Baseball builder to be enshrined into Alberta Sports Hall of Fame

By Lethbridge Herald on September 23, 2025.

Submitted photo Reno Lizzi was pictured here with his Los Angeles Dodgers appearal on.

By Justin Seward

Local-area  baseball builder Reno Lizzi is set to get his name enshrined into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame this weekend at a special ceremony.

“It means almost  more to our sons than it does to Mark (Reno’s son) because they loved their nonno, their grandpa,” said Mark’s wife Patti.

“They looked up to him so much and he was such a good grandpa and had such a good influence on their lives.”

Lizzi, who passed away in 2005, established  the city’s junior  fastball team in 1948,  which began his journey through making impact in baseball

The Coalhurst product landed the Lethbridge Lakers of the Alberta Major Baseball League in 1972 and in 1975 he was the main spearhead behind bringing  Pioneer League minor league baseball to Lethbridge.

Lizzi was the head of upgrades to Henderson Stadium,  attracting affiliations with the Montreal Expos  in 1975 and  then later with the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1977-1981.

“ He loved the Dodgers,” recalls Mark.

“They  used to have a AAA team in Spokane and we used to go there. I remember one time we walked into the clubhouse in Spokane and Tommy Lasorda (former Dodger player and coach) was there, he was the manager at the time. I remember dad talking to him and Lasorda knew dad. I don’t have clue how, but somehow, he just  knew all those guys.”

As result of his work,  players such as Andre Dawson, Candy Maldonado, Steve Sax and Ron Kiddle played ball in Lethbridge before going to the major leagues.

Lizzi has a scholarship in his name at the Vauxhall Academy of Baseball and was a Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame founding director, in which he was inducted into in 1989.

Lizzi was a community leader that was well-respected and was involved in radio and television sports panels and charity events, which a notable one was the Kinsmen Sportsman Dinner.

Baseball Legends like Sandy Koufax, Ferguson Jenkins, and Whitey Ford attended that dinner.

Lizzi will be inducted at the special luncheon on Saturday at the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in Red Deer.