It has been said to “never meet your heroes.” Those who met Ohio Valley legend and Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Famer Bill Mazeroski during his 89 years on this earth will tell you that isn’t true.

Wheeling born and Tiltonsville raised, Mazeroski reached the supreme heights of his sport, his walk-off home run in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series forever etching him into baseball lore. Yet he never abandoned his local roots. He anchored himself with them, returning to the valley countless times for fundraisers, charity events and personal visits. If you had something for him to sign, he was ready with the pen, no questions asked.

“Talking to him, you would’ve never known that Bill Mazeroski was a Hall of Fame player,” Bridgeport School District Board Member Don Cash said. “He was just a Hall of Fame individual, he was the salt of the earth, he made you feel comfortable.”

Maybe it was because he grew up the way many did in the Ohio Valley, working hard every day just to get to the next one. His childhood nickname “Catfish” came from how often he was found casting a line for catfish in local waters so his family would have food on the table for dinner.

That was “Maz,” a nose-to-the-grindstone guy whose hard work catapulted him to heights few could imagine, but kept him grounded enough to never stray from the principles he learned in the Ohio Valley.

“Beyond the fact that everybody knew who he was, if you didn’t know who he was, you would’ve thought he’s just another guy,” Cash said. “And that’s probably his best attribute.”

Rest in peace, “Maz.” You made the Ohio Valley proud.