- Peter Wilt
Peter Wilt (born in
McHenry, Illinois ), is asoccer executive who was the first President and General Manager of the Chicago Fire inMajor League Soccer , led the effort to bring an expansion MLS franchise toMilwaukee, Wisconsin , and maintains strong connection to the sport of soccer in theMidwest , Chicago in particular. Wilt is most known for his work with the Chicago Fire, where he gained a reputation for being a fan-friendly businessman in the soccer world.He is also known as the Patron Saint of The Highbury, a sports bar in Milwaukee where he is known to appear frequently. He also regularly spends time at Club Lago, an Italian retaurant in Chicago and has been known to regard it as his second office. Wilt was known for answering questions from fans through the
BigSoccer Internet message boards [cite news |last=Hruby |first=Patrick |url=http://www.washtimes.com/sports/20030521-125924-1233r.htm |title=It came from the message boards |publisher=The Washington Times |date=2003-05-21 |accessdate=2007-01-18] , and now maintains his own blog on Chicago soccer issues.In 2005, Wilt left the Fire after
Anschutz Entertainment Group , the team's owner, replaced him with John Guppy. In 2006, he became the chief executive officer of Milwaukee Professional Soccer (a group bidding to bring an MLS franchise to Milwaukee), but has since left the position to become CEO of theChicago Red Stars Chicago's entry inWPS that will begin in 2009.References
External links
* [http://www.soccerloop.com/interviews/peter.wilt/ October 2004 Interview]
* [http://www.chicagoist.com/archives/2005/04/19/fire_fire_peter_wilt_fans_protest_at_season_opener.php/ 2005 "Chicagoist" story about Wilt's dismissal]
* [http://www.milwaukeeprosoccer.com/bio_pwilt.asp/ Milwaukee Pro Soccer profile]
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