Rockford team featured in ‘A League of Their Own’ turns 75

ROCKFORD, Ill. — The northern Illinois city whose women’s baseball team was immortalized in the film “A League of Their Own” is celebrating the team’s 75th anniversary.

The 1992 film starring Tom Hanks and Geena Davis focused on the Rockford Peaches and the launch of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during World War II.

The city of Rockford is planning a series of celebratory events starting on May 30, the anniversary of the league’s first games. Events include an exhibition game and an outdoor screening of the movie.

The Rockford Register Star reports the events coincide with a $7 million capital campaign to establish the International Women’s Baseball Center. The planned museum and training facility will be across the street from Beyer Stadium, the former playing field of the Rockford Peaches.

The film was directed by Penny Marshall. Scenes were shot in and around the Chicago area, including Wrigley Field, the South Shore Cultural Center and the Illinois Railway Museum. It also starred Madonna and Rosie O’Donnell.

The film is also remembered for the immortal words of Peaches coach Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks), who reprimands outfielder Evelyn Gardner (played by Bitty Schram) with the “reminder” that “there’s no crying in baseball!”

Associated Press; Contributing: Sun-Times staff reporter Miriam Di Nunzio