Larry Lucchino, the Padres president behind Petco Park, dies at 78
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Larry Lucchino, the former president of the San Diego Padres who spearheaded the development of Petco Park, died on Tuesday. He was 78 years old.
“We are heartbroken to share that our beloved brother and uncle, Lawrence Lucchino, passed away on April 2 surrounded by his family. The Lucchino family wishes to thank his friends and caregivers who, over the past few months, have surrounded him with love, laughter, and happy memories,” the executive’s family said in a statement shared by the Boston Red Sox.
Lucchino presided over the Padres as president between 1995 and 2001 — a period in which the Padres made multiple runs in the playoffs, including a trip to the 1998 World Series. He was also instrumental in the vote to authorize construction of the city’s crown-jewel stadium, Petco Park.
In 2022, Lucchino was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame by owner Peter Seidler, who passed away last year after following a years-long battle with cancer.
“We mourn the passing of former Padres executive Larry Lucchino. Larry’s passion and leadership was instrumental in the design and construction of Petco Park,” the team wrote in a commemorative post on Instagram.
Outside the Padres, Lucchino served as team president for the Baltimore Orioles from 1988 to 1993 and more recently, the Boston Red Sox from 2005 to his retirement in 2015.
During his tenure with the Red Sox, the team “reversed the curse” with three World Series wins after a decades-long dry spell. With the Orioles, he led the charge to build Baltimore’s Oriole Stadium in Camden Yards.
Charitable contributions were also a major part of his time an MLB executive. As Padres president, Lucchino founded a first-of-its-kind scholarship program for rising college students called the San Diego Padres Scholars. With the Red Sox, he helped co-found the Boston Red Sox Foundation, benefitting community initiatives.
In his personal time, he also served as chairman of the Jimmy Fund, which raises money for patients at Boston’s Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
An athlete himself, Lucchino played on the Princeton basketball team that reached the NCAA Final Four in 1965. He went on to attend Yale Law School before he found himself working on lawyer Edward Bennett Williams’ sports teams, the Washington NFL franchise and the Orioles.
“To us, Larry was an exceptional person who combined a Hall of Fame life as a Major League Baseball executive with his passion for those people most in need,” his family continued. “He brought the same passion, tenacity, and probing intelligence to all of his endeavors, and his achievements speak for themselves.”
In a statement, MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred, Jr. described Lucchino as “one of the most accomplished executives” the league has ever had.
“He was deeply driven, he understood baseball’s place in our communities, and he had a keen eye for executive talent,” Manfred said. “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.”
While an exact cause of death has not been disclosed, the Pittsburgh native was a three-time survivor of cancer, receiving a non-Hodgkins lymphoma diagnosis while he was with the Orioles.
He is survived by his brother Frank J. Lucchino and his three kids, F.J. Lucchino, Jennifer Lucchino, and David Lucchino. He is also survived by seven grand-nieces and grand-nephews.
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