Scott Virkus

 

Elected : USSSA New York Hall Of Fame in 2024
Inducted : 2026, Long Island NY

Scott Virkus was one of the best all-around athletes to ever set foot on a softball diamond. Following a career that included playing football and basketball at Purdue University and being named as an All-American tight end at San Francisco State College, Scott played 4 years from 1980-83 in the NFL as a defensive end with the Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots and Baltimore/New England Patriots. 

As a result of injuries, Scott was forced to retire from the NFL and when he returned to his hometown of Rochester, New York, he began playing softball in 1986 where his tremendous power, speed and athleticism caught the eye of Dave Neale, Owner and Manager of Steele's Sports, one of the top teams in the country. Dave was renowned for spotting and developing talent and when he saw Scott, who was already a great player in his first year of softball, asked Scott to join the team. Scott became one of the stars immediately and after only a few weeks, was featured in Sports Illustrated and ESPN in their features on the Steele's Sports team that played throughout the United States. 

Scott played one more year of football in 1986 with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League and then decided to devote himself to softball full-time in 1987. He was a major reason why Steele's won its first USSSA World Series title and during his career, he was named all-World 5 times (3 ASA, twice USSSA World Series), was named MVP of two USSSA  Super Division NITs and was USSSA World Series Home Run leader. Scott was a huge factor in Steele's 1990 Triple Crown.

Scott played with Steele's from 1987-1990 and then from 1992-95. He also played with Bell Corp in 1992.