Peter Hardy | |
|---|---|
.png) | |
| Born | Norman Edgar Hardy (1917-01-04)January 4, 1917 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | November 22, 1997(1997-11-22) (aged 80) London, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation | Brewer |
| Employer | Labatt Brewing Company |
| Known for | Toronto Blue Jays executive |
Baseball player Baseball career | |
| Member of the Canadian | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 2004 |
Norman Edgar "Peter" Hardy (January 4, 1917 – November 22, 1997) was aCanadian brewer and one of the founding baseball executives of theToronto Blue Jays ofMajor League Baseball (MLB).
Hardy was born inToronto in 1917, and served in theRoyal Canadian Navy during World War II.[1] He joinedLabatt 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 theboard of directors of theToronto Blue Jays;[2] the team joined theAmerican League the following year. He became chairman andCEO in 1982, and held those positions until 1989.[1] In April 1985, sportswriterSteve Wulf ofSports 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 theCanadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004.[4]
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Peter Bavasi (President and CEO) | Toronto Blue JaysChairman andCEO 1982–1989 | Succeeded by Paul Beeston (President and CEO) andSam Pollock (Chairman) |