Tony Saladino Jr., a longtime fixture in high school baseball in Hillsborough County, died Tuesday at age 89.
Saladino, who had a history of heart ailments, had been hospitalized as recently as last week. He reportedly died at his Brandon home surrounded by family.
Saladino was best known for the 1981 founding of the annual prep baseball tournament that bears his family name and remains a highlight on the local schedule. The Saladino Tournament was born out of the creation of the Saladino Award, which has gone to the county’s top senior baseball player since 1971.
Saladino started the award and tournament to honor his father, Tony Sr., and to give back to the community.
Born in 1936 and raised in Ybor City, the diminutive Saladino was very close with his father, who owned and worked in a barber shop on North Armenia Avenue. He was 25 when his father, at age 46, suffered a heart attack while bowling in 1961 and died before his son could get to the hospital.
“He made me feel like a major leaguer when I played high school ball,” Saladino once said of his dad.
Saladino taught physical education in the Hillsborough school system for more than 50 years. A lifelong advocate for youth sports, he believed strongly in the role of athletics in teaching discipline, teamwork, and community.
Of the tournament, now going into its 45th year, he said in 2023 the goal has been to “make friends, make memories, and make caring and responsible citizens and law-abiding citizens, one inning at a time.”
Saladino’s wife, Bertha, who died in 2016 at age 84, played a critical role in the tournament over the years. She handled much of the day-to-day organization and logistics, helping to ensure the event ran smoothly. She became known as the county’s “First Lady of Baseball.”
In 2013, Saladino told the Tampa Bay Times, “There's nothing extraordinary about me except my wife."
Over the years, he also worked for the Tampa and Hillsborough recreation departments and organized a baseball program in Brandon. In later years, he stayed active by serving on local committees and boards.
Among his many honors were the 1992 dedication of the Tony and Bertha Saladino Park near his modest Brandon home, which happens to have small replica baseball field in the front yard and a shrine to the sport inside.
Another was on April 19, 2023, which was proclaimed Bertha and Tony Saladino Day by the Hillsborough County Commission.
He played attended Jefferson High School, where he was a baseball and basketball teammate of former Florida Gov. Bob Martinez.
“Not a person a wealth, one of dedication,” Martinez said of Saladino during the Saladino Day ceremony in 2023. "He doesn’t forget who he know. He doesn’t forget where he came from. He is always creating a path for those who are to follow. The tournament was his instrument.”
Saladino graduated from the University of Tampa and earned a master’s degree in education from Peabody College. He had been seen last year at UTampa baseball games to watch his grandson, Nico, now a sophomore infielder with the Spartans. Another grandson, Noah, is the head baseball coach at Armwood High School.
Both the postseason award and tournament are a who’s who of Tampa-area baseball. More than 80 players have reached the majors, including Dwight Gooden, Gary Sheffield, Lenny Faedo, David Magadan, Richard Monteleone, John Ramos, Tino Martinez, Jose Fernandez, Lance McCullers, Kyle Tucker, Luis Gonzalez, Pete Alonzo and even current Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash.
As Tony Jr. grew older, his son, Tony III, and daughter, Misty, gradually took over much of the tournament’s organization to continue the family’s legacy. The event remains a cornerstone of prep baseball in Hillsborough.
"His love for the game of baseball was unmatched," read an X post Tuesday by the Hillsborough County Athletics Department. "Tony is a true example of turning a passion into making a difference. His leadership and friendship will be missed!"
