MANSFIELD — As far as Cleve Gordon is concerned, the Soul Brothers softball tournament is back where it belongs.
The tournament, a longtime fixture in Mansfield, will return to the recently-renovated Cyclops Circle from July 24 to 26.
“I think the last time the tournament was held was 2005,” said Gordon, the event organizer. “They had it at Hamilton Park because they couldn’t have it at Cyclops.”
The event has a long and storied history in Mansfield. It began in 1970 and in its halcyon days drew more than 150 teams to north central Ohio.
“The very first Soul Brothers was down at Tappan Field, off of Orange Street,” Gordon said. “The second Soul Brothers was played at John Todd Park, then it moved to Cyclops.
“We had so many teams from 1975 to 1977 that they had to use Wayside, Hamilton, John Todd Park and Cyclops. I think we had 160 teams and that was the men’s teams. Then there were more than 40 women’s teams.”
The tournament’s decline coincided with the slow demise of Cyclops Circle, the four-field complex just north of town. Once the hub of slowpitch softball in north central Ohio, Cyclops fell into disrepair by the mid-2000s. There were fewer local teams and they increasingly played in leagues in surrounding cities.
“Back then, softball was big entertainment. Fathers were playing and they started their sons at a young age,” Gordon said. “Softball used to be one of the biggest attractions in Mansfield. There was the Soul Brothers and the Prince of Pasta and the Bud Bash and the World Series.”
In an attempt to reconnect with the tournament’s proud heritage, Gordon intends to recognize the event’s founders during this year’s Soul Brothers.
“We want to honor the people who started the Soul Brothers,” Gordon said. “We hope to be able to get individual plaques and hand them out to the families of the people who started the tournament.”
Gordon hopes to draw 15 teams this year. The cost is $250 per team.
“The tournament is open to any level team,” Gordon said. “We are allowing teams to hit eight home runs. We’ll have a home run derby and we’ll hand out trophies to the home run leader and the MVP.”
The tournament would not be possible without the community-wide effort to bring Cyclops Circle back to life. The push was led by a group that included 2002 Mansfield Senior graduate Jeff Montgomery.
“Jeff has done a great job and he’s gotten a lot of help,” Gordon said. “It’s great for the community that softball has returned to Cyclops Circle.”
