Luciano Capicchioni

Luciano Capicchioni
Born14 July 1946
Rimini, Italy
Died2 March 2021(2021-03-02) (aged 74)
San Marino
NationalitySammarinese-American
OccupationSports Agent

Luciano Capicchioni (14 July 1946 – 2 March 2021) was a Sammarinese-American sports agent.[1]

Biography

As a teenager, Capicchioni moved to the United States with his father and two sisters. In 1965, he founded the cycling team at Michigan State University. Upon his return to Europe, he founded the San Marino Basketball Federation. In 1969, he founded the Federazione Sammarinese Baseball-Softball [it], of which he was the President until 1972.[2] From 1979 to 1984, he served as Vice-President of the Sammarinese National Olympic Committee, a position in which he oversaw the Olympic Games in Los Angeles and Moscow.[3]

In 1986, Capicchioni founded the agency Interperformances, which represented professional athletes worldwide, including Toni Kukoč,[4] Predrag Danilović,[5] Arvydas Sabonis,[6] Peja Stojaković,[7] Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Manu Ginóbili.[8] He also represented soccer, American football, volleyball, and baseball players.[9] His son, Manuel, joined the company in 1998.[10]

In 2002, Capicchioni became owner of the basketball club Basket Rimini Crabs of the Italian Legadue Basket [it]. He left the team in 2006 but made a significant monetary contribution in March 2010, allowing the financially-troubled club to compete for the remainder of the season.[11] Throughout the next few years, he helped to remedy the club's financial struggles, which resulted in its survival.[12][13] In 2018, he restructured the club maintaining only the youth team,[14] but then sold it entirely to Rinascita Basket Rimini.

Luciano Capicchioni died on 2 March 2021 in San Marino at the age of 74.[15]

References

  1. ^ "Luciano Capicchioni morto, addio al manager delle stelle del basket". Il Resto del Carlino (in Italian). 2 March 2021.
  2. ^ "Luciano "Lucky" Capicchioni: manager sammarinese di Kukoc, Sabonis e Danilovic". Rtv San Marino (in Italian). 2 March 2021.
  3. ^ "Luciano Capicchioni". Interperformances.
  4. ^ "Agent Wants Major Bulls Role for Kukoc". Chicago Tribune. 25 May 1993.
  5. ^ "Esclusiva SmRtv - Sasha Danilovic: "Luciano Capicchioni era uno dei manager migliori, è stato importante per me"". Rtv San Marino (in Italian). 3 March 2021.
  6. ^ "Mirė buvęs A. Sabonio, Ž. Ilgausko ir kitų Lietuvos krepšinio garsenybių agentas (6)". lrytas.lt (in Lithuanian). 2 March 2021.
  7. ^ "Peja Stojakovic, la storia del cecchino dell'Est". Basket Universo (in Italian). 28 April 2013.
  8. ^ "Manu Ginobili's agents praise the future Hall of Famer upon retirement". Clutch Points. 27 August 2018.
  9. ^ "Who We Are". Interperformances.
  10. ^ "Manuel Capicchioni". Interperformances.
  11. ^ "Il re dei procuratori salva Rimini". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 19 March 2010.
  12. ^ "Basket. I Crabs sono ufficialmente iscritti in B2". News Rimini (in Italian). 22 July 2011.
  13. ^ "Basket, il saluto di Capicchioni alla Rimini dei canestri". Corriere Romagna (in Italian). 30 July 2020.
  14. ^ "Capicchioni e Rinascita hanno trovato l'accordo: a Rimini una sola squadra". Corriere Romagna (in Italian). 4 September 2018.
  15. ^ "Addio "Lucky" Capicchioni, l'agente che portò in Nba Kukoc e Ginobili". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 3 March 2021.