Craig Crawford Inducted into Waterloo Region Hall of Fame
by Ken Seiling - Waterloo Region Museum
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Craig Crawford
Craig Crawford Born in Scarborough and growing up in Markham, Craig Crawford moved to Waterloo in 1990 to attend Wilfrid Laurier University. A multisport athlete, Craig also played hockey and volleyball in his youth before embarking on a career in fastpitch softball.
Internationally, Craig is the most decorated men’s fastpitch player in Waterloo Region’s history, and is considered one of the best catchers and hitters of his era. His junior career included Ontario championships in 1990 and 1991, and an Alberta championship in 1992. In 1991 and 1992, Craig received the All-Star Catcher Award in consecutive National Championships.
In 1993, while still of junior age, Craig was recruited by the Waterloo Twins and started his career in the major level of men’s fastpitch. He was selected for the Canadian Men’s National Softball Team in 1996 and remained an integral part of the team for 13 years.
Craig won two gold medals at the Pan American Games in 1999 and 2003. He also won three medals at the International Softball Federation (ISF) World Championships; silver (1996, 2004) and bronze (2009). In club team competition, Craig has won four International Softball Congress (ISC) and six Canadian National championships.
Retiring as a player from the National team in 2009, Craig has become a mentor for numerous youth by running skills clinics for various local teams.
Photo courtesy of ISC Fastball/Mark Burnham and Rick Kowalczykowski
