Peter Hardy
Born
Norman Edgar Hardy

(1917-01-04)January 4, 1917
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
DiedNovember 22, 1997(1997-11-22) (aged 80)
London, Ontario, Canada
OccupationBrewer
EmployerLabatt Brewing Company
Known forToronto Blue Jays executive
Baseball career
Member of the Canadian
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction2004

Norman Edgar "Peter" Hardy (January 4, 1917 – November 22, 1997) was a Canadian brewer and one of the founding baseball executives of the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Hardy was born in Toronto in 1917, and served in the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II.[1] He joined Labatt Brewing Company in 1949, became a vice president in 1962, and served as president from 1964 to 1968.[1] He then moved to the parent company, John Labatt Ltd., of which he became chairman in 1980.[1]

In 1976, Hardy was named to the board of directors of the Toronto Blue Jays;[2] the team joined the American League the following year. He became chairman and CEO in 1982, and held those positions until 1989.[1] In April 1985, sportswriter Steve Wulf of Sports Illustrated rated Hardy as baseball's best executive in a story naming MLB's "dream team".[3]

He was married to his wife Dorothy, and had two daughters.[1]

Hardy died in 1997 at age 80.[1] He was inducted to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Peter Hardy, 80, Blue Jays chief in glory years". Toronto Star. November 24, 1997. p. E7.
  2. ^ "Franchise christened Blue Jays". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. August 13, 1976. p. 29. Retrieved December 12, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Wulf, Steve (April 15, 1985). "The Team of Your Dreams". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 12, 2021 – via SI.com.
  4. ^ "Andre Dawson Leads Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame Class of '04". canadianbaseballnews.com. February 26, 2004. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
Sporting positions Preceded byPeter Bavasi (President and CEO) Toronto Blue Jays Chairman and CEO 1982–1989 Succeeded byPaul Beeston (President and CEO) and Sam Pollock (Chairman)
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