Long before his semi-regular television gig as spokesman for Bessey Motors in South Paris (which he owns and operates), and before the football and track and field exploits that landed him in the Maine Sports Hall of Fame, Benner played first base and center field in Auburn Suburban Little League.

Benner was a member of the inaugural ASLL Senior League All-Star team and the first Suburban squad at any level to win a state championship and advance to the Eastern Regional in 1963.

“What I remember most are the coaches, managers and volunteers who invested so much time,” he said. “We weren’t just showing up and playing a few games. It was five nights a week that guys like Earl Austin and Virgil Ray put in.”

Harold Lucas, Auburn

Years of meritorious service as an umpire earned Lucas the prestigious Millett Award in 1971. Prior to that, the longtime supporter of Auburn youth sports was the league’s umpire-in-chief for 11 seasons. In 1979, he traveled with the Senior League state and regional champions to Indiana and, together with Ernie Cobb, broadcast their exploits back to the Twin Cities on local radio. Lucas and Cobb are among 22 men and women to hold the office of Auburn Suburban Little League president. Also a former Auburn Citizen of the Year, Lucas remains a fixture at local high school sporting events, and his involvement in baseball is as strong as ever: He’s employed by the Portland Sea Dogs.

Dennis Sweetser, Lewiston

Anyone asking a question about the history of Auburn Suburban Little League will be pointed to Sweetser, a retired Edward Little High School science teacher who has been with the organization since 1967. “I just enjoyed working with the volunteers and the kids,” Sweetser said. “It gave me something to keep me busy during the summers.” Sweetser managed many successful regular-season and all-star teams, including the one that gave Auburn Suburban its 15 minutes of fame on the international stage. His 1979 Senior League team advanced to the World Series in Gary, Ind., finishing third to a team from Chinese Taipei and a squad from Tampa, Fla., whose pitching ace Dwight Gooden later starred for the New York Mets and New York Yankees.

Bill Reynolds, Poland

Probably the best pure power hitter in the history of Auburn Suburban Little League. “I grew up playing four or five different sports like the other kids,” Reynolds said. “Then in my first game for Pepsi as a 10-year-old, I think it was against Cummings Cleaners, I hit a home run in my first three at-bats. I remember thinking, This isn’t too bad.'” Two years later, Reynolds ripped eight home runs in the state tournament to lead the ASLL 11-and-12-year-olds to the championship. His Senior League team finished third in the World Series in Gary, Ind., in 1979. Reynolds went on to catch at the University of Maine, backstopping the Black Bears to multiple College World Series appearances. He clubbed four homers in the regional title game that punched Maine’s ticket to Omaha in 1984. Reynolds spent time in the Oakland Athletics’ farm system and is a member of three regional halls of fame.

Mike Coutts, Portland

Coutts credits Auburn Suburban Little League with cultivating a passion for baseball that led him to make a living from the game. After his playing days ended at the University of Maine, Coutts spent more than a decade in Orono as an assistant to the legendary John Winkin. He later coached in renowned semipro leagues in Massachusetts and Alaska and now runs Frozen Ropes, a successful, year-round baseball instructional center in Portland. “Not a lot of coaches realize the impact they have on kids, positively or negatively, at that age,” Coutts said. “I probably pay attention to that a lot more now that I work with young people.”