Libby's Stedman thankful for a well-lived life

Hardcore fans of Libby American Legion baseball probably remember former Logger great Jim Stedman.

Stedman played guard on the Logger’s 1967 state championship football team. But his first love was baseball and that’s where he made a name for himself.

During the 1968 season, Stedman and the Loggers faced Great Falls on the road. Stedman struck out 24 and left the other three outs to Johnny Resch and Larry Dolezal.

“Johnny made two great catches in center field, one near the fence and another where he dove. Dolezal made a nice play in the infield,” Stedman recalled. “Roger Diller was the home plate umpire for that game and he may have had a somewhat generous strike zone. At least that’s what Great Falls thought,” Stedman said with a laugh.

Stedman was born in Whitefish to Vic and Alice Stedman. Vic worked for St. Regis Paper Co. in Libby from 1952 to 1978. He also served as an MP in the U.S. Army during World War II.

Stedman played in Little League, then Babe Ruth and finally, American Legion.

“In the Little League years, Dad always had time to catch me,” Stedman warmly recalled.

He also remembered the time he got beaned by teammate Mike Manahan. 

“Today (July 29), I played golf with Mike and I can say he is a much better golfer than pitcher,” Stedman said with a laugh.

Stedman, at the behest of former Logger Ken Warrington, recently returned to Libby to renew some old acquaintances and play a few rounds of golf.

“We reconnected through Larry Dolezal,” Stedman said. “Ken is a good witness to me and a good friend. He’s been pushing for me to come to Libby and spend some time and I finally did. It’s really been great seeing some old friends I haven’t seen in a long time.”

The 24-strikeout game helped Stedman gain fame he could not have imagined.

At that time, Paul Robinson was the assistant manager and sportscaster for radio station KLCB and he shared Stedman’s exploits with Sports Illustrated. It led to Stedman receiving the publication’s Award of Merit as well as an entry in the magazine’s fabled ‘Faces in the Crowd’ section.

Stedman appeared in the Aug. 26, 1968, issue that featured tennis great Rod Laver on the cover. 

“Paul was really instrumental in getting me exposure in Sports Illustrated,” Stedman said.

Stedman’s entry in SI read, “Jim Stedman, star for the Libby (Mont.) American Legion baseball team, struck out 184 (including 32 in a doubleheader) in 95 innings for a 1.23 ERA and a 10-6 won-lost record. Jim, currently batting .340, also is leading his team with 10 home runs.”

Stedman got a scholarship to play baseball at Mesa Community College in Arizona. After one more season in Legion ball in Libby, Stedman was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the second round of the 1969 Major League Baseball draft in January.

The Giants drafted Stedman to be a position player, but he thought his best chance was as a pitcher. He didn’t sign but when the Cardinals came calling, he did go with the Cardinals.

After pitching in Lewiston, Idaho and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Stedman was drafted into the U.S. Army. Two years later, he returned to the Cardinals in 1972 and again pitched for Cedar Rapids. His favorite memory from that season was hitting a home run to win a game he pitched in.

In 1973, he pitched for St. Petersburg and enjoyed his best season with a 7-5 mark and 3.16 ERA.

But Stedman, who was married, said he was getting antsy and was thinking more about what he wanted to do for a living.

“I decided to go to school at the North Dakota State College of Science and that led to work in architectural sheet metal in Oregon,” he said. 

After working for others, Jim and his son Kelly, launched their own company, Stedman Sheet Metal in 2000.

“I’m proud to say, Kelly is the president of the company and still running it,” Stedman said. “I didn’t fully retire until three years ago, but it’s been great to come home, see old classmates and play some golf. It’s been a real treat for me.”

Today, Stedman and his wife, Yesenia, split time between Oregon and Surprise, Arizona. He still loves healthy competition, too.

“I played in softball leagues until I was 50 and then I started playing golf about four years ago. I’m playing about 260 rounds of golf a year and it’s something I really enjoy.”

But he is most thankful for accepting Jesus Christ as his savior.

“Ken has been a good witness to me and I was baptized in 2024,” Stedman said. “I feel really fortunate for that, as well as being able to operate a good business and thankful for the life I’ve had.”