The Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame is proud to announce the selection of Norm Loehr of Regina into the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame on Aug. 20, 2016 in Battleford.
Loehr is the son of Edward Loehr, who was a long time coach in Humboldt, Muenster and St. Gregor. Edward was also a designated representative to the formation of the Saskatchewan Baseball Association, which was previously known as the Saskatchewan Minor Baseball Association.
Loehr played minor baseball from 1948 through 1957, in Muenster and St. Gregor. He then played senior baseball from 1958 to 1960 in Delisle, Saskatoon, Winnipeg and Regina. He retired from playing the game in 1960 due to a muscle tear in his arm.
He then coached in the Columbus Baseball League in Regina from 1966 through 1979 and the Optimist Baseball League in Regina from 1980 to 1998. He started coaching in the Regina Junior League in 1999 and continues in that role to this day. He was also an assistant coach for O’Neill High School in Regina from 1999 to 2003.
Some highlights of his coaching career include coaching the first SBA Bantam team to participate in the Canadian Championships in 1975; coaching the Optimist Midget League Champions in 1979, 1981, 1984, 1993 and 1994 and the Optimist Junior League Champions in 2004, 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2015. He also coached at the Western Canadian Junior playoffs in 2004 and 2010, and at the Canadian National Junior Championships in 2014 and 2015.
Loehr has held numerous and varied Executive positions in the Columbia Boys League, Regina Minor Baseball Association, Regina Optimist Baseball Association, Regina Midget Baseball Council, Saskatchewan Prairie Midget Baseball League, Regina High School Baseball League and the Saskatchewan Baseball Association.
He was the recipient of the Saskatchewan Baseball Association Special Award of Merit in 2011 and the Qu’Appelle Valley League Builder Award in 2015. In 2011, the Regina High School Baseball League Championship Trophy was named the “Norm Loehr Trophy.”
Since retiring 18 years ago from the provincial government, Loehr has dedicated his summers to the maintenance and upkeep of Regina Optimist Baseball Park. It is his dedication that has made this park into the entity it is today. The park is considered to be the gem of baseball parks in Southern Saskatchewan. In addition to this responsibility Loehr continues to coach minor baseball every summer. He possesses a love of baseball and has made it the focus of his life.
Loehr and his wife June have three children, all of whom contribute to baseball through official score keeping and coaching at various levels. They continue to live in Regina.
