Randy (Double Nickel) O’Neill
Sport: Softball
Year Inducted: 2008
Randy “Double Nickel” O’Neill is arguably one of the best fastball players out of Cornwall period.
His biography could end with that line but for those very few that don’t know, Randy O’Neill started his men’s fastball career as a teenager and quickly became, not only a threat at the plate but one of the top pitchers ever from the area.
He started throwing for teams in men’s leagues at the age of 15. In 1981, Randy was recognized as the league MVP, Top Pitcher, and Best Player under 20 in the same season. The only award he didn’t win was Coach of the Year.
His career is dotted with Championships that started in the old John Denneny Fastball League, Industrial and the Cornwall Sportsmen League, and continued through today’s reincarnation known as the Cornwall and District Men’s Fastball League.
Randy dominated on both sides of the plate for legendary teams such as Fifth Wheel, and Hunt Insurance winning league MVP honors in 1983 and 1984. In a competitive league, Randy was the only unanimous choice to the league’s All-Star team.
In 1987, Randy pitched for a semi-pro team from Baltimore that won their league Championship. Randy was courted to join the Ottawa Turpin Pontiacs in the Metro Major Senior League – one of the top teams in Canada. That kick started a lengthy run with the club capped by a World Championship run. Randy was a key figure as the 1988 Turpin Pontiacs were crowned ISC Eastern Canadian Champions, and took part in the World Championships in Decatur, Illinois. In 1990, Randy was a top force for Sarnia in the All Canadian Championships, and returned to that tournament two years later as a member of the Pont Rouge Quebec team.
With local fastball going on hiatus for the better part of the decade before being reborn as the Cornwall and District Men’s League five years ago, Randy decided to retire.
He returned four seasons ago as a sponsor and player for O’Neill Taping & Painting. He led his underdog squad to a league title in 2006, and won his third Lion’s Club Sports Award for Fastball.
At 44 years old, he’s still one of the toughest outs in the league, and can still throw with the best the city has to offer.