1975 Little League World Series
The 1975 Little League World Series took place between August 20 and August 23 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The Lakewood Little League of Lakewood, New Jersey, defeated the Belmont Heights Little League of Tampa, Florida, in the championship game of the 29th Little League World Series.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | August 20–August 23 |
| Teams | 4 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Lakewood Little League Lakewood, New Jersey |
| Runners-up | Belmont Heights Little League Tampa, Florida |
← 1974 1976 → | |
This was the only LLWS in which Little League Baseball banned all non-US teams from the tournament, due to allegations of teams from Taiwan using out-of-district players.[1] After an uproar of criticism and an investigation that could produce no evidence of rules violations,[2] the ban was rescinded for the 1976 event.[3] Only three games were played in the tournament, consisting of two semi-final games and the championship game. The third-place game was forfeited. This was the last tournament not to feature international teams until 2021, which came about during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.
Teams
| Davenport, Iowa Central Region American Little League |
| Lakewood, New Jersey East Region Lakewood Little League |
| Tampa, Florida South Region Belmont Heights Little League |
| Northridge, California West Region American Little League |
Bracket
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| August 20 | ||||||
| New Jersey | 2 | |||||
| August 23 | ||||||
| California | 0 | |||||
| New Jersey | 4 | |||||
| August 21 | ||||||
| Florida | 3 | |||||
| Florida | 8 | |||||
| Iowa | 5 | |||||
| Third place | ||||||
| August 22 Forfeit | ||||||
| California | 0 | |||||
| Iowa | 6 | |||||
| 1975 Little League World Series Champions |
|---|
| Lakewood Little League Lakewood, New Jersey |
Champions path
The Lakewood LL went undefeated, winning all four games to reach the LLWS.[4][5] In total, their record was 6–0.
| Round | Opposition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| New Jersey State Tournament | ||
| Semifinal | Bergenfield American LL | 8–7 (8 inn.) |
| Championship | Nottingham LL | 5–2 |
| East Regional | ||
| Semifinals | North Burlington LL | 5–4 |
| East Region Championship | Carbino Club LL | 4–2 |
Notable players
- Vance Lovelace (Tampa, Florida) - Played in the MLB for the California Angels and Seattle Mariners from 1988-90.
- Albert Everett (Tampa, Florida) - Drafted in the 21st Round of the 1981 MLB Draft by the Minnesota Twins. Brother of Carl Everett.
References
- ^ "Other Little League World Series scandals". Chicago Tribune. February 11, 2015.
- ^ Holmes, Baxter (August 16, 2011). "With adults involved, youth baseball can be more than child's play". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ See: Little League World Series (Far East Region) § 1975 Ban.
- ^ "New Jersey State Tournament Results". Unpage.com. from the original on 30 November 2010. Retrieved October 17, 2010.
- ^ "East Region Tournament". Unpage.com. Retrieved October 17, 2010.
Further reading
- Reizer, John (2019). Once in a Lifetime: The Story of a National Championship Little League Team. ASIN B07QPH28B9.
The story of the 1975 Little League World's Championship is told by one of its participants, young John Reizer.