Spirit of Acadiana: Coach Pizz s Tombstone
He loves his town and loves his ballpark, so much that he plans to be buried just over the left field. Scott Brazda shares the touching story of Crowley s Coach Pizz in this edition of Spirit of Acadiana.
and last updated 2021-04-28 20:21:05-04
CROWLEY, La. â Richard Pizzolatto, 85, otherwise known as âCoach Pizz.â
Heâs the man so instrumental in the development of the Crowley Recreation Department, and the man who spearheaded renovation efforts over at Miller Stadium.
Well, Coach Pizz, he s still with us. He s still sharp. And he s already thinking about the next step in his spiritual evolution.
The Crowley Recreation Department has been in the revamping process by installing artificial turf, new lighting, and various other upgrades. The historic Miller Stadium received unanimous support from the City Council during a meeting on June 25th, according to the Acadia Parish Chamber of Commerce. GeoSurfaces, the artificail turf company that is heading the project, posted a photo of the newly turfed Miller Stadium and it looks incredible. The post says, “One field down, eight to go.”
This is huge for the city of Crowley. Miller Stadium has so much history. According to The Historical Maker Database, it was built in 1948 and served as the home of the Crowley Millers who played in South Louisiana’s semi-pro Teche League and the professional Gulf Coast and Evangeline Leagues from 1948 to 1957. In 1957 Hurricane Audrey severely damaged many parks. In 1958 the league folded and the ballpark was purchased by the City of Crowley for the recreation department. In 1998 the b