To most university students, the University registrars are a nameless, faceless bunch that e-mail class schedules and distribute grades from time to time. How exciting could someone who devotes his or her life to collecting, archiving and maintaining students' permanent records possibly be? That's what I thought until Carol Stanley, a university registrar, told me that she was in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.
Let me repeat that.
University registrar Carol Stanley is in the Hall of Fame.
No, she did not play in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League of "A League of their Own" fame or hold a stake in a historic baseball collectable. In fact, Stanley is an innovator. After 27 years of fast-pitch amateur softball left Stanley with permanent nerve damage in her glove hand, she decided to develop a product that would protect other athletes from suffering her fate. With the help of Kim Miller, Stanley developed the Stan-Mill Mitt, the first padded batting-style glove in the country.
Stanley tried to peddle the mitt to big name athletic equipment manufacturers like Wilson Sporting Goods, but could not find any takers. Her entrepreneurial spirit then led her to start Stash Sporting Goods in 1981 and market the mitt herself to major league athletes. She quickly found devoted customers in Darren Daulton, a catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies at the time, and Gary Carter, an all-star catcher for the Montreal Expos. Today, Stanley's mitt is extremely popular among catchers and other position players alike. She counts Andres Galarraga, Ben Petrick and Todd Hundley among her clients. When Michael Jordan tried his hand at professional baseball in 1993, Stanley's company provided him with custom-made batting gloves.
Her professional relationships with major league baseball players have paid off in spades. She never has to spend a dime for great seats at any baseball game. One of her representatives was able to see the first night game at Chicago's Wrigley Field because Daulton provided him with seats.
Most importantly, however, Stanley's contacts helped her get her mitt into Cooperstown. After noticing that other manufacturers were copying the design of her mitt in 1986, Stanley believed that she had helped revolutionize baseball's protective equipment. She sought recognition from the Baseball Hall of Fame for this accomplishment and asked Carter for his help. She collected the necessary documents while he gave her case his endorsement.
"Once I discovered that there were other products coming out in the market copying it, I said hey, this product set a precendent and trend in the game," Stanley said. "Part of history was being made."
In 1988, Stanley received notice that the Stan-Mill Mitt would be part of Cooperstown's permanent collection. The curators of the Baseball Hall of Fame museum concurred that her mitt was a unique part of baseball history. Stanley believes that the Stan-Mill Mitt is the only product in the Baseball Hall of Fame invented by a woman.
With her place in baseball history firmly established, Stanley turned her attention to promoting her product among little leaguers and T-ball players. Stanley believes that her mitt will not only provide these aspiring baseball superstars with additional hand protection, but also promote proper fielding mechanics by giving them a better feel for their fielding gloves. She already has negotiated a deal with Independent Charlottesville T-Ball League to distribute the Stan-Mill Mitt as part of the standard-issue T-Ball equipment package. Stanley also is working on distributing the mitt to Cal Ripken Jr.'s youth baseball academy in Aberdeen, Md.
"The major league players I'll continue to work with, but the main emphasis is on fitting these gloves from younger kids," Stanley said.
With her successful baseball equipment career, why would Stanley work at the registrar's office? The rigors of processing students' academic data cannot possibly match the allure of talking baseball with Mike Piazza and Jeff Bagwell, right?
Stanley enjoys her job at the registrar's office, however. She said that the daily challenges of setting up and maintaining a data system for keeping university records is every bit as fun as managing her own business. Besides, she jokingly believes that she has a short attention span.
"I always need a couple of things to keep my mind occupied," Stanley said.
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