11th Annual Event at AT&T Park Helps Preserve Dante Benedetti’s Legacy and Support the Next Generation of Dante’s Boys through Baseball
SAN FRANCISCO – March 22, 2016 – The Dante’s Boys Foundation (DBF), an organization dedicated to helping San Francisco Bay Area youth through the pursuit of sports, today announced that the 2016 Dante Benedetti Baseball Classic will be held at San Francisco’s AT&T Park on Thursday, March 24, 2016, at 2:30 p.m.
Working in partnership with the University of San Francisco and the San Francisco baseball community, DBF provides meaningful financial support to organizations that facilitate active participation in athletics for more than 15,000 underserved youth in the Bay Area, funding the maintenance of fields and providing equipment and uniforms to ensure that all youth have a level playing field in the sport. The foundation was founded in honor of the longtime University of San Francisco Dons’ baseball coach and San Francisco restaurateur Dante Benedetti.
The first game of the doubleheader will feature the Bruce-Mahoney Trophy game at 2:30 p.m. between St. Ignatius College Preparatory and Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory in the oldest high school athletic rivalry west of the Mississippi River. The University of San Francisco Dons and the University of the Pacific Tigers are featured in the second game of the Classic at 5 p.m.
The annual baseball classic is the foundation’s main fundraising event. General admission is $15 at AT&T Park the day of the game; tickets can also be purchased in advance online for $10 at the event’s Eventbrite page. Attendees who would like to participate in the Dante Benedetti Classic Glove Drive and bring a new or gently used baseball mitt or make a $20 donation to the Junior Giants will gain free admittance to the event.
For nearly 40 years, Dante Benedetti was San Francisco’s own “Mr. Baseball” to thousands of boys and young men. His kindness, generosity and occasional firm hand guided many a young boy away from trouble and back onto the road to becoming a responsible adult. His legacy is seen today throughout the San Francisco community as “Dante’s boys” have become policemen, doctors, coaches, teachers and businessmen.
Before beginning a 30-year career as a successful Silicon Valley entrepreneur and executive, DBF co-founder and board member Tom Lounibos played in the infield for the University of San Francisco Dons and was selected in the 1978 Major League Baseball draft by the Minnesota Twins – thanks to the coaching of Dante Benedetti. Lounibos never forgot about Benedetti and together withco-founder Kevin Cronin and others started the non-profit organization to support the development of the next generation of Dante’s boys through the game of baseball.
“Even though I’ve left the ball park for the corporate business park, my love of baseball remains as strong as ever,” said Lounibos. “Dante Benedetti was much more than just a baseball coach; he was a mentor to me and to many others and gave us the life lessons and confidence to succeed on and off the field. Through the foundation and events like the annual baseball classic, we’re working to continue this incredible legacy.”
“Dante Benedetti taught us valuable life lessons through the game of baseball,” said Cronin. “He provided equipment and sponsored teams for hundreds of kids that otherwise could not afford to play baseball. Our glove drive at the Dante Benedetti Classic is our way of honoring Dante’s legacy and paying forward those lessons to the San Francisco community.”
The 2016 Dante Benedetti Baseball Classic is sponsored by Blueback Global, David Powell Financial Services and SOASTA.
About Dante’s Boys Foundation
The mission of the Dante’s Boys Foundation is to facilitate active participation in sports for underserved youth. The organization works to preserve the legacy that Dante Benedetti left the San Francisco community by supporting the development of the next generation of Dante’s boys through the game of baseball. Dante’s Boys Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit corporation. For more information, please visit www.dantebfoundation.org.
