'Mr. Tacoma' Stan Naccarato, key figure in Northwest sports scene, dead at 88



TACOMA – One of the most influential figures in Pierce County sports died Wednesday at the age of 88, The News Tribune reported.

A former minor-league baseball player, Stan Naccarato played key roles in keeping Triple A baseball in Tacoma and getting the Tacoma Dome built, and was a ubiquitous presence in baseball, boxing, bowling, golf and soccer circles.

There’s a plaque at Cheney Stadium for Naccarato, who was general manager of the team for 20 years. Naccarato was also a vice-president of the Tacoma Stars soccer team and a ring announcer for Emerald Queen boxing.



“Stan was there,” his friend Doug McArthur told The News Tribune. “His involvement with a team that put Tacoma on the United States baseball map was one of the great thrills his life. And what a life: He’s been called ‘Mr. Tacoma’ and ‘Stan the Man.’ By any title, I don’t think Tacoma ever had a better salesman than Stanley. He could have gone lots of places, but he didn’t ever want to leave.”

Naccarato’s family is well-known in Pierce County. His wife, Jeanne, is a Hall of Fame professional bowler. One son, Gordon, operates Tacoma’s Pacific Grill, and another son, Steve, is co-owner of Tacoma’s Shake Shake Shake.