Pierotti’s Clowns

Los Alamos High School teacher Lori Thompson, right, introduces students in her Sports Literature Class on Friday to guest speakers Stephanie Yeamans and Rachel Clay from the Los Alamos Historical Society. Yeamans and Clay detailed the history of Pierotti’s Clowns, the famous 5-man fast-pitch softball team founded in 1953 in Los Alamos. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com

Stephanie Yeamans and Rachel Clay from the Los Alamos Historical Society share the legacy of Pierotti’s Clowns with LAHS teacher Lori Thompson’s Sports Lit. Class Friday at Los Alamos High School. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com

Sports News:

Guest Speakers Rachel Clay and Stephanie Yeamans from the Los Alamos Historical Society presented a talk about the legacy of the Pierotti’s Clowns with students in teacher Lori Thompson’s Sports Literature Class Friday at Los Alamos High School.

Pierotti’s Clowns was a famous 5-man fast-pitch softball team founded in 1953 by Lou and Lee Pierotti in Los Alamos. Known as the “Globetrotters of Softball”, they played for nearly 25 years in clown makeup and costumes, combining high-level athleticism with comedic antics, winning 177 games and raising more than $2 million in today’s dollars for charity. They were featured in six national magazines including the first issue of Sports Illustrated.

Bun Ryan pitched for the Clowns and threw the ball at more than 100 MPH, which made it almost unhittable. Bun’s pitching was so good that the Clowns played with no outfield and only 5 members on the field against standard 9-man teams.