Longtime married couple Rick Pitino and Joanne Minardi have been married for 50 years.
Joanne Minardi was born and raised in New York, where she crossed paths with Rick Pitino in the early 1970s.
The two attended St. Dominic’s High School in Oyster Bay, Long Island; however, their romance didn’t blossom until later.
At the time, Rick was a young, ambitious assistant coach, while Joanne worked as a flight attendant.
Later, after two years of courtship, Rick and Joanne walked down the aisle on April 3, 1976. They’ve been married for 50 years.
Rick and Joanne share five living children: Michael, Christopher, Richard, Ryan, and Jacqueline. However, their journey as parents hasn’t been bed full of roses.
In 1987, their six-month-old son, Daniel, passed away due to congenital heart failure.
In his memory, Rick and Joanne established the Daniel Pitino Foundation. The foundation has raised millions to support needy children.
The couple faced another devastating blow on September 11, 2001, when Joanne’s brother and Rick’s best friend, Billy Minardi, was killed in the World Trade Center attacks.
Billy, a bond trader at Cantor Fitzgerald, was working on the 105th floor of the North Tower when the plane struck.
The loss hit Joanne and Rick hard, with Rick later telling ESPN, “My wife and I always say that life will never be as good as when Billy was alive. The void is that large for us.“
To honor Billy’s memory, the University of Louisville hosts the annual Billy Minardi Classic, and a dorm on campus bears his name.
Joanne Minardi Stood by Rick Through Extramarital Affairs and Scandals!
Rick Pitino’s career has had a lot of downs as it has been successful, and Joanne has stood by him through some of its darkest moments.
In 2009, Rick admitted to an extramarital affair with Karen Cunagin Sypher, which occurred in 2003 at a Louisville restaurant.
The incident resulted in Sypher attempting to extort money, an act for which she was eventually found guilty and received a prison sentence.
Rick publicly apologized, and Joanne chose to work through the betrayal with him.
The pair was also under fire in 2017 when Rick was involved in a recruiting scandal at Louisville, leading to his termination.
But even after the public humiliation, Joanne stood by Rick once again, and their marriage endured.
Their son Richard, now head coach of the New Mexico Lobos, carries on the family basketball tradition, adding yet another twist to Joanne’s role as a matriarch.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Rick Pitino led St. John’s University to its first Big East Tournament Championship game since 2000. The team advanced after a strong performance against Marquette, with standout player Zuby Ejiofor scoring 33 points.
- Pitino was named Big East Coach of the Year for guiding St. John’s to its first outright Big East regular-season title in 40 years.
