PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WPRI) — Lou Schwechheimer, a longtime member of the Pawtucket Red Sox family, died Wednesday due to complications of COVID-19. He was 62.
His current team, the Wichita Wind Surge, for which he served as majority owner and general partner, made the announcement.
“Minor League Baseball has lost a legend and a visionary,” PawSox Chairman and Red Sox Hall of Famer Larry Lucchino said. “In all of our many years with the Red Sox, both Boston and Pawtucket, we found Lou to be so likable, so devoted to this game, and so full of friends in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and all of New England.”
Schwechheimer spent 37 years in the PawSox organization, starting as an intern in 1978. Over the years, he worked his way up to vice president and was part of the ownership group that included Ben Mondor and Mike Tamburro.
During his tenure, more than 700 PawSox players made it to the MLB, and crowds at McCoy Stadium swelled from approximately 200 fans a night to roughly 10,000.
He was twice named IL executive of the year.
