It must have been fate when Harold "Ozzie" McSweeney joined the Oriskany Wreckers fast-pitch softball team in 1963. He truly "wrecked" opposing lineups with his consistent windmill style of pitching.

From 1963 to 1974, McSweeney piled up an unbelievable record of 298 wins and just 33 losses for the Wreckers, named by the team's sponsor, Oriskany Garage.

Born on August 30, 1934, he started pitching at age 16, and continued for five decades until he reached 56 in 1990. That gave him plenty of time to begin compiling the statistics that eventually led him into the New York State Softball Hall of Fame in 1991.

McSweeney first developed his love for the game in the 1950s as a teenager when he became the scorer for Scholl's Hotel softball team. His father taught him how to pitch, despite the need occasionally "to replace a flock of garage windows," he once told a reporter. He succeeded in his own unconventional manner, considering that he had never played ball in high school.

McSweeney pitched in some 500 softball games and possibly won 90 percent of them. He was credited with five perfect games, 15 career no-hitters and 30 one-hitters.

The summer of 1966 was the highlight of his career. He pitched 36 consecutive shutout innings for the Wreckers in the Whitestown Starlight Softball League in July. Then between August 1 and 14, he hurled four consecutive no-hitters. He also recorded 30 strikeouts in a l4-inning victory over Kozar's Grill. By the end of the summer of 1966, he collected 12 shutouts in a 20-2 season. By the age of 32, he had already amassed 200 career' wins.

In addition to the Wreckers, the ace righthander took the mound for the Poughkeepsie Brahaus (Eastern Seaboard League), Valley Merchants. Old Spain, Scholl's Hotel, Jim's Grill and San Carlo's of Rome in the Central New York Softball League, and Champlin Tire in the Trinkaus Manor Fast-Pitch League.

McSweeney spent eight years, until 1994, coaching his daughter's youth softball team in New Hartford. The teams often made it to the Slate and regional tournament level in Junior Olympic competition. For a number of summers, he also coached the Utica Moose youth travel team.

He has also been a longtime high school basketball and softball official.