PETRAKIS, John

John Petrakis. Photo courtesy: Bob Reding

PETRAKIS, John. (Dubuque, IA, July 3, 1914--Dubuque, IA, Aug. 1, 1987). Dubuque's "Mr. Baseball." In 1934 Petrakis arranged for Iowa's first nighttime BASEBALL game. He served as president of the Dubuque Packers, semi-pro baseball club.

Petrakis, widely recognized for his support of baseball in Dubuque, coached the Central Cafe softball team from 1941 to 1950, collecting eighteen trophies. In 1956 Petrakis was featured in the Saturday Evening Post because of his success as the general manager of Dubuque's minor league team. The commissioner of major league baseball named him the Minor League's Ambassador for Organized Baseball.

In 1958 Petrakis was presented with the Outstanding Citizen Award from the Dubuque Realty Board. Petrakis' lifetime of commitment to the sport led to the naming of the 4th Street baseball park in his honor in 1961. The same year he was given the Service to Humanity Award from the Dubuque JAYCEES and the Boys' Club Man Behind the Boy Award.

Petrakis was named Executive of the Year for minor leagues by the Sporting News and was elected to the DUBUQUE SOFTBALL HALL OF FAME in 1985. On May 4, 1986, the new baseball field, part of the Gerald “Red” MCALEECE Recreation Complex, was named the Johnny Petrakis Baseball Park.

Petrakis was named to Ripley's Believe It or Not in 1934 for his basketball free-throw records of 112 consecutive shots, 972 out of 1,000 and 4,665 out of 5,000. In 1935 he was named to Iowa Oddities for making 148 consecutive free throws.

The former owner and operator of Johnnie’s Cafe, Petrakis began working for Life Investors Insurance Company in 1963. He served for eighteen years as a member of the Dubuque Recreation Commission. In 1951 he organized the DUBUQUE BOYS' CLUB Boosters.