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Norton, Omar (1996)

Writer: Maine Baseball HOF
Maine Baseball HOF
Aug 10, 2019
2 min read

Norton, Omar (96)

In the late 1940s and early ‘50s, the talk of Washington County was about Carlton Willey of Cherryfield, a hard-throwing pitcher in the Boston Braves system, and Omar Norton, a schoolboy sensation trom Eastport.

Norton starred for Eastport’s Shead Memorial High School and Shead garnered two Eastern Maine Class M championships. He pitched, caught and played the outfield. He possessed a powerful catchers arm, but was especially noted for his long distance clouting from the left side of the plate.

Omar played five seasons for the Eastport Legion nine and beginning in 1948, at the age of 15, he played regularly for the strong Eastport Lobsters, a semi-pro club led by Manager Otto Totman. For the next four years the Lobsters boasted a lofty record against Central and Eastern Maine teams, as well as challengers from New Brunswick, Canada.

in June of 1951, the young slugger attended a tryout sponsored by the Bangor Daily News and the National League’s Boston Braves.

he was chosen the outstanding player and catching the attention of Augusta's Don Brennan (HoF ‘69), scouting after a major league pitching career, he was invited to Braves Field, where he worked out with manager Tommy Holmes.

Omar was invited to spring training with the Braves at South Carolina in 1952 and was offered a minor league contract.

however, he turned down the contract to further his education at Washington State Teachers College. He continued to play semi-pro ball in Eastport, and later Woodland. In 1952, he played for an all-star team against Birdie Tebbetts’ major league touring team.

he continued to play through 1963, ending his career with 17 home runs in 32 games.

he enjoyed a career as a teacher, coach, school administrator, and a state legislator from Winthrop. He was active with the State Department of Education. As an educator he stressed the value of sports in the school curriculum and fought for adequate funding of athletics.

“He was a great fellow along with being a great baseball player”.

Carlton Willey.



https://memorials.maysfuneralhome.com/Norton-Omar/1625070/obituary.php


Omar Paul Norton passed away at Calais Regional Hospital on Monday, October 10, 2011.

"Omar loved baseball and was well known for his hitting prowess. In 1952 he was offered a Minor League contract with the Boston Braves, but he turned it down to further his education studies. He continued to play semi-pro ball in Eastport and Woodland until 1963; and in 1996 he was inducted into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame. In later years, Omar was often seen “swinging his bat” whenever he met a baseball buddy or fan."



Norton, Omar (96)


Norton, Omar (96)


 
 
 

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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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