New Ulm HALL OF FAME Member

Erwin (Shorty) Heiser

Non-Player (Board Member, Supporter)

Selected 1992

          After he was recruited from the board at Turner Hall in 1956, Irwin (Shorty) Heiser served 14 years on the board of the New Ulm Baseball Association (NUBA), one of the longest terms on record.

          Heiser was the NUBA vice president for eight years from 1960 through 1967, and he witnessed the complete transformation of Minnesota amateur baseball from modified AA ball to the full no-outside player baseball played at the conclusion of his service.

          His main area was in concessions, which he took over to replace a hired concessionaire. The board needed the extra money it could gain from not paying the sales commission, and it was up to Heiser to run the stand until he eventually would turn it over to another 1992 New Ulm Baseball Hall of Fame nominee, John Richter.

          Heiser's dedication developed funding for uniforms and even fund bank savings. There was a time, however, when he personally paid for some team uniforms as baseball's popularity and the size of New Ulm's crowd dwindled significantly.  After his retirement, he still continued to come to special events.

          In his early days, Heiser remembers beer hawkers making good money, but he also recalls constant revenue losses due to the many break-ins at the park.

          Erwin later resided in Lake City and Mankato, MN, and he always wintered in Meza, AZ. Heiser originally came to New Ulm from Whapeton, N.D. via Fairmont.