Martin Sasse

This is the third in a series of articles profiling the 2012 inductees into the Butler County Sports Hall of Fame. The Hall’s annual banquet is at 6:30 p.m. April 28 at the Butler Days Inn.PENSACOLA, Fla. — Florida is known as the Sunshine State.For Martin Sasse, it’s the Stay Active State.The former Rimersburg resident and holder of numerous baseball and basketball records at Winfield High School moved to Florida in 1976 “so I could play ball year-round and for a lot more years.”He had already played baseball and softball for a number of years in Marwood, Cabot, Saxonburg, New Kensington, Freeport, Rimersburg and New Bethlehem, winning championships along the way.Still playing softball at age 78, Sasse will be inducted into the Butler County Sports Hall of Fame later this month.He said moving to Florida was one of two great decisions he made in his life.The first was choosing his girlfriend and eventual wife, Donna, over an opportunity to play professional baseball.“I was scouted by the Reds and Red Sox back in high school,” Sasse recalled. “I was Catholic, my wife was Lutheran ... back then, we had to sneak out to see each other because our parents wouldn’t let us date.“The pro scouts wanted me to make a choice — baseball or the girl. That was an easy one. We’ve been married 60 years and have five wonderful children. I’ve had a marvelous life.”And it’s still going strong.Sasse graduated from Winfield in 1952, setting school records in basketball scoring and rebounding. He scored a record 37 points in one game “that I don’t believe anyone ever beat.”He averaged 20 points per game in basketball, then set Winfield baseball records for hits, batting average and stolen bases.When it came time to switch over to softball in the late 1950s, Sasse was hesitant to do so.“It took a lot of coaxing from people I know,” he admitted. “I thought softball was a girls’ game. When I first started playing it, I played center field without a glove. That’s how I treated the sport.”Today, he treats it with gratitude.Sasse plays on an age 75-79 traveling all-star softball team in Florida. He hopes to play for a number of years yet.“Knock on wood, my health is great and I owe a lot of that to sports,” he said. “I still play volleyball three days a week and go to the fitness center three days a week, so I stay pretty active.“I’ve played ball in every state east of the Mississippi. They have teams down here for age brackets 85, 90 ... I’m hoping I’ve got another 10 to 15 years to play.”His proudest athletic moment occurred in Pennsylvania, when he and his three sons — Marty, Rocky and Brady — comprised the four-man outfield for their softball team.“Lined up alongside them out there ... I’ll never forget that,” Sasse said. “None of them play anymore. They suffered knee injuries in football when they were younger.”Sasse suffered a serious back injury himself in 1993 and was unable to play for a couple of years.“I’ve never taken the physical ability to play for granted ever since,” he said. “I really missed being on the field.”Tickets for the Hall of Fame dinner are $20 and are available at Parker Appliances in Chicora, Moses Jewelers at the Clearview Mall, Bill’s Beer Barn or Snack n’ Pack in Butler, Maddalon’s Jewelers in Zelienople, Saxonburg Drug or at www.bcshof.com.