Their son 's death was not the last tragedy for Rick and Joanne . Both were especially hard-hit by the terrorist attacks of September 11 , 2001 , as Joanne 's brother and Rick 's closest friend , Billy Minardi , was working as a bond trader for Cantor Fitzgerald on the 105th floor of the north tower of the World Trade Center when it was struck by American Airlines Flight 11 . Since 2002 , the University of Louisville has designated a December home game as the Billy Minardi Classic , and the university named a dorm on campus as " Billy Minardi Hall . " Only a few months earlier , another brother-in-law of Rick , Don Vogt , was killed after being hit by a New York City cab
the terrorist attacks of September 11 , 2001
September 11 attacks
Rick Pitino