Other Hall of Fame

For nearly eight decades, whenever the promotion of a sports project or other worthwhile activity took place in the Peoria area, Pete Vonachen's name appeared in the list of supporters.

An avid sports enthusiast and premiere restaurateur, Pete saved professional baseball for Peoria when he purchased the town's Class A Midwest Leage franchise after the 1983 season, turning it into a model for the nation.

Stressing first-class facilities and a belief that fans should have fun at the ballpark, Pete, with the cooperation of the Peoria Park District, turned Meinen Field on Nebraska Avenue into such an attractive park that it won the 1987 Midwest League Gold Award for the most outstanding facility in the league.

With Pete’s promotion acumen, the Chiefs frequently led the MWL in attendance, In 1984, he engineered a deal to switch the club’s major-league affiliation to the Chicago Cubs. In 1985, he was named Class A Executive of the Year by the Sporting News. At the turn of the century, Pete spearheaded the drive to build a new stadium in downtown Peoria. The ballpark opened in 2002 and became key component of revitalizing the Warehouse District between Jefferson and Adams streets. A statue of Pete handing a baseball to a young fan was erected inside the stadium’s main entrance.

A longtime close friend of legendary baseball broadcaster Harry Caray, Pete delivered the eulogy at Harry’s funeral in 1998.

Pete was a past winner of the Neve Harms Meritorious Service to Sports Award, served on the Peoria Park Board for several years, and was Tri-County Outstanding Sports Figure of the year in 1985.