Betty Jean McFadden [Rusynyk] (October 22, 1924 – April 7, 2013) was an All-American Girls Professional Baseball League pitcher who played for the South Bend Blue Sox in 1943. Born in Savanna, Illinois, McFadden was nicknamed "Mac". She both batted and threw right-handed. She later spent eight seasons with the Savanna, Illinois All-Star team and five years with the Lakewood, Ohio Rangers team.[1]
| Betty McFadden | |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | |
| Born: October 22, 1924 Savanna, Illinois | |
| Died: April 7, 2013 (aged 88) Parma, Ohio | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| Teams | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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Baseball years
editBetty Jean only played a few games with the South Bend Blue Sox —less than 10—, which is why her statistics were not recorded by the league.[2] But even when she left the league, Betty Jean still kept up her love for baseball. For the next eight years, she played with the Savanna, Illinois All-Star team and five years for the Lakewood, Ohio Rangers team. As well, she took up golf and played in two golf leagues.[3]
Personal life
editBetty played in the AAGPBL under her maiden name. After that, she was married to Michael Rusynyk for 66 years. They had two sons and one daughter: Gary, David and Lynn. When Betty died, she was survived by four grandchildren: Sanya, Kristen, Megan and Alexander. One grandchild, Taryn, died before her.[3]
Sources
edit- ^ "Betty Jean Rusnyk (McFadden)". AAGPBL. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
- ^ Madden, W. C. (2000) All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record Book. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-7864-0597-8
- ^ a b "Betty Jean Rusynyk (McFadden) Obituary". AAGPBL. Retrieved 29 September 2014.