Tom McNamara '65 (Business Administration)

Tom McNamara frequently refers to himself as "a lucky guy." But anyone who has the chance to get to know him quickly learns that a combination of talent, drive, determination and a humble spirit has gotten the 64-year-old to where he is today - living a full life doing the things he loves the most - including playing baseball.

Tom McNamara in May 2007

A contractor's son from Oyster Bay, N.Y., McNamara was a star pitcher for the varsity baseball team at C.W. Post College of Long Island University from 1963-1965, helping lead the team to its Knickerbocker Conference Championship in 1965 and earning many personal honors. In 1963, the team's first winning-record season, he was C.W. Post's first winning-record pitcher, and set strikeout records for a single game and a single season.

After graduating from C.W. Post in 1965 with a bachelor's degree in business administration, he was contacted by the New York Mets to try out for its team, but had already signed up for the Air Force Officer Training Program, serving part of his military time in Vietnam. Upon his return he worked with his dad in the construction business but an injury suffered in the Air Force made it impossible to continue, so he took a job as a sales representative with The Hartford Life Insurance Co. A hard worker, he was quickly promoted through the ranks and was soon offered a manager's position in Pasadena, Calif. In 1973 he and his wife Corinne moved across the country and made a life for themselves and their three children, Marie, Tom and Michael. He eventually left Hartford and started his own business selling insurance, which he has done fruitfully for nearly three decades.

In November 1992, it had been 27 years since McNamara -- aside from playing some softball and coaching his youngest son's teams -- played baseball. But a chance meeting and talk about his baseball past with the manager of the Pasadena Redbirds, a then semi-pro team, led to him throwing batting practice for them. With an auspicious first outing and the serendipitous resignation of the regular BP pitcher, McNamara began pitching at practices for the Redbirds on a regular basis.

"I found that somehow, I still had an arm," a still-amazed McNamara said. "So I asked the coach if there was any chance for me to get in a game. He said to tell him when I thought I was ready. So I told him - 'I'm ready!'"

Playing against men one-third of his age who would eventually include his own son, McNamara embarked on a new baseball journey facing current and ex-college stars and current and ex-pros such as Jerry Reuss, who had pitched for the Dodgers.

Tom McNamara and his son Michael after a game.

Just completing his 15th season in the Southern California National Adult Baseball League, McNamara just returned from a trip to Phoenix where he played in the National Adult Baseball Association World Championship Series with a 38-and over team from San Diego. He faced former major-leaguers including former Met Kevin Mitchell.

"I think I was the oldest guy there," he laughs. He pitched 13 innings over five games, earning team MVP honors twice. After his first game, an umpire tracked him down twice - once after the game and then again in the parking lot to tell him he had just witnessed "one of the most fantastic pitching performances he had ever seen."

"It was pretty surreal," McNamara said, "I hadn't realized that I was pitching to some pretty good ex-pros in that game."

But for all the honors and extraordinary experiences that McNamara has had over the past 15 years, he says his greatest moment came when he got a chance to work out with the current C.W. Post baseball team this past March, 2007.

"Coach Pete Timmes was extraordinarily kind and supportive in permitting my 'dream come true' of pitching - even just BP - to a team I had pitched for 42, 43, and 44 years before," he said. "I told some of the kids I was 'The Ghost of Pioneers' Baseball Past'!"

He spent about an hour throwing to most of the team's non-pitcher team members, and then about 25 pitches off the portable mound to C.W. Post's starting catcher. "It was great. And for awhile I kind of forgot that I was just an old guy working out with them and not a young member of the team."

When he's not playing baseball McNamara is playing something else - his guitar. While in college he was in a band that played gigs all over Long Island. He is still in a rock and roll band and is also involved at his church where he continues to play and sing.

"I don't know how else to live my life," he said. "Life is as great now as it was when I was in college. I'm just trying to make the best of it and share it."