:Louis Pieri
{{short description|American sports executive and coach}}
Louis Arthur Raymond Pieri (February 23, 1897 – June 16, 1967) was an American basketball and ice hockey executive and coach.
Ice hockey
In 1929 he was named general manager of the Providence Reds. The team became a charter member of the American Hockey League in 1936. Under his leadership, the Reds won eight AHL division titles and four Calder Cup championships (1938, 1940, 1949, 1956).{{cite web|title=American Hockey League Hall of Fame|url=http://ahlhalloffame.com/louis-ar-pieri-p139022|work=American Hockey League Hall of Fame|publisher=The American Hockey League|accessdate=13 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315122530/http://ahlhalloffame.com/louis-ar-pieri-p139022|archive-date=15 March 2012|url-status=dead}}
The American Hockey League presents the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award annually to its outstanding coach. Pieri was inducted into the American Hockey League Hall of Fame in 2009 and the Rhode Island Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018.
Basketball
During the 1918–19 season, Pieri was the head coach of the Brown Bears men's basketball team.
Pieri was the owner of the Providence Steamrollers, a Basketball Association of America team that operated from 1946 to 1949.
From 1950 to 1964 he was a minority owner of the Boston Celtics.[http://www.nba.com/celtics/history/Stats_ManagementCaptains.html Managements and Captains], nba.com/celtics. Retrieved December 16, 2010. Following the death of owner Walter A. Brown on September 7, 1964, Pieri became co-owner of the team with Brown's widow, Marjorie Brown.{{cite news |title=Celtics For Sale, Says Owner |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=65wyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OekFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5984,3539053&dq |work=The Miami News |date=Feb 11, 1965 |accessdate=2010-03-14 }} They sold the club to the Ruppert Knickerbocker Brewing Company, a subsidiary of Marvin Kratter's National Equities.{{cite news |title=Celtics Sold to Brewery |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_scNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=E3QDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5162,2200964&dq |work=St. Petersburg Times |date=June 25, 1965 |accessdate=2010-03-14 }}
Other ventures
Pieri was the longtime owner and manager of the Rhode Island Auditorium. In 1940 he and eight other arena managers founded the Ice Capades.{{cite book | last = Hamilton | first = F. F. Jr. | title = Ice Capades "years of entertainment" | publisher = Penchant Publishing Company, Ltd. | date = 1974 | location = Washington, DC }}
In 1951, Pieri got involved with broadcasting. He purchased a Providence radio station, WDEM."Seeks to Buy WDEM." Providence Journal, August 2, 1951, p. 4. The station's call letters were subsequently changed to WICE; Pieri sold the station in 1956."Files Plea With FCC." Providence Journal, June 22, 1956, p. 29.
Death
On June 16, 1967, Pieri died of a heart attack.{{cite web |title=RI AUDITORIUM |url=http://www.rirocks.net/search/riauditoriumarticle2012.htm |accessdate=21 December 2017 |website=Rirocks.net}}
References
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{{succession box | before = Walter A. Brown | title = President of the Boston Celtics | years = 1963–65 | after = Jack Waldron}}
{{succession box | title=Boston Celtics principal owner
with Marjorie Brown| before=Walter A. Brown | years=1964–1965 | after=National Equities}}
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{{Brown Bears men's basketball coach navbox}}
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Category:Brown Bears men's basketball coaches
Category:Boston Celtics owners