Longtime Golden Gate Fields executive Peter Tunney dies at age 83
Peter Tunney, the longtime racing executive at Golden Gate Fields in Northern California, died Wednesday after a lengthy illness, his family and friends said Thursday.
Tunney, 83, died at his home in Piedmont, Calif., not far from Golden Gate Fields.
The son of a racing official and steward, Tunney began his involvement in racing in the 1960s, working as a racing official at Southern California tracks, including Del Mar where he was the racing secretary for three years from 1972-74.
Tunney was best known for a lengthy involvement in the day-to-day operations at Golden Gate Fields, joining as general manager in 1980 and later serving as an executive vice president before his retirement in 2017.
A graduate of Alhambra High School in Southern California, Tunney had a sporting background, running track and playing halfback at Occidental College in Los Angeles in the late 1950s.
Tunney was a 13th-round draft choice by the Detroit Lions in 1960, but did not reach the professional level after sustaining severe tendon injuries when a tractor fell on his leg, according to his widow, Anian Tunney.
Tunney walked with a noticeable limp because of the injury.
At Occidental, Tunney was teammates with Jack Kemp, who later played in the NFL and was a congressman from New York.
Anian Tunney said her husband suffered from Lewy body dementia.
“He was valiant and so honorable about all that,” she said. “He didn’t want to be a burden.”
Services were not finalized as of Thursday, Anian Tunney said.