Peter-Laudati-Lou-Gehrig-Tim-ONeil-Babe-Ruth-James-Dooley-at-Kinsley-Park-October-1927

Peter A. Laudati was a sports promoter and a part-owner of the

Providence Steam Roller The Providence Steam Rollers (also referred to as the Providence Steam Roller, the Providence Steamroller and the Providence Steamrollers) were a professional American football team based in Providence, Rhode Island in the National Football Leag ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

. He was also responsible for the construction of the team's stadium, the

Cycledrome The Cycledrome was an American football stadium and velodrome located in Providence, Rhode Island.This reference erroneously calls it the "Cyclodome." Its name derived from its intended use as a bicycle racing stadium (velodrome) when it was bu ...

. Prior to this, he was a prominent

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in some religions * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

real estate developer.

Sports Promoter

Laudati was an ardent promoter of sports ventures; in addition to the

he built Providence's

Kinsley Park Kinsley Park was an athletic field, used for professional football, minor league baseball and pro soccer, located in Providence, Rhode Island at the corner of Kinsley Avenue (north, third base) and Acorn Street (west, first base), across Acorn fr ...

, home of the

Providence Grays The Providence Grays were a Major League Baseball team based in Providence, Rhode Island who played in the National League from until . The Grays played at the Messer Street Grounds in the Olneyville neighborhood. The team won the National ...

baseball team in the 1930s. He was instrumental in bringing

Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional Baseball in the United States, baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nickna ...

and

Lou Gehrig Henry Louis Gehrig ( ; June 19, 1903June 2, 1941), also known as Heinrich Ludwig Gehrig, was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees (1923–1939). Gehrig was ...

to play an exhibition game at Kinsley Park during their 1927 post-season barnstorming tour.

Providence Steam Rollers

Laudati established the Steam Roller football team in 1916 with James Dooley and

Charles Coppen Charles B. Coppen was an American journalist who was the sports editor for the ''Providence Journal''. He was also a baseball executive and a part owner of the Providence Steam Roller of the National Football League. He not only shared ownership o ...

. The Steam Roller became a member of the NFL in 1925. In 1928, they became the first team in

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

to win an

NFL Championship Throughout its history, the National Football league (NFL) and other rival American football leagues have used several different formats to determine their league champions, including a period of inter-league matchups to determine a true national ...

. According to a Steam Roller cash book, kept by Laudati in 1927, that was donated to the

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional football (gridiron), professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of profes ...

by Ray Monaco, who also played with the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

and the

Cleveland Rams The Cleveland Rams were a professional American football team that played in Cleveland from 1936 to 1945. The Rams competed in the second American Football League (AFL) for the 1936 season and the National Football League (NFL) from 1937 to ...

, after a November 8 game against the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

, brought a total intake of $9,911.51. Added to a $1,000 loan received from Laudati a day earlier, that gave the team a balance of nearly $11,000, more than enough to cover the game's expenses of $5,840.64. The NFL took 1 percent of the gate receipts from each game and the Cycledrome took 15 percent; players’ salaries ($1,972) and the visiting team's share ($2,475) accounted for most of the other expenses. However, by 1931 financial issues forced the team to go on a hiatus and fold in 1933. Laudati turned this to his advantage. In 1934 he leveled the Cycledrome and built on the site an E.M. Lowe drive-in movie theater. When it opened in 1937, it was only the second drive-in theater in the nation, the first being in

Jersey City Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

. Although his name was not used in connection with the Cycledrome in any of the contemporary newspaper accounts, the chief financier and owner of the building was Laudati. He died in September 1977.

References

External Links

Rhode Island Artin Ruins: Providence Cyclodome
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Laudati, Peter 1977 deaths NFL franchise owners NFL executives Providence Steam Roller Year of birth missing