By Matt Gade

605 Sports 

RAPID CITY — For years, Dave Ploof had a vision for Legion baseball in Rapid City.

As the head coach for the Hardhats from 1965-2011, Ploof wanted to not only play the best teams in the state but also see some of the best in the country.

That’s where the idea of a baseball tournament in Rapid City came about.

And in 1975, that dream came to fruition with the inaugural Firecracker Tournament in Rapid City.

“Dave was one of those guys. He was stubborn and when he put his mind to something, he was going to get it done,” said the late Dave Ploof’s wife, Patty.

“Stubborn is an understatement,” Post 22 head coach and former Ploof player Kelvin Torve said.

Torve was a freshman in high school and a member of the Post 22 Bullets team in 1975, which also played in the first Firecracker tournament along with the Hardhats.

Post 22 head coach Kelvin Torve, left, and assistant coach Nic Ewing have a laugh in between innings during the Firecracker Tournament championship game against Missoula (Mont.) on Sunday at Fitzgerald Stadium in Rapid City during the Firecracker Tournament. (Matt Gade/605 Sports)

“Where has the time gone?!,” Torve said about that first game. “It just shows you (Ploof’s) vision. He had a vision, and he fulfilled it.

“I can't say it's self-sustaining, because this requires a lot of work from a lot of people, but everybody has caught the vision. From the people working in the stands, the parents, volunteers, coaches and players, everybody's caught the vision. And we're just going to keep it going.”

Dave Ploof, who passed away in 2017, was inducted into the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame in 2006. Ploof compiled a 2,483-808 record, won 34 state titles and advanced to the Legion World Series eight times. In 1993, Post 22 went 70-5 and won the national title. From 1970 to 1987, Post 22 won 18 state titles in a row.

Over the course of the five-day tournament, the Hardhats finished with a 5-1 record, capped off with a 6-0 win over the Missoula (Mont.) Mavericks for the tournament championship.

The 50th Firecracker Tournament featured not only the Hardhats but also the Post 22 18u team along with the Mavericks from Montana, seven other out-of-state teams, including three from Nebraska, three from Colorado and one from Ohio.

“It's awesome to have all these teams come in and quality teams to play,” said Patty Ploof. “It's great for our kids. It's wonderful for the fans. You know, it's just a great community event. And people really look forward to it for the fireworks.”

Patty Ploof, the wife of the late Dave Ploof, waits to throw the opening pitch ahead of the Hardhats game against Pueblo (Colo.) Azteca on Saturday night at Fitzgerald Stadium in Rapid City during the Firecracker Tournament. (Matt Gade/605 Sports)

Throughout those 50 years, the tournament has featured some big names in baseball, including those who went on to play in the Majors, including Torve, but also Post 22’s own Mark Ellis and Dave Collins, along with Mark McGwire, of the Claremont (Cali.) Cardinals.

“I know one of the reasons, when Ploof would tell me why he started (the tournament), he wanted to get some teams from the region, try to see what the region looked like, so in order to get to the World Series, you got to win your region,” said Post 22 general manager Wayne Sullivan. “So, he would bring in all the top teams that he could. And as you've seen over the years, we have, we've been bringing in top teams that have made the World Series over the years.”

Patty Ploof said the round robin tournament play was something Dave did to mimic the post-season tournaments as much as possible.

For Post 22 senior infielder Aiden Roberts, he said growing up in Rapid City, he knew that the Firecracker Tournament wasn’t just any regular tournament.

“I've always come and watched this tournament,” Roberts said. “So as a little kid, going to get foul balls, watching the game, just hoping to be able to play in this tournament for all these people. It's just such an honor to come back and be able to win it two times in my career.”

Post 22's Aiden Roberts fires a throw over to first for an out in the sixth inning against Missoula (Mont.) during the championship game Sunday at Fitzgerald Stadium in Rapid City during the Firecracker Tournament. (Matt Gade/605 Sports)

Sullivan, who played for the Hardhats in 1985-’87 and was a coach in 1996 and 1997, said the tournament wouldn’t still be going strong if not for the dedication from the board, parents and volunteers to keep it going.

And to get to watch the tournament celebrate its 50th anniversary was a little extra special for Sullivan.

“It's been a great tournament,” Sullivan said of the Firecracker. “As always, our parents work really, really hard. I've got to give props to our tournament directors, to the whole Post 22 organization. Anytime you can run a tournament for 50 years and have a crowd that shows up every night, it's just that we're excited to do this for Rapid City. 

“I never in my wildest dreams, when I was playing here, thought that I would be able to help continue that success of this tournament, and it is just a big thing for Rapid City, for South Dakota, to bring in teams from all over the country, to be able to play competitive baseball.”

Sullivan said they have a waiting list of teams wanting to compete in the Firecracker.

In honor of the 50th, the Hardhats featured all-white uniforms and helmets during their two games on Saturday to match the uniforms the Hardhats wore in 1975.

“That was a pretty awesome opportunity to be able to wear the white hard hats, just like they did back then,” Roberts said. “And even better to come out and win (the tournament). It's such an honor to be able to do that with the Hardhats and on the 50th.”

Patty said she enjoyed all the action from the tournament and, despite being nervous, she was excited when she got to throw out the first pitch before the Hardhats game against Pueblo (Colo.) on Saturday night.

She also said she’s proud to see the Post 22 organization continue Dave’s vision for the Firecracker Tournament.

Torve said that stems from what Dave instilled in his players, and the organization continues to do.

“When you have a healthy organization, you promote from within,” Torve said. “I played here, all our coaches played here, Wayne Sullivan played here. It just shows that when you wear a hard hat, you’re a Hardhat for life.”

The members of the Hardhats team recreate a team photo in the all-white uniforms like the 1975 team did during the first Firecracker Tournament did 50 years ago. (Matt Gade/605 Sports)