Larry Koentopp

Larry Koentopp (November 17, 1936 – January 12, 2019) was a college baseball head coach and Minor League Baseball executive. He was born in Spokane, Washington.

Koentopp is best known as the man responsible for bringing Triple-A Professional Baseball to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1983. He also served as the baseball coach and athletic director of Gonzaga University from 1970 through 1977.

Koentopp was a three-sport all-state selection at Gonzaga Preparatory School. He then attended Gonzaga University where he was a standout baseball and basketball player, though he never pursued a professional playing career. Spokane, then an affiliate of the Seattle Mariners and member of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League, ran into financial difficulties in the 1980 season due to the rain and ash fall from the Mount St. Helens eruption, which led the Indians to cancel 18 of their home games and having to deal with poor attendance throughout the rest of the year.

Soon after that season, Koentopp moved the franchise to Las Vegas and renamed it Las Vegas Stars, bringing the city its first-ever Triple-A base-ball franchise in 1983. their last year at Cashman Field. The Aviators new name officially went into effect before the 2019 season, while moving to its new Las Vegas Ballpark.

Through his life, Koentopp was funny and clever and possessed a great deal of energy, going always on the go. He worked out at the gym on a daily basis and golf was one of his favorite pastimes. After selling the team, he remained in Las Vegas, where he died in 2019 at the age of 82.