As part of its annual DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation Sports Matter Monday Celebration, Little League® International is proud to have officially enshrined Ed Stack, Executive Chairman of DICK’S Sporting Goods, Inc. into the Little League Hall of Excellence Class of 2026.
Established in 1988, the Little League Hall of Excellence recognizes Little League graduates who have demonstrated a commitment to excellence in their chosen profession while exemplifying the values and life lessons learned through their Little League experience.
“Ed Stack’s story represents so much of what the Little League Hall of Excellence was created to celebrate,” said Patrick Wilson, Little League President and CEO. “His connection to Little League began as a child, watching his father invest his time and energy into creating opportunities for kids to play baseball in their community. Ed has carried that same spirit of service throughout his life, using his leadership and influence to help make sure millions of children can experience the benefits of sports. We are incredibly proud to welcome him into the Little League Hall of Excellence.”
For Mr. Stack, the connection to Little League is a family story. Growing up in Binghamton, New York, he played Little League while his father, Dick Stack, became deeply involved in supporting the local program. Seeing an opportunity to provide more children with a place to play, the elder Stack helped expand the local Little League program from four teams to 16. It was an early example of a principle that would eventually become central to his son’s career: when communities invest in sports, they invest in children.
Dick Stack had founded DICK’S Sporting Goods in Binghamton in 1948, beginning with a small bait-and-tackle shop. Ed Stack joined the family business full time in the 1970s and later assumed leadership of the company, helping transform DICK’S Sporting Goods into one of the most recognizable names in sports retail.
But as the company grew, so did its commitment to ensuring that children had access to the games and experiences that helped shape the Stack family. That commitment has become particularly visible through The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation and its Sports Matter program, which works to help provide young athletes with opportunities to participate in sports and supports under-resourced youth sports organizations across the country.
The connection between DICK’S Sporting Goods and Little League has grown significantly over the past decade.
The organizations began working together on technology services for local leagues in 2016, followed by an official partnership in 2017. That year, The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation announced a five-year, $500,000 commitment to Little League Baseball and Softball programs, providing resources for needs including facility improvements, uniforms, and equipment.
Since then, the relationship has expanded well beyond the original commitment, with The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation providing grants and resources to local Little League programs and DICK’S Sporting Goods supporting initiatives designed to strengthen baseball and softball opportunities for children across the country.
Each summer, that shared commitment is celebrated through Sports Matter Monday at the Little League Baseball® World Series, highlighting the importance of creating opportunities for children to experience the benefits of youth sports regardless of their circumstances.
That impact continued in 2026 when The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation provided a $25,000 Sports Matter grant to Twin Rivers Little League in New Bern, North Carolina, helping the league expand opportunities for children to participate in Little League Softball®. Moments prior to receiving his award, Stack also had the honor of presenting East Hardy County Little League in Baker, West Virginia, with a $25,000 Sports Matter grant to support the league’s efforts.
Stack’s induction brings a Little League journey spanning generations full circle. What began with a father helping expand a Little League program in Binghamton ultimately became a son leading an organization committed to expanding access to sports for children across the country.
“I always wanted to get here when I was 12 years old, and I never made it,” said Stack during his enshrinement ceremony. “From the day I was a young man, I loved baseball, I loved Little League, and I couldn’t be happier to be here.”
Now, Stack joins a distinguished group of Little League graduates whose accomplishments demonstrate that the lessons learned on a Little League field can extend far beyond the final out.
For Mr. Stack, those life lessons he learned as a child have remained closely connected to one fundamental idea throughout his career: sports matter because of the difference they can make in the lives of children.
And more than half a century after first experiencing those lessons as a Little Leaguer in Binghamton, his work continues to help make that same opportunity possible for the next generation.
To learn more about the Little League Hall of Excellence and its distinguished members, visit LittleLeague.org/Awards.