In October of 2023 the Seymour Parks and Recreation Department board revealed a plaque designating Coach Steve Coombs Field of Dreams Diamond at Shields Park.

On Wednesday, a ceremony was held for the placement of that plaque at the ball field at the northside city park.

Before Steve Coombs’s unfortunate death in 2018, he dedicated much of his adult life to coaching and working for the city parks and recreation department. He coached Little League for 27 years, elementary basketball for 25 years and was always helping his kids and the community, even out of his own pocket.

At around 5:15 p.m., the Mi Casa Cubs and Shepherd Insurance Reds baseball teams lined up on the field.

Park department’s program director Chad Keithley guided everyone’s attention to the American flag as Steve Coombs’s niece, Brandy Johnson sang the National Anthem. Johnson’s brother and city Councilman Chad Hubbard, expressed his thanks for his sister singing.

“He touched a lot of hearts, a lot of lives through his […] years of being here,” said Keithley.

Hubbard, Steve Coombs’s nephew, and B.J. Coombs, Steve Coombs’s son, stood in front of the baseball players, their friends and families and Seymour representatives one at a time to speak more about Steve’s impact as well as the important thing to remember: “have fun and stride toward your dreams,” as Hubbard put it.

“It’s about giving back,” said B.J. “He did the most for every kid that he had.”

Mayor Matt Nicholson then stood by the home plate and proclaimed that April 24 is Steve Coombs Day along with the unveiling of the mounted plaque.

Steve Coombs’s sisters, Brenda Selby and Patty Whipker, and widow Diana Coombs joined the baseball players on the field to throw the first pitch.

Hubbard said that to get to an officially recognized Steve Coombs Day, it has been a rough journey, but there has been support throughout the entire process. He made sure to express his thanks to, along with everyone else who showed and spoke, former program director and current director for Parks and Recreation, Stacy Findley.

Steve Coombs changed a lot of lives for the better, including Hubbard’s. While being Hubbard’s uncle, Steve played a huge role in raising him.

“He was more of a father figure,” said Hubbard.

The reason why Hubbard ran for council was because of Steve. While Hubbard urged Steve to run for mayor, Steve said he wouldn’t unless Hubbard agreed to run himself. Steve passed before he could make good on that deal, but Hubbard still felt it was his duty to run for council.

“This was never about me,” said Hubbard. “This was him moving through me to get this done and to keep his memory alive.”

Celebrating Steve Coombs’s legacy doesn’t stop here. The friends, family and supporters of Steve still want to walk in his footsteps.

“He gave back,” said B.J., admitting that the sentiment was cliché, but true. Similarly to fundraisers like Kayak for Cancer with Toby Stigdon, they want to raise money for causes while being focused on something Steve loved.

B.J. and Hubbard said they want to hold annual wiffle ball or softball tournaments with a comedy show and dinner to honor Steve’s love for sports and comedy. The money for this would go to local causes and potentially something related to diabetes, a health condition Steve had.

“His legacy has been felt by the many, many players who benefited from his coaching style and his generous ways on and off the field,” read the proclamation. “May this field be a constant reminder of Steve’s heart of gold and his passion for sports and our community.”