Kenneth Kohler

Sponsor - Presented by Carolyn Thorton

For the past 32 years, softball sponsor Ken Kohler has stuck to the same motto: "I pay, you play." 

It’s a pretty simple approach, but one that has spelled much success for Ken and his teams. The many plaques and awards that began spilling out of his trophy case long ago are one indication. The many wonderful softball memories that countless players now carry with them as a result of the opportunities that Ken helped provide are another. 

"It’s been a very unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,’’ said John Vitulli, coach of the highly-successful Kohler‘s Fair Warning women‘s softball team. "Kenny opened up horizons we would never have been able to explore without him. So few teams get the opportunity we did. It’s something you just don’t see. And Kenny had nothing to gain from it. He did it simply to be around the sport that he loved." 

For his continued dedication to the sport, he has also been chosen as Sponsor of the Year by softball newspaper The Fielder’s Choice. Ken began by sponsoring a sandlot team back in 1970. Over the next several years, he graduated to a C Division team and then a B Division club and finally to a national-caliber Class A team. 

There was a span of six or seven years when Ken was actually sponsoring men’s A, B and C teams all at the same time.
His men’s teams racked up numerous state and regional titles. 

Kohler‘s Krew won three straight ASA New England crowns in the late 80’s and advanced to the nationals every year from 1973 until 1990.​

In 1992, Ken switched gears and decided to begin sponsoring a wom-en’s team. The club, which has taken a few different names over the years, but is most commonly known as Kohler’s Fair Warning, picked up right where the men left off, winning back-to-back USSSA Class A New England Regional titles and recording seven top-five national finishes, including second place at the 1997 USSSA Class A Nationals; fourth place at the 1993 USSSA Class A and 1999 USSSA Class A National Tournaments and fifth place at the 1998 USSSA World Series. 

Three years ago, former USSSA State Director Bill Langlois honored the club’s string of success by naming Fair Warning the Rhode Island Team of the Decade "Kenny gave us the chance to play the best teams in the country,’’ said David Iannuccilli, Vitulli’s assistant coach for many years. "Without him, we wouldn’t have been able to travel the way we did. And what’s amazing to me is the fact that he never had anyone playing on the team, like his wife or a daughter. He just did it for the love of the game. . . . The only regret I have is never winning the national title for him.’’ 

Whether his teams go two-and-barbecue - which rarely, if ever, happened - or they sweep the awards stand, Ken has always taken a hands-off approach. "He never got involved,’’ said Vitulli. “He always had faith in us as coaches and left all the decisions up to our judgement." 

Why has Ken continued to invest his time and money into softball teams? His answer, again, is simple: "Because I love the game and I couldn’t play it anymore,’’ he said. ``Back then I was nervous I was going to have a heart attack on the field. Sponsoring was a way to stay involved. That’s the main reason.’’ 

Another reason is that as much success as Ken’s teams have enjoyed over the years, there is one award he is still waiting to add to his trophy case: The coveted national championship. 

“You look for that every single year,’’ he said. “I figure one of these years it’s going to happen. It can be done on any given day.”