STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford's women's and men's soccer head coaching positions have been endowed through a gift from Louise '57 and Ray Knowles '56.
"I would like to sincerely thank Louise and Ray Knowles for their continued support of Stanford Athletics and this tremendous contribution to the soccer programs," said Paul Ratcliffe, Stanford's first Knowles Family Director of Women's Soccer. "This endowment will go a long way in strengthening the future of Stanford soccer and sustaining our tradition of scholar-athleticism. We look forward to many more great seasons ahead with the support of our Cardinal community."
"We are incredibly honored by Louise and Ray's generous support for Stanford soccer and Stanford Athletics," said Jeremy Gunn, Stanford's first Knowles Family Director of Men's Soccer. "Their commitment will have an immense impact on our program and our pursuit of excellence on the pitch and in the classroom. The Knowles' energy and love for this university is truly inspiring and we cannot thank them enough for their tremendous gift to the Stanford soccer legacy."
Both graduates of Stanford, the Knowles have been important benefactors to the athletics department for many years. They had previously concentrated their philanthropy on scholarships for the men's and women's golf programs and also endow the position of men's golf head coach Conrad Ray. The Knowles were introduced to the sport of soccer through their four children who all played the game, including two at Stanford in their daughter Nancy Russell '85 and their son Mike Knowles '79.
"Stanford Athletics provides a very important balance to the intellectual strength of the university," the Knowles said. "We cherish our close friendship with Conrad Ray and are very proud to expand our support to the women's and men's soccer programs at Stanford. Our gifts to endow both coaches are given in appreciation for the great job the athletics department has done to provide equality to both women's and men's sports."
In December, Stanford became the first Division I school to win national titles in both women's and men's soccer in the same season, which pushed the department's total of NCAA team championships to 115 and past UCLA for the all-time lead.
Jaye Boissiere's long-distance strike in the 67th minute lifted the women to a 3-2 win over UCLA in the College Cup final and delivered the Cardinal its second national championship. Stanford finished 24-1-0 and set a school record with 91 total goals, 30 more than the next closest team. The Cardinal, which did not allow a goal from open play during the year's final 1,989 minutes, is 275-49-27 in 15 seasons under Ratcliffe.
The Cardinal men cemented their dynasty and became just the second program to win three consecutive national championships when Sam Werner stabbed a right-footed shot under the crossbar in the 103rd minute of the final to beat Indiana 1-0. Stanford, 84-25-18 in six seasons with Gunn in charge and 52-7-10 during its three-year championship run, did not allow a goal throughout the entire tournament for the second straight year and upped its NCAA-record postseason shutout streak to 12 - a stretch of 1,214 minutes and 20 seconds.
Both programs placed 13 on Pac-12 All-Academic teams this past season and received College Team Academic Awards from United Soccer Coaches for posting better than 3.40 cumulative GPAs during 2016-17.
"I want to emphasize how thankful we are for the generosity of Louise and Ray Knowles," Jaquish & Kenninger Director of Athletics Bernard Muir added. "I have developed a close relationship with them during my tenure and they are so passionate about all things Stanford Athletics. This gift is a perfect example and we are extremely fortunate to have such a tremendous display of support dedicated to our soccer programs."
The Knowles' gift will provide necessary resources and ensures support in perpetuity. They are Stanford's 14th and 15th endowed head coach positions and the 26th and 27th overall endowed positions in athletics.