Alf died four months later.
This is where the story could have ended.
Instead, several Butler County residents, inspired by Alf’s service and commitment to his community, have followed his footsteps and added a fundraising component now called the Miracle Walk.
On Tuesday, Ben Otto, Laura Otto, Eric Judd, Jared Baker, Tyler Parker, Ryan O’Brien, Cathy Heil, and Sean Fogelson (That One Mailman), walked 21 miles from Joe Nuxhall Miracle Fields in Fairfield to Great American Ball Park to raise money and awareness for the league that provides athletic opportunities for people of all ages with disabilities.
While the walkers never won back-to-back World Series titles in the mid-1970s, let’s call them the Great Eight.
Prior to the Cincinnati Reds game against the Atlanta Braves, two first-time walkers, Laura Otto, a teacher at Fairfield West Elementary School, and O’Brien, whose 10-year-old son, Joe, has Down syndrome and plays in the Nuxhall Miracle League, delivered the game ball to the mound.
The walk started at 6 a.m. Tuesday from the Joe Nuxhall Miracle League Fields, where the walkers received an honorary game ball from a Cincinnati Reds representative at the outset of their journey. The group was led by a police escort and joined by about 25 community members for the first two miles.
The group weaved through Mt. Healthy, North College Hill, Northside, and Over The Rhine, ate at Brotherton’s Family Restaurant in Cincinnati and Tickle Pickle Restaurant in Northside and arrived at Great American Ball Park 11 hours later.
Judd said he consumed about 3,000 calories and burned 2,900 calories.
“The pain is understood,” he said Wednesday morning. “While about all of our bodies hurt, we are reminded that we’re doing this for people not able to do this.”
He paused, then added: “We’re doing something small and hopefully having a big impact.”
The Miracle Walk, started by Otto in 2021, has raised more than $42,000, including an estimated $12,000 this year. The walkers used a GoFundMe page to collect donations and sponsorships, with 100% of the proceeds benefitting The Nuxhall Foundation.
Judd and Otto said they hope their footsteps will eventually lead to the opening of The Hope Center: a planned 30,000 square foot indoor recreational facility for athletes with special needs to be built at the Joe Nuxhall Miracle League Fields.
Judd said The Hope Center would be “life-changing” for the players, coaches, and community.
Kim Nuxhall, one of Joe Nuxhall’s two sons and board chairman of The Nuxhall Foundation, said the 21-mile journey raised funds, but even more importantly, increased awareness.
“It’s the type of thing that my Dad would’ve absolutely loved, and it means so much that they’ll conclude their journey on Joe Nuxhall Way in Cincinnati,” he said.
Judd said years ago when he was a waiter at Applebee’s, he frequently served Joe and Donzetta Nuxhall and Kim and Bonnie Nuxhall. Judd said he always bantered with the Ol’ Lefthander.
When Judd said he wrote for the Fairfield Echo, Nuxhall asked: “Is that why it’s free?”
Another time, Joe Nuxhall pretended he was going to leave the restaurant without paying. So Judd laid in front of Nuxhall’s van until he returned inside.
“It was that kind of relationship,” said Judd, who called the Nuxhalls “one of the premiere families in the state.”
Otto said growing up in Fairfield, he was fortunate to have “great role models and community servants,” including Joe and Kim Nuxhall.
“Then you find yourself raising a family in the community and you want to do something to inspire them just like your own heroes did,” Otto said. “This is my way of trying to carry forward their legacy.”
And then there’s the baseball benefit of the Miracle Walk felt at Great American Ball Park. The Reds are 4-0 on Miracle Walk nights, including a 6-5 comeback win Tuesday over the Braves.
After trailing 5-1 in the fourth inning, the Reds proved some wins are walks in the park.
MORE INFORMATION ON MIRACLE WALK
The Nuxhall Foundation is helping to locate a presenting sponsor for the Miracle Walk. Interested companies and organizations can contact Nuxhall Foundation Executive Director Tyler Bradshaw at tyler@nuxhallmiracleleague.org to discuss potential partnerships.
Supporters can learn more about the Miracle Walk by visiting www.nuxhallmiracleleague.org/walk.
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