SASKATOON - Whether you met him once or you knew him for a long time, Cal Galambos made an impression.
The Saskatoon softball community lost this long-time coach and volunteer on March 30 and it was made known quickly, that he left some incredibly big shoes to try to fill.
Galambos served many roles in the Saskatoon Amateur Softball Association. In fact, for these roles, he was awarded the Darren Lipinski Award for outstanding contribution to softball in Saskatoon, in 2019.
At one point, Galambos had the privilege of coaching all three of his daughters at various levels and age groups. That coaching experience and his willingness to give back to the game he loved resulted in many more years serving as a ladies’ softball coach.
Having coached for more than 35 years, Galambos’s contributions to softball spanned a variety of roles.
The coach of the Saskatoon Solar Eclipse also planned events like the Pacific Heights Community Association Tournament, the Eclipse Tournament and more recently the Ida Nerbas ladies’ fastball memorial tournament held in Saskatoon each June.
SAS President, Brian Kosteroski outlined for SaskToday.ca some of the many roles fulfilled by Cal.
“Cal Galambos held a position in the Saskatoon Amateur Softball Association for the past 10 years and attended every meeting that was called over that decade of service. He was an avid volunteer over the years, putting his name in for most events held in Saskatoon for multiple years.”
Thirteen Softball Canadian Championships hosted in Saskatoon benefitted from Galambos' personality, experience and volunteerism, as he served as beverage gardens manager for that time period, as well as vehicle rental bookings for three of these events.
There wasn’t rarely a job that Galambos turned down, from fixing a door to getting things ordered at the Gordie Howe Park when called upon.
Galambos served as the Saskatoon Ladies Fastball League Division Coordinator for a decade, which meant overseeing requests by team reps and helping ensure the league was on track throughout the season.
Long-time fellow softball coach, Rod Shivak, from the Saskatoon Lunar Eclipse says, “The news of the passing of Cal Galambos was a shock to all who knew and respected Cal as friend, a contributor, mentor and a wonderful person. Cal will be greatly missed by people who knew him. Softball Saskatoon has lost a strong contributor to the sport.”
Shivak acknowledges that Galambos was instrumental in providing strong leadership in the development of many in the sport of softball. He was an inspiration to individuals through his coaching abilities and always worked in the best interests of all to ensure the sport grew and remained strong in the city.
“Cal played an important role as well in assisting me and our team in finding a place in the Saskatoon women’s softball league. He worked with us and ensured we had a strong presence in our league. The Saskatoon Lunar Eclipse ball team would like to say thank you Cal for what he did for us. Our condolences go out to his family and all others who he had a major impact on,” adds Shivak.
“The big thing about Cal, he treated everybody like family at the park, he is a true softball family leader,” said SAS President Kosteroski.
Coaching his daughters over the years evolved into becoming a mainstay on the diamonds as a softball coach, with a notable long-term commitment to the Saskatoon Solar Eclipse. His dedication and love of the game made him respected figure within the softball community.
