Ron Maestri
Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame
Baseball, 1972-2000
University of New Orleans
Inducted: 1996
Ron Maestri, a native of Highland Park, Ill., served the University of New Orleans as both a baseball coach (1972-85) and athletic director (1979-2000). After serving as an executive with the New Orleans Zephyrs, New Orleans’ Triple-A minor league baseball team from 2004-2012, Maestri returned to the bench to coach the Privateers during a time of turmoil in the UNO Athletics Department.
Under his guidance, UNO baseball went 518-247-1 (.677) during Maestri’s first stretch as head coach. The Privateers never had a losing season during that 14-year run and qualified nine times for NCAA tournaments. His 1974 team finished second in the nation at the Division Two College World Series and his 1984 team became the first Louisiana school to reach the Division One College World Series, 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.
