The Accidental Baseball Owner

Host Rick Outzen sits down with Quint Studer to discuss the unlikely origins of Pensacola's Community Maritime Park, as detailed in Rick's book "Right Idea, Right Time." In this first episode of the series, Quint shares the fascinating story of how he and Rishy accidentally became owners of the struggling Pensacola Pelicans independent baseball team, taking over $80,000 in debt just to keep the team afloat. From folding chairs at Pensacola Junior College to the challenges of finding a league to play in, Quint recounts the early days that would eventually lead to something much bigger. The conversation covers the pivotal breakfast meeting with Tom Bonfield that planted the seeds for moving both the Studer Group and a potential baseball stadium downtown - a conversation that would ultimately transform Pensacola's landscape.