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There’s no place like home

A former professional softball player, Mike Gouin once lived and breathed the

game. But his key players—his family—are what always kept him grounded

By Courtney Conover
Softball is a game that’s not for
the meek. And it’s a game that brings
the noise.
Mike Gouin knows all too well.
Gouin, and his team, the Little
Caesars, participated in every Ama-
teur Softball Association (ASA) Na-
tional Tournament between the years
of 1964 to 1974, except for 1968. In
1970, he was voted the National
Tournament Most Valuable Player.
He then went on to join the ranks of
professional softball in 1977 and
played for the Detroit Caesars.
Gouin and his fellow teammates won
two World Championships and were
runners-up in another.
In his twenty-year run as an out-
fielder, Gouin has lived out many of
his life’s best experiences on the soft-
ball field. His decorated career
paved the way for induction into the
Metro Detroit American Softball As-
sociation Hall of Fame in 1982. Next,
in 1989 Gouin was inducted into the
National Softball Hall of Fame lo-
cated in Oklahoma City, OK. He was
then inducted into the Wayne Memo-
rial High School Hall of Fame in
1992 for slow-pitch softball.
Now, at the age of 79, Gouin is a
husband to Doris, the father of Sheri
an accountant and Lori, who serves
as The City of Wayne’s Director of Mike Gouin shows off his Softball Hall of Fame bat that was given to him when he was inducted into the Softball Hall of Fame.
Community Development/Planning Photo by John Rhaesa
and Downtown Development Author- ning. How old were you when you ber when I was in high school, and I I would have never thought in my life
ity, and a grandfather of four. He con- took up baseball? And what in- contemplated working in the sum- that that would happen. Then, the
tinues to reside here in Wayne, his trigued you about the game in the mertime, and my dad said ab- last game of my junior year, I scored
hometown, where he has lived since first place? solutely not. He said, “I don’t want 35 points and, at the time, it was the
1950. you to have to do what I did and school record. But it was just one of
On the eve of Father’s Day, The MG: I had just moved to Wayne, start working at 14 years old. You those games where every shot you
Wayne Dispatch caught up with and I was seven years old when I need to enjoy your youth.” That gave take, it just went in. My dad was
Gouin, a man who has worn many first got a ball in my hands. From me the freedom to devote the time there, and he wasn’t at a lot of games,
hats, to talk sports, life, and father- that moment on, I absolutely needed. which made it special, too. As for
hood. couldn’t get enough. It was in my baseball, the only thing I think about
Courtney Conover: Could you DNA. And it wasn’t just baseball—it CC: Let’s move on to your years is that we didn’t even really get out-
have imagined that baseball and soft- was basketball also. at Wayne Memorial, where you were side and practice much before the
ball would have taken you where a member of both the varsity base- season started—maybe a day or two
they have? CC: What provided the momen- ball and basketball teams for three before. And we weren’t ready to play.
Mike Gouin: To be honest? No. I tum to keep playing? years. Share some of your high- So, yeah, I didn’t have a lot of great
was never really the kind of person MG: First, because I was reason- lights… memories other than playing with a
who dreamed about that. All I know ably successful, and I was a pretty MG: In basketball, the first two great bunch of guys.
is, that’s all I wanted to do—and I good athlete, so I had a sense of ac- things that come to mind are…When
loved it. complishment. And that was really I was a sophomore, I started out on CC: Then, success followed you
fulfilling. The other key thing was the junior varsity, but after a couple
CC: Take us back to the begin- support from my parents. I remem- games, they moved me up to varsity. See Hall of Fame, page 4
The Wayne Dispatch · June 2022 · 3