Building The Future Together

In 2000, after 38 years of service, Bob Ahal retired from Hunzinger and moved to Arizona with his wife Monika. The Ahal family have a long connection to Hunzinger as Bob’s father, Frank, worked as a cement finisher foreman for 34 years.

Bob has great childhood memories of his dad bringing him to jobsites and visiting projects like County Stadium and the Milwaukee Arena while they were being built. Bob’s love of sports dates back to his earliest years but any hope of participating seemed almost impossible because when he was 11, Bob was stricken with polio and his legs were paralyzed. Bob not only conquered polio and walked again, but he played softball for the next six decades. Bob’s determination and spirit are reflected in his accomplishments as he retired a Vice President with commendations from the Governor of Wisconsin and the Mayor of Milwaukee.

This fall, Bob was inducted into the Senior Softball Hall of Fame and recognized as a Pioneer Player! He started his senior softball career 27 years ago, playing the first Senior Softball World Series in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1989.

The stats over the years are amazing. The teams Bob has played on have won about 100 tournaments. The teams Bob has played AND managed have won 40 of those tournaments. Bob has played Senior Tournaments in 22 states in over 60 cities.

Among the tournament victories were five World Championships including back-to-back wins in 2009 and 2010, a National Championship, a Gold and a Triple Grand Slam. Bob has won 13 Championship rings.

While Bob appreciates the awards and accolades, looking back on his years of softball, the thing he cherishes most are the friendships he has made. At the induction ceremony, Bob thanked Monika, his #1 fan for 27 years of playing in the senior leagues, and said it was time to sit back and “smell the roses.”

Terry Hennessy, Chief Executive Officer of the Senior Softball Hall of Fame, said of Bob, “His sportsmanship and dedication to the sport has been exemplary and he has been a great example of some of the very best aspects of senior ball. Bob has been a driving force in Arizona and is truly an ambassador of the game, a great manager/teammate and an ‘Old School’ stand up man.”

Click HERE to read more about the National Senior Softball Hall of Fame.