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Hernando Today

Still Going Strong

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By CHRIS BERNHARDT JR.

Hernando Today

Published: November 23, 2008

No one can call Howard Stapf a bandwagon jumper. He and his late wife, Marguerite, attended the very first game in Tampa Bay (Devil) Ray history back in 1998.

To this day he still shares a 20-game season ticket package, so he could fully appreciate the Rays' rise from the cellar to American League Champion this year.

But he certainly can't claim the Rays as his lifelong team. In the beginning, he used to root for the Boston Braves.

No, that's not a typo. Ted Turner's franchise originated in Beantown before relocating to Milwaukee in 1953 and eventually Atlanta in 1966.
Stapf has been around long enough to have rooted for the Braves in Boston, then move on to the Philadelphia Phillies and their 'Whiz Kids' of the 1950s.

At 90-years-old, this resident of The Heather community in Weeki Wachee has a passion for baseball, and athletics in general, that still burns strong.

In addition to his Rays' package, he also has University of South Florida football season tickets.

He can be found several times a week on the tennis courts at Delta Woods Park or River Run, playing a few matches with some friends.

He doesn't move around like a 90-year-old. He doesn't sound like a 90-year-old. He doesn't live the stereotypical life of a 90-year-old, for those lucky enough to live that long in the first place.

"He's good," said Spring Hill's Ed Rickly, who plays tennis and attends Rays games with Stapf. "For his age, he's exceptionally good.

"...I don't expect to be alive at his age, let alone playing tennis. We're all used to him but he is a marvel as far as I'm concerned."

A lifetime of sports

Attending sporting events or playing tennis only begins to tell the story of Stapf's athletic history.

Born Oct. 10, 1918 in Astoria, N.Y., Stapf lived in the New York City area until retiring from his career in advertising and relocating with his wife to The Heather in 1983.

He has four children, two boys and two girls, ranging from 58 to 63-years-old. He not only has seven grandchildren, but three great-grandchildren.

One son lives in Knoxville, another in Hawaii. His oldest daughter lives in California, while his youngest daughter, Claire Ganz, resides in nearby Woodland Waters.

"It was cool," Ganz said of life with her father. "We all got into sports. Growing up I remember on Saturday we all went to the Holy Cross football game. My mother would have to wait until we got home for the family dinner."

Marguerite, or Midge as she went by, passed away in December 2006. Still plenty capable of living on his own, Stapf has used sports to move on and maintain an active social life.

"I don't worry about him at all," Ganz said. "It's (playing tennis) the best thing for him. It keeps him alive. He could not have survived losing my mom (without staying active)."
Stapf started off as a baseball player at the age of 8. He dabbled in semi-pro ball on Long Island, estimating he played until his late 20s.

His uncle, a former Olympic gymnast, got the then 20-year-old into the New York Athletic Club in 1938. Not liking gymnastics, he began playing both four-wall and three-wall handball.

He would eventually achieve a national ranking in four-wall handball. In three-wall handball, he won a senior doubles division national championship in 1981.

When World War II broke out, Stapf enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard. Because of an issue with high blood pressure, he ended up on limited duty at Ellis Island.

During that three-year period, he organized, managed and played catcher for a baseball team from his station, one that traveled around playing other military clubs.

"He was the Bob Hope of baseball," Ganz said of how she describes her father's time in the service. "He got leagues together and helped those guys. He really lifted their spirits."

He also played center field for the station softball team, to the point where he said, "I was playing every day of the week."

The baseball team had three knuckleball pitchers, and the wear and tear of catching them took its toll physically.

"Every finger on my right hand was broken," Stapf said. "Everybody told me when you get old you're going to get arthritis. But I don't have arthritis."

He left the service in 1945, and his handball career took off. A natural left-hander forced to function right-handed in school, Stapf developed ambidextrous skills that have served him well on the court.

His children all became swimmers at the New York Athletic Club. While they practiced, Stapf decided to take some tennis lessons.

"At the end of two lessons, he gave me my money back," Stapf said. "He said 'you're a natural. You don't need any instruction from me. You can go out and play with these guys right now.'"

So he started playing tennis at the club and continues to this day. For about 10 years after moving to Florida he even played paddleball.

He had quadruple bypass surgery in 1998 and his pacemaker has required more battery changes than normal because of his lifestyle.

He'll need another change soon, but his doctors aren't asking him to slow down. In fact, they want him to keep going.

"That's my exercise," Stapf said. "The exercise I do is play tennis three times a week. They tell me I have the body of a 60-year-old. I feel great.

"I'm been a jock all my life and that's what I do. The doctor said you're in great shape, keep doing what you're doing."

Sports writer Chris Bernhardt Jr. can be reached at (352) 544-5288 or cbernhardt@hernandotoday.com.

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