Vic Solari II

Community Contributor-Youth Sport Organizer-Public Address Announcer

Athlete: Baseball

Vic Solari’s love of sports, and particularly baseball, began at the age of 5 when he was
the batboy for the local Solari’s Inn baseball club owned by his parents, Vic & Mary
Solari. He spent all the time he could around the ballpark located right across the
highway from Solari’s Inn, watching all of the baseball teams from the area play games
throughout the summer.

During his years at Linden High, Vic competed in a number of sports including track for
4 years, basketball for 4 years, 6-man football for 3 years and 11-man football for 1 year.
Linden High only had a baseball team during Vic’s freshman year and even then the team
had to wear the Solari’s Inn uniforms.

Although Linden High dropped baseball, Vic continued to play baseball on the Solari’s
Inn team. Vic soon established himself as one of the top players in the area. In 1947, Vic
was due to attend St. Mary’s College but instead decided to attend a baseball tryout camp
at Seal’s Stadium in San Francisco. Impressed with his tryout, the San Francisco Seals
signed him to a professional contract and he was sent to the Salt Lake City Bees of the
Pioneer League.

Over the next 5 years, Vic would play for teams in Sweet Water, Texas, Redding,
California, Pine Bluff, Arkansas, Wenatchee, Washington and in Stockton for the
Stockton Ports. Vic’s best season was in 1948 while playing for the Redding Browns, a
minor league team of the St. Louis Browns. He made the all-star team that season,
batting .303 with 20 doubles, 15 triples and 82 runs batted in.

Two months into the 1951 season, Vic suffered an injury that abruptly ended his
professional baseball career. Returning and settling in Linden, he began his life long
involvement with youth sports in the Linden community by coaching the Bellota
Grammar School basketball team. The following year, Vic was named as Chairman of
the Linden Recreation Commission and served in that capacity for the next 25 years.
During that time, he organized the youth baseball league, the Babe Ruth baseball league,
and the youth basketball league. He also found time to coach one of the Babe Ruth teams
and one year coached the St. Mary’s High J. V. Baseball team to a 10-1 record and its
league championship.

Vic also lent his organizational skills to other community athletic endeavors. As a
member of the Linden Athletic Boosters Club, he sat on the tournament committee that
started the Boys Holiday Invitational Basketball Tournament. As a member of the
Linden Lions Club, he was on the original organizing committee for the Lions Central
California All Star football game held at U.O.P. Both those events continue to this day.
Starting in 1965, Vic also became the “voice” of Lion Stadium when he began as the
public address announcer during the football games that fall. Vic developed an

announcing style that was clear, precise and professional. Over the next 13 years, that
style came to be admired by both Linden and visiting fans alike. In 1967, he also became
the public address announcer at Lion Gym for basketball games, again handling the
announcing duties flawlessly.

Vic has always been proud of the Linden community and its athletic endeavors. The
Linden Athletic Hall of Fame is proud and honored to induct Vic Solari II into its
Athletic Hall of Fame.