RB Thomas, Jr. to be Inducted Into the ISF Hall of Fame

Virginia resident, RB Thomas, Jr. was elected to the International Softball Federation Hall of Fame at the 26th ISF World Congress in Cartagena, Colombia last October and will be inducted on November 9 at Reno, NV at the 2014 ASA National Meeting.

 The veteran sports-event organizer was selected for the prestigious honor in the Administrator Category for his years of promoting programs and competitions for the Senior Division of the sport.

Thomas is well known in the sports tourism industry where he has worked with local communities throughout the United States for the past twenty years. He has also served as ISF Director of Senior Softball since 2002 where he has worked with the international softball community to develop the sport within their senior population (men and women over the age of 50). Thomas has conducted thirteen ISF Senior World Cup Championships and three ISF/ISSA World Tournament of Champions to date. He has also conducted 20 ISSA World Championship events at Manassas, VA.

Before phasing into the sport’s administration on a full-time basis he managed one of the most successful softball teams in the Country for 32 years and was inducted in the ASA National Softball Hall of Fame in 2009 in the Manager Category. He is only the 16th person from the United States to be elected to the international body‘s Hall of Fame. The ISF is the World Governing Body of the sport of softball and includes 127 member countries.

Thomas was born in Roanoke, Virginia and graduated from Jefferson Senior High School in 1959. After high school he earned a Civil Engineering degree from Virginia Tech and located in Nokesville, VA. He has operated a consultant engineering and surveying firm in Manassas since 1969. After a lifetime in the sport, Thomas and his wife Ann and their seven children (and their families) continue to support the senior softball programs locally, nationally and internationally.

The website for ISSA is http://www.seniorsoftball.org/