame

Date: 2/5/2015

EAST LONGMEADOW – Richard Bedard, a long-time town resident and American International College’s (AIC) former athletic director, was inducted into the Western Massachusetts Baseball Hall of Fame on Jan. 29.

Bedard was inducted not only for his accomplishments at AIC but also on the field. According to the Valley Blue Sox’s website, after being named All-State at Springfield Technical High School, Bedard had a highly successful collegiate baseball career at Amherst College under Bill Thurston, who is inducted into the Hall of Fame last year.

After graduating from Amherst College, Bedard was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 18th round of the 1971 Major League Baseball draft.

“For us, it’s a family thing,” Bedard told Reminder Publications. “The game is something I grew up with. My first memories are of sitting on the step waiting for my father to come home so that we could go out in the backyard. Baseball is a game that requires a lot of thought and emotional control because you spend most of your time waiting for something to happen and being prepared and usually it doesn’t happen and I told my players, ‘You should be exhausted at the end of each game even if no ball’s ever going to be hit to you.’”

Bedard, 65, said he was initially surprised to hear about his induction into the Western Massachusetts Baseball Hall of Fame.

“Frankly, there are some folks that I would have voted for before me but it’s very gratifying,” he added. “I’m glad to be included in a group of people that I idolized growing up.”

One of Bedard’s idols is Joe Castiglione, a radio announcer for the Boston Red Sox who was also inducted into the Hall of Fame this year.

“Many of you have been in a position to serve as mentors and coaches for the next generations,” Bedard said during his induction speech. “I encourage and commend you all.

“In fact, many towns have their own versions of these wonderful leaders,” he continued. “In East Longmeadow, where I have been involved in the baseball association for the past 20 years, I have had the pleasure of working with a number of men whose commitment and dedication to baseball – and the young people who play it – are the equal of any I have encountered in baseball.”

Bedard noted that he was the head baseball coach at AIC for nine years.

“But that was a part-time job,” he added. “I was involved in the administration there full-time and I ended up being executive vice president of administration and assistant to the president for 30 years.”

After the presidents changed at AIC, Bedard became the athletic director for eight years. In all, he worked at the college in various positions for 42 years until his retirement last year.

In October 2014 it was announced that Bedard would have a field named after him at AIC.

“I didn't ask for it, it just came out that way,” Bedard said in regards to the baseball field named in his honor.

Bedard became assistant baseball coach at AIC in 1973 and was named head baseball coach the following year. During his tenure as head coach the Yellow Jackets won 124 games, including the ECAC Division II-III championship in 1979.

“There are two favorite wins and you may be surprised,” he said. “The first one was in 1979 we won the ECAC Division II-III championship and we did it by beating Amherst College, which was my alma mater [and] my coach. The other one was when [East Longmeadow] beat Wilbraham [in July 1999 or 2000,] in the sixth grade Bronco championship and it was just a great group of kids and a great day.

“We were the underdogs,” he continued. “We had lost to them four times that year and son of a gun, we got seven runs in the first inning and won eight to six. We had no expectations of winning and I told the kids to relax and enjoy it. We had come from behind the day before in the semi-finals.”

Bedard also said his older brother Billy was a first round draft choice and his other brother Jimmy was a baseball captain at Boston College.

In East Longmeadow, Bedard said there is a community of people dedicated to teaching youth baseball and people.

“You need to achieve a balance between the guys who are actively out there coaching their kids and the guys who sort of maintain some consistency, so you’re not reinventing the wheel every time and you’re providing some stability. That’s been my role. I’m in here today, I’m still the equipment manager [in East Longmeadow],” he added.

Bedard said playing professional baseball requires “a lot of talent and sort of a mental ability to focus” and grueling work.

“We have a kid now in town now, Nick Ahmed, who’s doing really well,” he added. “Nick came up through our system and he is on the verge. He spent a month in the major leagues last year [as a shortstop for the Arizona Diamondbacks]. We’re very proud of him. He pitched in that championship game [against Wilbraham] as a fourth grader with the sixth graders. Nick has that mental discipline and focus.”