Willem Hurkmans

• Born November 1940
• Died October 20, 2017

Biographical Information

Willem Hurkmans was a catcher for Terrasvogels when they won the Eerste Klasse in 1969, getting them promoted to the Hoofdklasse in 1970. He played for the team in 1970, its lone season in the top league. He also played soccer for Terrasvogels and was a baseball umpire and soccer linesman. He was a groundskeeper for decades, including working the Haarlem Baseball Week from 1988 until his death, wearing orange wooden shoes on the field. He also was on the groundscrew for the 1995 European Championship, 2003 European Championship, 2005 Baseball World Cup and 2009 Baseball World Cup as well as the 2014 World Softball Championship.

Source: Obituary by Marco Stoovelaar