The Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame will induct Edwin Rolheiser of Rosetown into the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame as a builder Saturday, Aug. 16.
Rolheiser was born in Macklin and grew up on a farm near Cactus Lake. The oldest of 16 children, Edwin was born to lead.
He had the earned respect of every player, umpire and opposing coach he played with or against through doing things the right way and, in turn, respecting them.
Rolheiser and his wife Anne had five girls and six boys, enough for a baseball team plus two umpires. This was where he started coaching. He played a large role in his children's lives, making every moment with them count. Whether it was after piano lessons or baseball practice, he would make a special trip to get a Slurpee or ice cream with one of his children.
Rolheiser started coaching officially in 1972, coaching all groups from beaver to senior. Through almost 30 years, he coached his six sons and more than a few hundred other boys in the community. He was instrumental in keeping baseball alive in the town when others were moving to fastball or going to the lake for the summer. Rolheiser prepared the baseball diamond or filled the big blue van with gas to take both players and adults to another town in Saskatchewan. No one had to pay for gas. This famous big blue van became a fixture in central Saskatchewan, going to almost every game a Rosetown baseball team played. Besides coaching, he would drive miles to make sure his sons were available to play on other teams as Dale, Darrel or James were often picked up by other teams. Rolheiser never missed a ball game, always driving and always supportive.
In 1985, Rolheiser was the man in charge of the Saskatchewan Bison Baseball Championships, hosted by Rosetown. The hometown team lost a hard fought final against the Regina Red Sox.
In the late 1980s, Rolheiser returned from California from his first Major League Baseball game with many life long memories and the Angels' name. He got the town organized with players, umpires and uniforms, but the Rosetown Angels struggled for many years. His persistence, patience and efforts proved fruitful in the end.
In the mid 1990s, the team was young, brash, talented and extremely well coached. Rolheiser, still paying for every trip they went on, kept the dream alive.
The Angels won the Coteau Hills League championship in 1996. The team also won almost all the tournaments entered, now able to pay for a few of the expenses. Rosetown went 24-4 in 1996, capping the year with a provincial championship. This was the first and only provincial senior title in Rosetown history, thanks to the "Coach" Edwin Rolheiser.
The following five years saw the Angels dominating the Coteau Hills League, winning four league championships and many tournaments. Everyone who ever played for Edwin loved playing for him.
Edwin Rolheiser was a mentor, leader, fundraiser, supporter, fan and father. But to most people in Rosetown, he was "Coach." Because of his efforts, persistence, determination and passion, the team name lives on. A tribute to a builder the baseball town of Rosetown had never seen before or since.
The Rolheisers continue to reside in Rosetown.
