Green Hornets’ Charlie Becker Inducted Into Anne Arundel County Sports Hall Of Fame

The Oxford Dictionary defines a selfless person as someone who prioritizes the needs, wants and well-being of others above their own.

The Green Hornets’ Charlie Becker is a shining example of being selfless.

Becker was inducted into the Anne Arundel County Sports Hall of Fame at the end of the 2025 fall sports season as he received the prestigious Bernie Walter Memorial Award for his volunteerism with the Green Hornets organization as well as Severna Park High School’s (SPHS) baseball program.

“Coach Becker has meant the world to all Severna Park’s Green Hornet youth baseball players as well as Severna Park High School baseball players who he has coached,” said former player and current Severna Park High School assistant baseball coach Pete Buck. “He has been helping to run the Greater Severna Park Athletic Association (GSPAA) for decades. As a coach, he was always available for us any time we wanted help to make us better players. Coach Becker and Jim McCandless were like Batman and Robin who held us to a standard and taught us how to play the game correctly. They made all of us better players as well as athletes.”

Becker began coaching a Green Hornets’ select baseball team in 1985 and started the Severna Park American Legion team in 1990, and he coached those teams until 2000. Becker also was an SPHS junior varsity assistant coach in 2001, and from 2002 through 2012, Becker was the assistant coach on the Falcons’ varsity baseball team.

“Coach Becker always wanted to get the best out of everyone,” said former Falcons pitcher Josh Banks, who played in the major leagues with Toronto, San Diego and Houston. “He was also very helpful to me when I became the Green Hornets’ executive director. You don’t realize how much he does for the Green Hornets until you spend time with him riding through the facility. He does everything for the kids.”

In addition to coaching hundreds of area residents, Becker has served as the Green Hornets’ president since 1997. Over those 28 years, Becker has spent thousands of hours improving Kinder Farm Park (KFP) for the over 10,000 young athletes who use its amenities annually.

In that time, KFP has grown from three multipurpose fields to six; three baseball fields to four; and irrigation was installed on the six multipurpose fields and one baseball field. Becker was also instrumental in arranging lighting that was added and/or improved for four multipurpose fields and three baseball fields.

“The Kinder family was so gracious to sell their land to Anne Arundel County on the condition it would be used for a public park, and through the help of hundreds of dedicated area residents who spent days, nights and weekends designing the facility for the community, we have an outstanding complex that is one of the best in the region,” Becker said.

During his acceptance speech at the DoubleTree hotel’s banquet facility in Annapolis, Becker thanked the countless volunteers, coaches, umpires, referees, snack-shack helpers and maintenance workers who make the Green Hornets one of most respected organizations in the area.

“Charlie’s induction into the Anne Arundel County Hall of Fame is well deserved after volunteering as the Green Hornets’ president for 28 years,” said Green Hornets registrar Charlotte Souder. “He’s not only proud of our program but all the kids who we are able to serve year after year, as well as those he has personally coached. It was great to see former players come out and attend his induction ceremony.”

Green Hornets Executive Director John Mayer has known Becker for nearly 20 years, including being one of Becker’s players with the Green Hornets and at SPHS.

“What I remember most about him as a coach was how detail-oriented he was and how much time he spent individually working with all of us every day at practice,” Mayer said. “I returned to work with the Green Hornets in 2024, and since then, Charlie has been a constant support for me.”

A humble man, Becker is rewarded by simple gestures like former players coming up to him and thanking him for his time, knowledge and sharing great memories.

“It’s great when you can stand at Kinder Park and look at all the fields being used and see all the kids playing and having fun and know you had something to do with it,” Becker said.