SAN DIEGO — Larry Lucchino, the force behind baseball’s retro ballpark revolution and the transformation of the Boston Red Sox from cursed losers to World Series champions, has died. He was 78.
Lucchino served as the president and CEO of the San Diego Padres from 1995 to 2001 and was inducted into the Padres Hall of Fame in 2022. According to the Padres.com website, "Lucchino’s lasting legacy is Petco Park, which began with his vision to create a smaller, classically-designed ballpark, placed in the heart of downtown. From lobbying city officials to working fervently to win the 1998 vote that approved the ballpark, Lucchino was instrumental in revitalizing the city and making Petco Park a point of civic pride for all San Diegans."
Lucchino had suffered from cancer. The Triple-A Worcester Red Sox, his last project in a career that also included three major league baseball franchises and one in the NFL, confirmed his death on Tuesday.
“To us, Larry was an exceptional person who combined a Hall of Fame life as a Major League Baseball executive with his passion for helping those people most in need,” Lucchino’s family said in a statement. “He brought the same passion, tenacity, and probing intelligence to all his endeavors, and his achievements speak for themselves.”
A Pittsburgh native who played on the Princeton basketball team — captained by future U.S. Senator and New York Knick Bill Bradley — that reached the 1965 NCAA Final Four, Lucchino went on to Yale Law School and landed a job with Washington lawyer Edward Bennett Williams. Lucchino soon found himself working on Williams’ sports teams, the Washington NFL franchise and the Baltimore Orioles.
Lucchino rose to president of the Orioles, and it was in his tenure that the team replaced Memorial Stadium with a downtown, old-style ballpark that ended the move toward cavernous, cookie-cutter stadiums surrounded by parking lots. Camden Yards became a trend-setter, and Lucchino himself would follow up with a new ballpark for the San Diego Padres, whom he served as president and CEO.
Lucchino’s next stop was in Boston, joining with new owners John Henry and Tom Werner in 2002. Their decision to update Fenway Park rather than replace it — bucking another trend — preserved one of baseball’s jewels, which will open its 113th season on April 9.
But an even bigger overhaul was taking place in the Red Sox front office, and on the field. With 28-year-old Theo Epstein — who started with the Orioles as an intern and followed Lucchino to the Padres — as general manager, the Red ended an 86-year championship drought, and then won another World Series three seasons later.
MLB Commissioner, Rob Manfred posted a statement on MLB.com:
"Larry Lucchino was one of the most accomplished executives that our industry has ever had," MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said of Lucchino, who served in the front office of the Orioles, Padres and Worcester Red Sox in addition to the Boston Red Sox. "He was deeply driven, he understood baseball’s place in our communities, and he had a keen eye for executive talent. Larry’s vision for Camden Yards played a vital role in advancing fan-friendly ballparks across the game. He followed up by overseeing the construction of Petco Park, which remains a jewel of the San Diego community. Then Larry teamed with John Henry and Tom Werner to produce the most successful era in Red Sox history, which included historic World Series Championships on the field and a renewed commitment to Fenway Park. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I send my condolences to Larry's family, his Red Sox colleagues and his many friends throughout our National Pastime."
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