PORTLAND, Ore. --- Vince Pesky, a Portland baseball alum and long-time supporter of University of Portland Athletics, died on Sunday at age 99. Pesky starred for the Pilots in the 1940's before embarking on a career as a long-time Portland area educator and coach.
 
Pesky had a brief minor league stint following his collegiate career and was head coach of the Pilots in 1950. He was also a fixture in the bleachers at Pilots baseball games for decades.  
 
"I had the pleasure of spending some time with Vince a couple of years ago here on campus," Portland baseball head coach Geoff Loomis said. "Three things stuck with me: Vince loved the Pilots, loved the game of baseball, and loved the city of Portland."

The younger brother of former baseball great Johnny Pesky, Vince Pesky had been living in an assisted care facility in Southwest Portland at the time of his death. Don Nelson, who wrote a book about Pesky and his family titled "Sons of Slabtown and Tales of Westside Sports," said Pesky died of natural causes.
 
Pesky, who turned 99 last August, retired from Portland Public Schools in 1998 following a 44-year career as a teacher, administrator and coach. Pesky is a member of the Portland Interscholastic League's Hall of Fame.
 
Named Vincent Paveskovich at birth, Vince Pesky is the youngest of six children and last to survive.
 
Following his time with the Pilots, Pesky had a four-decade career in Portland Public Schools, spending the bulk of his education and coaching career at Marshall High School. Pesky was inducted into the PIL Hall of Fame in 2006. His older brother Johnny, who died in 2012 at age 93, is also a PIL Hall of Famer.