Montgomery resident was top softball outfielder
By: Bob Nuse
Paul McKenna knew the induction ceremony that placed him in the Mercer County Softball Hall of Fame would be special. He just never realized how special it would be.
"It was a real good night," said McKenna, a Montgomery resident who was one of 10 to be added to the Hall of Fame on Sunday. "They do a great job with the whole thing. There were 10 people inducted. It was a real nice event. There were 350 people there and it was so well done. There were a lot of old time guys there."
Even at the young age of 45, McKenna is considered an old time guy in softball circles. He started playing in 1974 and his career has seen him play on numerous state championship teams, as well as teams among the best in the nation.
"I didn’t think I would get in at my age," McKenna said. "You are supposed to be either retired or over 55 to get in, so I was surprised when they told me I was getting in. I’m still playing, but not as much as I used to. I spend most of my time now watching my kids play. They’re at the age where they are really getting into it.
"I still play with Ivy Inn in the Over-40 League in Princeton and in the Montgomery 35-and-older league. But I do more of that in July, when my kids are done playing. They’re in different leagues now. The girls are 9 and 8, and I have a son who is 4. That doesn’t leave much time for softball."
When McKenna was playing softball full-time, he was as good as there was in Mercer County.
"I started in the Princeton League in 1979 with Conte’s/Staats," recalled McKenna, who played outfield. "And I’ve played in all the Montgomery leagues. Then I went over to Mercer County Park in the Mercer Majors and those games were a lot of fun. That was real competitive softball.
"Back then we would play in 20 tournaments a year, so it was a lot of softball. I’ve been playing pretty much since right when I got out of high school."
McKenna’s softball career followed a high school career at Montgomery where he played soccer, basketball and baseball.
"I started out just playing to have fun," McKenna said. "But to play in the Trenton league you really had to work at it and improve. We’d be in the league and there would be teams coming from New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, just to play in the league. It was amazing to watch guys come in from Long Island just to play a game."
Over the years, McKenna has been with some great teams and also had the chance to play with some great people. That, as much as the wins and losses, is what is most important to McKenna.
"I got to play with Joe Plumeri and Artie Kerns," he said. "I played against the Petrones and Johnny Peske in Princeton. I was lucky because of the people I played with and against were all great guys. I was with the five-time state champions from Alfonse. We had the best players around at that time."
Now, McKenna is content to just get out and play when he can. His highly competitive days are behind him. But when he did play competitively, he was as competitive a player as you will find.
"I just played in Montgomery at the start," he said. "I enjoyed it, but I knew that the competition in Mercer was where you had to go if you were really into it. I never played for fun. I wanted to play ball to win. Now, I just play for fun and try to make sure I don’t get hurt."
That doesn’t mean he still doesn’t play to win. His 40-and-over team two years ago was fifth at nationals. And he still gets competitive, even when playing for fun.
But those days of high-level competition are pretty much over.
"I’ve met a lot of class guys through the years," McKenna said. "No matter where you go, the guys are usually good guys. It’s been fun. I grew up in Montgomery during a time when it was real big with the old Drake’s teams and the Lubas brothers. Ted Drake really taught me how to play the game. I learned a lot from him."
And on Sunday, all those years of learning and playing were capped off with a place in the Hall of Fame.
"It was really a lot more than I expected," McKenna said. "It was nicely done."
Kind of like McKenna’s own career nicely done.

