Maestri, a native of Highland Park, Ill., served UNO as both a baseball coach (1972-85) and athletic director (1979-2000).
Under his guidance, UNO baseball went 518-247-1 (.677). The Privateers
never had a losing season during his tenure and qualified nine times
for NCAA tournaments. His 1974 team finished second in the nation at
the Division Two College World Series and became the first Louisiana
school to reach the Division One College World Series in 1984,
finishing fifth. He was the Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year in
1979. The award is now named after him. As Athletic Director, Maestri
hired the likes of Benny Dees, Tim Floyd, Joey Favaloro, Tic Price,
Randy Bush, and Tom Schwaner. In 2002, Privateer Park was officially
renamed Ron Maestri Field. Maestri now works with the New Orleans Zephyrs as their Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer.
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