BRYANT — They saved the best for last.
Dwight Everett was the last of his former teammates to be inducted into the Arkansas Men’s Softball Hall of Fame at a special ceremony June 30
during the Busch Softball Classic at the Sherwood Softball Complex.
“It is nice to be recognized by your peers, of course,” said Everett, who lives in Benton with his wife, Susie. “It is very humbling, and I am very appreciative of the recognition.
“The thing is, I was very fortunate to play on some really good teams and played with a lot of great individuals.”
Everett’s softball career spanned 1973 to 1977, and he played for two teams during that time, including JC Goff Plumbing out of North Little Rock and Phillips Home Builders out of Benton.
Ten players from Goff Plumbing have already been inducted into the Softball Hall of Fame, including former minor league baseball player Buddy Adcock.
“[Everett] was a real good player and a good teammate,” said Adcock, who was inducted in 2007. “He was always reliable and a real good defensive player.
“He had a lot of good speed, and he hit with power also. He was just a good teammate.”
Everett, the co-owner of Everett Buick GMC in Bryant, grew up playing baseball through Little League, Pony Leagues and American Legion ball. He even went to college on a baseball scholarship.
“At some point, baseball ends, and you still have the desire to play competitively,” Everett said. “So I transitioned into softball and fell in love with the game.”
Adcock, who is now an insurance agent for Farm Bureau Insurance, played baseball for Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia and played minor league baseball for the Oakland Athletics organization.
“You want to keep that [competitiveness] going a little bit. We developed a lot of friendships that have lasted forever,” Adcock said.
“The biggest difference [between baseball and softball] is hitting a slow-pitch softball compared to a 90-mph fastball,” Everett said. “The action in softball is continuous because everybody is going to hit.”
Everett said he has seen a lot more action since he has been in the outfield.
“We played all over,” Everett said. “We played games in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Missouri — and, of course, Arkansas.”
“The big thing with us back then, we were probably the best team in Arkansas,” Adcock said. “There was another team called Fliteline [in Fort Smith], and they had players from Texas, Missouri — outside of the state.
“They were really the first team to start doing that. They were the team to beat.
“Those were the games that we all remember because it was between us and them to have the very best team in Arkansas.”
Everett said that back then, the team’s didn’t really keep up with stats or specifics.
“The modern-day players probably keep up with that more, and it is a little bit more accurate,” Everett said, “but if you are playing competitively, your stats are usually pretty good.”
Everett said Goff Plumbing played for several state championships and in several regionals but never won a state championship during his time with the team.
“My favorite memories are just an accumulation of being around the individuals that I played with — the competitiveness and competing at a very high level with these guys and getting to know them on a personal level,” Everett said.
“To play and compete with these guys was an honor for me to be apart of,” he said. “A lot of life lessons were learned that I’ve carried with me for a lifetime.”
Many of his former teammates are now some of his most loyal customers. Adcock said he was Everett’s customer back when he was selling used cars.
“Dwight was a really good player, and he was working some big hours,” Adcock said. “That was first when he was getting into the car business. He started with nothing by selling used cars, and all of sudden, his business boomed.
“He was truly a success story in my book.”
Everett Buick GMC is a main sponsor for the annual Wally Hall Tournament of Champions, which is held at different ballparks all over Saline County.
“I played in the first Wally Hall tournament,” Adcock said. “[The game of softball] has really changed.
“Basically, when we played, there was one organization, and that was ASA (the Amateur Softball Association), but now you have USSSA (the United States Specialty Sports Association). Back then, you had regional tournaments and national tournaments.
“It has really grown. They have split it up, and it is not like it used to be.”
Everett now spends most of his time watching his grandchildren play sports.
“It takes up a lot of my time, but it is very enjoyable,” he said.
Staff writer Sam Pierce can be reached at (501) 244-4314 or spierce@arkansasonline.com.