Francis X. "Frank" Coonelly (born March 31, 1960) is an American sports executive. He is the former president of the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

(2007-2019). His hiring was announced by the Pirates on September 13, 2007. He replaced

Kevin McClatchy Kevin S. McClatchy (born January 13, 1963) is the chairman of McClatchy and former owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team. He led a group of investors that purchased the team in 1996, and served as the team's CEO and lead owner until 200 ...

who purchased the Pirates with a group of investors in 1996 and served as the CEO for the next 12 seasons. Prior to the start of the 2007 season

Bob Nutting Robert Nutting (born March 29, 1962) is a businessman and sports team owner. He is currently the principal owner and chairman of the board of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball. His other business activities include serving as presi ...

had taken over as principal owner of the Pirates but said he was comfortable with McClatchy as the CEO. Midway through the season McClatchy announced his intention to resign and the Pirates began a search for a replacement. Coonelly's first major assignment was to hire a new general manager to replace

Dave Littlefield David Michael Littlefield (born June 16, 1960) is a former Major League Baseball executive, who is currently a scout for the Detroit Tigers. Previously, Littlefield was employed as Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Pittsburgh Pira ...

, who was fired days before Coonelly was hired. On September 25, 2007 he announced that he had chosen

Neal Huntington Neal Alden Huntington (born February 4, 1969) is the former General Manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball and currently works in the front office of the Cleveland Guardians. Background A native of Amherst, New Hampshire, Hun ...

from the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

organization. He left as president of the team in October 2019. Coonelly previously served as a Senior Vice President in the Commissioner's Office, where he was in charge of various matters including arbitration hearings and draft bonuses. Prior to that he had worked as a lawyer in private practice. He was born and raised in Philadelphia. He earned a bachelor's degree from

Penn State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, Penn State became ...

and a J.D. degree from

Catholic University Catholic higher education includes universities, colleges, and other institutions of higher education privately run by the Catholic Church, typically by religious institutes. Those tied to the Holy See are specifically called pontifical univ ...

. He and his wife, Debbie, have four children named Erin, Tara, Kelley, and Kyle. Coonelly was arrested for drunk driving in 2012.

References

Front Office biographies - Frank Coonelly, President
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coonelly, Frank Pittsburgh Pirates executives Living people Major League Baseball executives Major League Baseball team presidents Pennsylvania State University alumni Columbus School of Law alumni American chief executives of professional sports organizations 1960 births