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Foley, William E. (Hooker) (1983)

Writer: Maine Baseball HOF
Maine Baseball HOF
Aug 12, 2019
1 min read


William E. (Hooker) Foley was a pivotal part of successful Cheverus High athletic folklore 50 years ago, especially during his 1929-30 senior season when he captained three teams.

He led the Fighting Irish clubs in football, basketball and baseball that season.

In fact, Foley batted .393 to boost the Cheverians to a share of the Telegram League title.

This sharp-fielding shortstop always topped .300 in a baseball career extending through the Portland Twilight League.

He made the neat hitting conversion in fastpitch softball.

Daring baserunner Foley termed baseball his favorite sport because, he said, it takes more ability.

Foley captained the Fighting Irish (Stags became the official school nickname about 30 years later), to the school's first ever state title, a distinction soon withdrawn because of use of an ineligible player.

Foley was named the state tourney’s most valuable player for scoring 41 points in three games after leading all area scorers during the season. He was among the State's most respected basketball referees in a 20-year officiating stint.

In football, his speed was well-suited to quarterback. In 1929 Foley led Cheverus to a sparkling 7-1-1 mark, including a surprising 12-12 deadlock with mighty Portland.

These were the only two touchdowns Portland yielded that season. Foley was a prominent factor in both scoring drives.

Foley, who could hit the long ball and was feared as a clutch hitter, played under legendary Cheverus coach Walter Mulvihill.

said Foley, “Of course, Walter Mulvihill was Our guiding light. He instilled in. us the will to overcome obstacles and win.

He was to Cheverus what Knute Rockne was to Notre Dame.”

And three-sport star Foley was Mulvihill's central character in stellar seasons of the late 1920s.




 
 
 

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Meet the 2026 Maine Baseball Hall of Fame inductees
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Portland Press Herald 4/10/2026
https://www.pressherald.com/2026/04/10/meet-the-2026-maine-baseball-hall-of-fame-inductees/?copylink=true

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Former St. Dominic and current Gray-New Gloucester coach Bob Blackman and Cony coach Don Plourde are among the 11 members of the newest class. Four coaches currently preparing for the upcoming high school baseball season are among the 11 inductees in the 2026 Maine Baseball Hall of Fame class.

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Gray-New Gloucester’s Bob Blackman, Brewer’s Dana Corey, Hampden Academy’s Jon Perry and Cony’s Don Plourde are all part of the class that will be inducted on Oct. 4 at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland. Blackman coached St. Dominic High School to nine state championships in 22 seasons before the school closed at the end of the last school year. He was named the coach at Gray-New Gloucester in September. Corey hit .359 at the University of Maine in 1971. He played two seasons in the Chicago Cubs system and has been the head coach at Brewer for 18 seasons.

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Perry hit .381 at the University of Maine in 1981 and helped the Black Bears reach the College World Series. He has coached for the past 45 seasons at the high school, American Legion and collegiate levels. 

Plourde is in his 17th season as the coach at Cony High School and has been named the KVAC Coach of the Year five times. He has been coaching at various levels for more than 30 years. 

Others earning induction are: 

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• Al Cloutier, who has been involved in baseball in Augusta as a player, Cony High and American Legion coach, Babe Ruth League director and volunteer. 

• John Kolasinski, who was a college coach at for 37 years, first at Husson and later at Siena Heights University in Michigan. He is a five-time New England Coach of the Year winner.

• Mark Littlefield, a Portland High graduate, who is now in his 36th season working on the medical staff of the New York Yankees organization. 

• Scott Littlefield, a Portland High graduate, who will be inducted posthumously. Littlefield coached at Florida State University and the University of Southern Maine before working for 34 years as a Major League Baseball scout, including 16 as a player personnel special assistant for the Texas Rangers.

• J. Ronald Livington, who will be inducted posthumously. Livingston was an All-Star infielder for the semi-pro Presque Isle Indians in the Northern Aroostook League in the 1930 and 1940s. He also coached and was a director in the South Portland National Little League.

• Mike McCullum, of Portland, who hit .338 at the University of Southern Maine and earned ABCA Division III All-American honors in 1999. 

• Jim Taylor of Lewiston, who was a founding member of the Central Maine Board of Approved Baseball Umpires and was instrumental in starting the Maine chapter of the Collegiate Baseball Umpires Association.

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Maine Baseball Hall of Fame day  Delta Dental Park aka Hadlock Field 7/19/2026
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