Business prof honored for his Little League commitment

Steven J. Moff, professor of business administration/marketing, received three official government citations honoring his devotion to the Little League Challenger Division, an adaptive baseball program for individuals with physical and intellectual challenges.

During a campus ceremony in the Davie Jane Gilmour Center, state Rep. Jamie Flick, a college alumnus, presented Moff with a Pennsylvania House of Representatives certificate of achievement that praises him for an “extraordinary record of volunteerism and his unwavering commitment to the Little League Challenger Division.”

A congressional proclamation from U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan Jr., and a citation from Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro were also given to Moff. The congressional proclamation notes that Moff “has played a central role in elevating the visibility and dignity of Challenger athletes.” The governor’s citation reads in part, “Your passion has inspired immense support for the Challenger Program and has brought your community together.”

Moff became involved with the Challenger Division in the late 1990s when he signed up his son Hunter and daughter Sydney to play. Both kids were dealing with Sanfilippo Syndrome, a rare genic disorder that leads to the deterioration of the body and mind.

During their first game, Moff remembers a young player tossing his crutches to the ground and sliding into home plate. “I was glad I had reflective sunglasses on as I had tears in my eyes watching the young athlete demonstrate his athletic prowess,” he said.

Inspired, Moff became president of the Williamsport-area Challenger Division and in 2001 was asked by Little League to find local Challenger participants to play a one-inning exhibition game held in conjunction with the opening ceremonies of the Little League Baseball World Series in South Williamsport.

He did the same the following year and became determined to make the game a bigger annual standalone event at the Series.

“For the first several years, it was quite a struggle to improve the event and make a positive experience,” he recalled. “Most people were unfamiliar with the Challenger Division. For the first few years, we did not have any Little League World Series umpires for the game. I tried to convince some to participate. Then one year, I got one or two to come down. Now they all attend.”

In the early years, Moff began the tradition of assembling gift bags for each player and their buddy (a volunteer who assists the player during the game), and coordinating – with the support of Penn College faculty and staff – an annual picnic for the two Challenger Exhibition Game teams and their family members.

“All the while, the game slowly became more important to Little League. They recognized the interest in the game,” he said.

Eventually, Little League scheduled the game for Volunteer Stadium on the morning of Championship Saturday during the World Series.

“Then we finally got on TV!” Moff said.

In 2011, WVIA Public Media began broadcasting the Challenger Exhibition Game and distributing the telecast to public broadcasting stations throughout the country. From the beginning, Moff has served as a conduit to the teams for WVIA’s announcers and production staff. He also created a fun fact sheet that each participant completes so the broadcasters can share the players’ favorite teams, athletes, food and other personal tidbits.

WVIA’s coverage of the Challenger Exhibition Game has been honored over the years with two Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards.

Moff’s faculty colleague, Stephen R. Cheskiewicz, associate professor of computer information technology, spearheaded the effort for the citations with support from Sam Ranck, who oversees the Challenger Division in his role as Little League’s senior director of strategy and development.

“Steve plays a huge role in making the Challenger Exhibition Game a memorable experience for the teams and their family members,” Ranck said. “We are so grateful for his efforts.”

Cheskiewicz, a board member of the Wyoming Valley Challenger Baseball Little League in Wilkes-Barre and parent of a Challenger player, experienced Moff’s devotion to the program firsthand last year when the Wyoming Valley team played in the Challenger Exhibition Game.

“Spending time with him last summer with our team, I saw just how much the program means to him and how much he means to the program,” Cheskiewicz said. “Watching Steven with the leadership, volunteers and players from both teams was magic. The love, care and candor he had with everyone during their busy few days in town was beyond inspirational.”

After receiving the citations, an appreciative Moff joked that he will need a bigger office wall to display the governmental honors. He also stressed that his involvement with the Challenger Exhibition Game will continue.

“I am truly blessed to be able to work with such wonderful people every year,” he said.  “I literally get goosebumps just thinking about the next game and the incredible people I’ll work with and the athletes I’ll meet and watch play. My heart and soul are truly in this event.”