John William Knight

John William Knight passed away peacefully on June 23, 2026, in Monmouth, Oregon, surrounded by his pastor, family, friends, and former athletes. He was born in Detroit, Michigan, on June 23, 1940, to Juanita (Krueger) Knight and the Rev. Lawson Fackler Knight, and was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.

By the age of eight, John had found his love of football through Pop Warner Football in Hialeah, Florida. At fifteen, his parents sent him from Hialeah to a Lutheran prep school in Bronxville, New York, to study for the Missouri Synod Lutheran pastorate. His passion for football and track ran deeper, however, and he put himself on a train back to Hialeah to pursue those sports. He became an exceptional two-sport athlete, excelling in football and as a sprinter in track. Before his senior year, his father took a call to pastor a church in Frankentrost, Michigan, and John went on to graduate from Frankenmuth High School.

Although John held a full-ride football scholarship offer to Michigan State University, a friend of his father's—the president of Valparaiso University (Valpo)—persuaded the “good Missouri Synod Lutheran boy” to attend Valpo as a two-sport student-athlete. There he ran track and played football, earning the nickname the “Knight Express” on the field. He was later inducted into the Valpo Athletics Hall of Fame in 1999 for football and track.

After completing his bachelor's degree in theology at Valpo in 1962, John was drafted into the NFL by the Pittsburgh Steelers, and in 1960’s he trained and competed in the sprints at the U.S. Olympic Trials. A career-ending football injury led him to Fort Worth, Texas, to become a youth minister—where he soon discovered that all the youth were in school. Drawn back to the sports he loved, he returned to Valpo as a graduate assistant. In 1964 he accepted a call to Concordia High School in Portland, Oregon, as a teacher, coach, and head resident of the boys' boarding high school—the move that first brought him to Oregon. While in Portland, he also coached the Portland Thunderbirds, a semi-professional football team.

It was at Concordia that John first saw his future wife, Susanna (Susie) Heins, as she enrolled at Concordia Junior College as a freshman. They were married at Zion Lutheran Church in Corvallis, Oregon, on June 22, 1968. The couple began their married life in McMinnville, Oregon, after John was hired in 1968 by Linfield athletic director and head football coach Paul Durham as a graduate assistant football coach, wrestling coach, and track and field coach. He coached while earning his secondary-education teaching certificate and his master's degree in education from Linfield.

After receiving his master's degree, John gave a great deal to Linfield: he served as acting dean of men and as head resident of Memorial, Larsell, and Campbell Halls; created and held the position of director of student activities; chaired the Department of Health and Physical Education; and coached football and track and field. His two children, Jennifer and Lawson, were born in 1970 and 1972. He continued as defensive coordinator in football through the fall of 1977, when he became head men's cross-country coach, and he served as head track coach from 1970 through 1978. Linfield later honored him with an award for outstanding years of service as a cross-country and track and field coach.

In 1978, John accepted a call to Concordia Teachers College (Concordia University, Nebraska) in Seward, Nebraska, to teach and coach. Over his eleven-year tenure, he taught classes, coached cross country and track and field, and served as athletic director and dean of students, developing many student-athletes along the way. He was also active nationally: he served as president of the NAIA Track & Field Coaches Association from 1986 to 1988, was a member of The Athletic Congress (TAC) during the 1980s, and co-developed the Level 1 curriculum for USA Track and Field (USATF). He managed junior and senior USATF teams throughout the decade and traveled extensively to Europe. He led a Nebraska delegation to France to compete internationally, traveled to France ten times with American mutli-event teams, and was invited there to provide pole vault clinics.

In the summer of 1989, while on a family trip in France, John accepted his final teaching and coaching position, at Western Oregon University (WOU). Coach led the WOU Wolves' track and field program from 1989 to 2003, building a legacy that few coaches at any level can match. During his tenure he developed 17 individual national champions and more than 250 All-Americans; earned NCAA (2003) and NAIA (1993) National Coach of the Year honors; was named conference Coach of the Year for eight consecutive seasons; coached the WOU NAIA 4-Time Decathlon Champion in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta; and was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame for coaching track and field in 1990. He was inducted into the NAIA District II Hall of Fame for coaching track and field in 1994. He was a finalist for the Slats Gill Award at the Oregon Sports Awards in 2004 for his work in Western Oregon University track and field, and WOU inducted him into its Athletics Hall of Fame for coaching track and field in 2009. His love of sport carried him through a long career of developing athletes on and off the field, and he earned many more accolades and achievements than can be named here. WOU Athletics honored him with an annual track meet - the John Knight Twilight.

John loved his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and demonstrated his faith by serving as an elder at Faith Lutheran Church in Monmouth, Oregon, for many years, until dementia prevented him from continuing in that role. Above all, John was a family man. He met weekly for men's Bible study at a local restaurant in Monmouth and delighted in family time, especially getting “cards in the air” for friendly competition. He was always up for a road trip to see family and friends and loved camping trips across America. He cherished his wife of 58 years, his daughter and son, and beamed at the title of Papa-John. He rarely missed a track meet when his granddaughters competed, and in retirement he thoroughly enjoyed following the endeavors of his grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.

John was preceded in death by his father, the Rev. Lawson F. Knight; his mother, Juanita (Krueger) Knight; his brother, Lawson F. Knight; and his sisters, Kathryn Louise (Knight) Eckman and Juanita Emily (Knight) Davies. He leaves behind his wife, Susanna (Heins) Knight, of Monmouth, Oregon; his daughter, Jennifer Birt (Scott), of McMinnville, Oregon; his son, Lawson Knight (Cyndy), of Walla Walla, Washington; his sister, Margaret Rau, of Clearwater, Florida; his brother, Robert Knight (Maryanne), of Allen, Texas; his sister-in-law, Kay Amick, of Valrico, Florida; his brother-in-law, James Davies (Robyn), of Covington, Georgia; his beloved grandchildren, Madelyn, Molly, Chloe, and Colton; and many cousins, nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews.

A memorial service will be held on Friday, July 3, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. in the Western Oregon University Wolves Athletic Center Gymnasium in Monmouth, Oregon. A reception and sharing of memories will follow at the Western Oregon University Gentle House.

For those who wish to make a memorial gift in John's honor, please consider the following:

Western Oregon University

Online: Give to WOU – WOU Foundation. In the Designation dropdown menu, select the “John Knight Scholarship.”

Concordia Nebraska

Gifts may be made to the John W. Knight Scholarship Endowment, designated for track and field athletes at Concordia Nebraska.

Online: www.cune.edu/giving — click “Make a gift online,” choose the “Other” donation category, and write “John Knight Endowment” in the open text box.

Mail: Concordia University, ATTN: Institutional Advancement, 800 N. Columbia Ave., Seward, NE 68434 (write “John Knight Endowment” on the memo line of the check).