IN MEMORY

Walter Pettus

1945 - 2022

Founder of the Richmond Diamonds

See historical photos of Walter and the Richmond Diamonds below!

Carrying on Walter’s Legacy

Walter Pettus established the Richmond Diamonds Softball Association in 1991 and coached or helped within the organization until his death. He also coached at Mills Godwin High School, Patrick Henry High School, Collegiate School, the Dixie Chicks, a men's fastpitch team, and others.

Walter was inducted in 2012 into the Central Virginia Amateur Softball Association (ASA) Softball Hall of Fame. Over 120 of his current and former players were in attendance.

Most recently, Walter was inducted in 2022 into the USA Softball of Piedmont Virginia Hall of Fame.

When you search for Walter's name online, the most frequent thing that comes up isn't articles about him -- it's his name being mentioned in the biographies of countless college softball players and coaches at all levels of the game.

A Remembrance

Upon the passing of Walter Pettus on December 22, 2022, we lost a legendary fastpitch softball coach and mentor for girls and young women across the greater Richmond area. In 1987, after many years playing men’s fastpitch, Walter Pettus, along with Milton Simmons, started Sports Plus, the first girls fastpitch travel softball team in the area. In 1991, Walter established the Richmond Diamonds fastpitch softball organization which continues today.

In the beginning, these teams made road trips during the summer to Northern Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York to participate in weekend tournaments of twenty or more teams from across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. The little known team from Richmond, Virginia was immediately competitive with the more established programs from outside the area.

Walter and his coaching staff built successful teams through an eye for talent and dedication followed up with long practices and hard work. He was particularly adept at teaching the intricacies of the game. He had a tough exterior, liked to hold umpires accountable, but also had a huge heart. His style was stern with a dose of humor and the girls and families responded positively. He instilled in his players pride in striving to do their best on the playing field, in school, and in life. He was more than just a coach, and took a personal interest in each player.

Several of his teams won the right to participate in national tournaments as far away as South Dakota, Oklahoma, and California. Their strong performances improved the reputation of east coast softball among the dominant programs from the west coast. Many of Walter’s players continued to play in college, earning athletic and academic scholarships. There are more than a few young women in the area today who played for Walter and continue developing in girls a love of the game through coaching their own teams, serving as pitching and hitting instructors, and by being supportive mothers in the backyard playing catch with their daughters.

Walter loved the game of fastpitch softball and he loved to compete. In addition to coaching travel softball, he spent many years coaching at the high school level at Mills Godwin, Patrick Henry, and Collegiate. Even after losing his voice to cancer in 2005, with the help of his coaching staff and a trusty writing tablet, Walter was able to continue coaching the game he loved for many more years. As fastpitch softball has continued to gain popularity, there are many good teams and coaches in the area today, and Walter Pettus was one of the original and best. At his core, Walter was a competitor, may his legacy live on.

- Compiled by Juanita Hazlegrove with help from many members of the Richmond Diamonds family