It has been said to “never meet your heroes.” Those who met Ohio Valley legend and Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Famer Bill Mazeroski during his 89 years on this earth will tell you that isn’t true.

Wheeling born and Tiltonsville raised, Mazeroski reached the supreme heights of his sport, his walk-off home run in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series forever etching him into baseball lore. Yet he never abandoned his local roots. He anchored himself with them, returning to the valley countless times for fundraisers, charity events and personal visits. If you had something for him to sign, he was ready with the pen, no questions asked.

“Talking to him, you would’ve never known that Bill Mazeroski was a Hall of Fame player,” Bridgeport School District Board Member Don Cash said. “He was just a Hall of Fame individual, he was the salt of the earth, he made you feel comfortable.”

Maybe it was because he grew up the way many did in the Ohio Valley, working hard every day just to get to the next one. His childhood nickname “Catfish” came from how often he was found casting a line for catfish in local waters so his family would have food on the table for dinner. That was “Maz,” a nose-to-the-grindstone guy whose hard work catapulted him to heights few could imagine, but kept him grounded enough to never stray from the principles he learned in the Ohio Valley.

“Beyond the fact that everybody knew who he was, if you didn’t know who he was, you would’ve thought he’s just another guy,” Cash said. “And that’s probably his best attribute.”

Mazeroski never forgot the lessons he learned while growing up in our area.

The region shaped his life, and he, in turn, helped to shape the lives of a countless number of young people who were inspired by his life on and off the field.

“He exemplified the Valley. He played on those fields in Wheeling, on Rush Run, in Tiltonsville, in Dillonville and in Yorkville. The same fields we played on. And he made it to the big leagues,” said Steubenville’s Rich Donnelly, who had a long career in professional baseball. “He was an All-Star. So, it gave hope to anybody, any kid in this valley who had dreams to maybe someday be a big league player or a college player or whatever. He didn’t come from California. He didn’t come from Texas. He didn’t come from Florida. He didn’t play for a great college team at all. Nothing like that. He was just one of us — a sandlot player who played on the same fields that we did in the Ohio Valley.

“He influenced a generation of kids to get to their goal of either being a high school player, a college player or a pro player. And everybody back then, they wanted to be like Maz. He influenced a whole generation of kids who played baseball in the Valley.”

Rest in peace, “Maz.” You made the Ohio Valley proud.