Softball Player Profile: Dennis McCarthy

Larry Wolfe

The “perfect man”? Well, Debra McCarthy thinks so and, in fact, Dennis McCarthy can legitimately stake a claim to that title. He’s the only person I’ve ever known who has pitched a perfect game in baseball and bowled four perfect games!

Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and raised in Stoneham, northeast of Boston, Dennis graduated from Arlington Catholic High where he played both baseball and basketball for the Cougars. He earned a baseball scholarship to Northeastern University where he was an all-star pitcher for the Huskies and earned a BS in management.

Immediately entering the workforce, Dennis began a 40-year career in the insurance industry. He worked for three years as a claims adjuster for Liberty Mutual before becoming an independent adjuster for the next 10 years. The following 10 years were with Peerless Insurance Company prior to joining USF&G for another 10-year term where he was an assistant VP in the claims department. Dennis called this his “Ten-Year Boredom Rule”! Ten years and move on! His career moves resulted in his living in New Hampshire, Michigan, Connecticut, Maryland, Colorado, North Carolina, Colorado again and finally the Phoenix area. His last job in the industry was with Nationwide here in Phoenix.

Dennis retired for a short period before becoming bored and joining Tommy Bahamas as a salesperson. After seven years at Tommy’s, he REALLY retired this past May and is now keeping busy with softball, golf and bowling while Debra is still working in the IT Department at Charles Schwab.

In his first full season of Sun Lakes softball, Dennis hit a solid .603. He hadn’t played softball for several years but has a strong background of playing both softball and senior baseball. In fact, he was a member of a Senior Men’s World Series Championship team as recently as 1998. He also pitched on a 1999 team that included former major leaguer Campy Campaneris.

Dennis has three daughters, a son and eight grandkids. Three families live in New Hampshire and one in Florida. Given the distances, the families can’t get together as much as they’d like; however, Dennis and Debra do head north in the summers. Debra’s job requirements limit their travel and vacation opportunities for now, but they do have an active social life here in Sun Lakes.

The plethora of available activities is what drew them here, and they’re taking advantage of the many opportunities, especially in sports. They’re also entertained by their two Siberian Huskies, both rescue dogs. They’ve adopted many rescue dogs over the years and love the companionship they offer. “I think more people know our two big Huskies than know us,” Dennis said.

Even though Dennis and Debra have only lived in Sun Lakes for a year and a half, they’ve already made many friends. “Our only regret is that we didn’t move here sooner,” says Dennis. “This is where we belong!” It’s the perfect place for us.” Just like Dennis himself, “Mr. PERFECT!”