Hungerfords Celebrate Three Generations with WHYBL

A solitary figure stands adjacent to the third-base dugout at Wolcott Park, the ballpark he helped consecrate.

Ken Hungerford, the patriarch of youth baseball in West Hartford looking nimble and fit at 81, cheers on his 11-year-old grandson Drew, the clean-up batter for the ultra-successful West Hartford Youth Baseball League U11 Travel Team.

The Storm, as they are known, managed by Ken’s son Jim, are vying for the championship in the 17^th annual Ken Hungerford Tournament. Needless to say, it is all together fitting and proper that Ken reaps the unbridled joy that has blossomed from the seeds he sowed and nurtured over three generations.

Drew, like Jim did a generation ago, plays his spring-season ball for the Knights of Columbus team, which has had a Hungerford at the helm for a half-century. Drew like most youngsters doesn’t talk much about historical perspectives, but he’s often heard tell of his grandpa’s devotion for the city, the league and the game of baseball.

“People say that a lot,” Drew said.

A man’s name tends to make the rounds when he displays the dedication to sports and youth like Ken Hungerford.

In 2000, he was honored at the prestigious Gold Key Dinner by the Connecticut Sports Writers’ Alliance as a John Wentworth Good Sport, presented to people around the state who have shown a selfless devotion to community athletics.

He is a past commander (2002-03) and former baseball coach for Hayes-Velhage American Legion Post 96 and was presented the Mayor’s Award by the West Hartford Kiwanis Club in 2009.

“He’s the godfather of baseball in West Hartford, and it’s just an honor and a privilege to follow in his footsteps,” said Hungerford’s son Jim. “It’s hard to put into words what he’s done for this youth league, for me, for his grandson. It’s a special relationship and it’s really special for me that he can come out here and watch his grandson compete.”

The WHYBL, established in 1949, began as a member of Little League, which was founded in 1939 and began to proliferate as the guiding light of youth baseball. The relationship was severed in 1954.

“They came along and wanted us to break down into three different leagues,” Ken Hungerford said. “The town had control and said there was no way we were doing that.”

The West Hartford Little League didn’t come along until 2003.

“That’s another story,” the elder Hungerford said guardedly. “I won’t go into it. It was rough.”

The absence of a Little League affiliation did not deter or hinder Hungerford and the WHYBL. Its majors division has grown from eight to 20 teams. A minor league system and a training program for the youngest players have evolved.

“What I see is a lot of improvement in the league itself,” Ken said as he looked out over Hedges Field at Wolcott Park. “We didn’t have this kind of a fence or even lights when I first started (1949). We played on fields not nearly as good as this one. A work in progress.”

Ken Hungerford played baseball at the Northfield-Mount Hermon in Massachusetts, but returned to West Hartford to play baseball and soccer at Hall.

His WHYBL indoctrination came when his brother-in-law inherited the K of C coaching position and needed help.

“He took over a team — they had tossed a coach who violated the rules — but he wasn’t a great baseball man,” Ken Hungerford said. “I lived in Simsbury at the time when he called me for help. That’s how I got connected. Jim wasn’t even born yet.”

He guided Jim’s career but unlike the large majority of coaching fathers, he opted to stay active when Jim graduated to the big diamond.

Jim benefited greatly from Ken’s coaching acumen. He played at Conard and continued his career at North Carolina Wesleyan. He wound up transferring to Fairleigh Dickinson, where he enjoyed a successful career.

“I played baseball all the way through college and the greatest coach I’ve had is standing right over there,” said Jim, nodding toward his dad.

“I played at Conard and played at college but nobody taught the fundamentals like that guy. What he taught me is what I’m teaching [Drew and his Storm teammates] right now, from a life standpoint of treating somebody else the way you want to be treated, and also from a baseball standpoint.”

Jim developed his love for the game as a K of C batboy. In basketball, they’d call him a gym rat. The legacy has been passed along to Drew.

“Jim was a good ballplayer in the mental aspects of the game,” Ken said. “Drew is physically bigger and stronger at this age. Jim was a very good fielder and had a strong arm but Drew is definitely a better hitter. Jim hit a couple home runs but Drew has hit a ton of them. Drew’s a good pitcher, which Jim never did.”

With Ken’s coaching days behind him, he’s enjoying the game more than ever from his station next to the dugout. He finds that he has fewer critics watching Drew than he did when he coached Jim.

“It’s more rewarding because it’s less pressure on the grandfather,” Ken said. “Being a father and having a son out there, then you’ve got your wife behind you.

“When Jim was 10, he only played two innings because I had a very talented team. My wife gave me the business at home — why aren’t you playing him more? He played his six innings when he became 11 and 12. I don’t have that pressure anymore. I can just come and watch Drew play.”