Jack Holmes

John L. “Jack” Holmes who hails from Scotia, New York and now Woodbridge, Virginia has always been a baseball player and athlete. During the mid-1970’s when in high school, he was a starting pitcher for the Scotia-Glenville Senior High School Tartans baseball team and the starting third baseman for the Schenectady Connie Mack League’s Scotia Mohawk Chevrolet baseball team which won the 1975 Upstate New York Connie Mack Baseball Championship Title.

In football, Jack was named to the Schenectady Gazette’s 1975 All Area High School Football Team (Albany-Schenectady-Troy) as a place kicker and defensive end and he also co-captained the 1975-76 Scotia-Glenville Senior High School Tartans Wrestling Team to the 1976 Section 2, Class A Title. After high school Jack hung up his baseball spikes and went on to play college football at Central Connecticut State College and the State University of New York (SUNY) College at Cortland.

After graduating from college in 1980, Jack worked for a year and then joined to the United States Navy in 1981, where he received a commission after graduating from Aviation Officers Candidate School (AOCS) in Pensacola, Florida. Jack then attended flight school, served four years and is a veteran of both Grenada and Beirut, Lebanon.

In 1992, Jack joined the DC MSBL as an original player with the Prince William Dodgers in the 25+ Division, the Dodgers were managed by Rob Andrews. Jack played for Rob for four seasons through 1995, when he was diagnosed with late stage cancer at the start of the season. In April 1995, Jack underwent cancer surgery and began chemo-therapy treatment which would last until August 1996. While still undergoing chemotherapy Jack was cleared by his physician and he quickly returned to the baseball field in June 1995.

In his first game back from surgery he pitched a two-hit shutout victory over the then undefeated Woodbridge Senators who would go on to win the DC MSBL 25+ Division with a 21 -1 record that year. With the odds still against him to survive cancer Jack decided to leave the Prince William Dodgers after the 1995 season and play baseball his way.

He, Robbie Faught, Bob Reed and Jack’s younger brother Dick founded the Prince William Reds Baseball Club in October 1995, while participating in the Fall Classic in Clearwater, Florida as members of the upstart Prince William All-Stars who made it to the MSBL Fall Classic play-offs while at their first MSBL National Tournament.

As the Prince William Reds only manager since their inaugural season in 1996, the team has won in excess of 330 games, five DC MSBL division championships, various regional MSBL Tournament Championships and participated in three MSBL Fall Classics between 1998 and 2001.

In addition to running, managing and playing for the Prince William Reds Baseball Club since 1996, Jack has also played for the DC Outlaws, DC Metro Cobras, DC Cardinals, DC Express, Fairfax Rangers and most recently the Fairfax Mud Hens — primarily as a starting catcher on these teams who have won many DC MSBL Division Championships.

As the starting catcher for the DC Metro Cobras \ DC Cardinals from 2000-06, Jack garnered the team’s “Gold Glove” award for his defensive play in the 2002 MSBL World Series and is also a proud owner of three DC Cobras \ DC Cardinals MSBL World Series Rings won in 2000, 2002 and 2005. Jack was instrumental in the DC Cardinals tremendous 2002 season which was recognized by the Washington, DC Home Plate Club as the DC Area’s best senior men’s baseball team.

Jack and his son Chris were members of the DC Senators Father-Son baseball team from 2006-08 and plan to re-join the team after Chris’ college baseball career concludes in 2013. Administratively, Jack has served as a DC MSBL, Vice-President in Prince William County, Virginia since 1998. In 2013, Jack begins his twenty-second year in the DC MSBL as a player and manager. Jack is married to the former Kathryn R. Cain of Elkins, WV and together have a daughter, Erin (24) and a son, Christopher (22).