Larry Schmittou | |
|---|---|
 Schmittou in 1984 | |
| Born | July 19, 1940 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Peabody College |
| Occupation(s) | Educator Entrepreneur Vanderbilt Commodores baseball coach Minor League Baseball owner/executive Vice President of Marketing for the Texas Rangers (MLB) |
| Spouse | Shirley (1959–present)[1] |
Larry Schmittou (born July 19, 1940) is an American entrepreneur and former baseball executive and coach. He owns L&S Family Entertainment LLC, which operates a chain of bowling centers in Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana.
From 1968 to 1978, Schmittou was the head coach of Vanderbilt University's baseball team, the Vanderbilt Commodores. From 1978 to 1996, he owned shares in several Minor League Baseball teams, beginning with the Nashville Sounds. He also owned shares in the Daytona Beach Islanders, Eugene Emeralds, Greensboro Hornets, Huntsville Stars, Salem Redbirds, Salt Lake City Gulls, Wichita Pilots/Wranglers, and Winston-Salem Spirits baseball teams as well as a minor league hockey team and minor league basketball team.
While president of the Sounds, Nashville led all of Minor League Baseball in attendance in their first season and went on to lead the Southern League in attendance in each of their seven seasons as members of the league. The franchise was recognized for its promotion efforts when it won the Larry MacPhail Award for outstanding minor league promotions in 1978, 1980, and 1981. Schmittou was later hired to serve as the Vice President of Marketing for the Texas Rangers Major League Baseball (MLB) team from 1983 to 1986. He also headed a group that sought, unsuccessfully, to place a major league franchise in Nashville as part of the 1993 MLB expansion.
Schmittou was chosen for the Southern League Executive of the Year Award in 1978 and was inducted into the Southern League Hall of Fame in 2016. He won the American Association Executive of the Year Award in 1987 and 1989. In 2006, Schmittou was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.[2] He was awarded the Fred Russell Lifetime Achievement Award by the Nashville Sports Council in 2011.[3]
- ^ Woody 1996, p. 78.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
TSHoFwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "13th Annual Pepsi Celebration of Champions Presented by Kroger Honors Greatest Achievements in Middle Tennessee Sports". Nashville Sports Council. March 9, 2011. Retrieved April 13, 2015.