Illinois State Athletics Mourns The Loss Of Dr. Marian Kneer

NORMAL, Ill. – Dr. Marian Kneer, a longtime supporter of Illinois State softball and the Illinois State Athletics Department, passed away at the age of 96 on Friday, July 3.

Following a Hall of Fame playing career and lifetime of dedication to the sport of softball, the Redbird Softball Complex was renamed Marian Kneer Stadium on July 25, 2008, following a generous donation by Dr. Kneer. In recognition of her support of the Weisbecker Scholarship Fund and Illinois State Athletics, Dr. Kneer was honored as the recipient of the 2016 Joseph F. Warner Golden Redbird Award, the highest honor bestowed to a donor by the Illinois State Athletics Department.

"The softball community is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Marian Kneer," ISU softball head coach Melinda Fischer said. "She was very instrumental in the development of girls and women's sports in the 60's and very well known in the Central Illinois area as a physical education teacher at East Peoria High School for nearly 20 years. Through her generosity, our softball program proudly displays her name on our scoreboard at Marian Kneer Stadium. She was also very gracious with her time, as she spoke on several occasions to our teams about her experiences in fastpitch softball where she got her nickname "Gabby" for her ability as a catcher to lead the team on the field. She told us that when Coach Chuck McCord finally got her to talk, she never shut up. A proud graduate of Illinois State, she had a tremendous passion for sport and education and absolutely loved talking about the 'good ole days'. Marian has left us with many fond memories, and she will be dearly missed."

In the early 1970s, she pioneered the inclusion of women's sports in the Illinois High School Association, two years prior to the passage of the Title IX Education Amendment (1972). She was inducted into the ISU Percy Family Athletics Hall of Fame in 1976 and became a member of the Illinois State College of Education Hall of Fame in 2004.

"Illinois State played an important part in my professional life and I had wonderful professors during my time on campus," Kneer said at the time of stadium dedication in 2008. "I was a member of the team and softball played an important role in my life growing up, so why wouldn't I want to do something in my life that gives back to both the sport and University that has had such an impact on who I am."
 
Kneer is also a member of the Greater Peoria and National Association for Sport and Physical Education Halls of Fame, as well as the Illinois Softball Hall of Fame and the Illinois Girls Coaches Association Hall of Fame. She is the co-author of "Softball, Fast & Slow Pitch," a publication now in its sixth edition and part of the curricula in many softball classes since 1967.

She was born in Peoria, Ill., and graduated from Woodruff High School. She went on to earn her doctorate in physical education from the University of Michigan and was termed "the world's greatest softball catcher" in the late 1950s.

In addition to playing softball for the Caterpillar Dieselettes, Kneer also played basketball and field hockey and coached girls' basketball. She also served in every elective position of the Illinois Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation and served as the president with the National Association for Sport and Physical Education. She taught at East Peoria High School for nearly 20 years and was a professor emeritus at UIC. 

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