Evan Knoblauch

Evan Knoblauch was born on New Year's Eve, 1989, to Herb and Susie Knoblauch.  He graduated from St. Pat's Grade School and attended Washington Community High School.  He was very active in sports and was in the middle of his senior year when he was killed in a single-car automobile accident on January 5, 2008, in Woodford County.  Knoblauch was in Woodford County on that Saturday afternoon on the way to help his grandmother wash her car.

Evan's death, like any of the youth tragedies that have befallen our community, absolutely shocked the students of WCHS and deeply saddened Washington.  Teenagers aren't supposed to die.

Students gathered at the football field when word got back to Washington about what happened. When WCHS staff member and football coach Darrell Crouch arrived, students were gathered at the 50-yard line. Evan Knoblauch was the leading rusher on the 2007 Panther football team and a three-year letterman.

The WCHS basketball team was in Geneseo, preparing to play that evening. During warmups, Geneseo Athletic Director Travis Mackey could see how the events were affecting the team and how they could affect the game, so he postponed the game.

On Tuesday, January 8, a gathering was planned in the Torry Gymnasium for community members to gather, console, and share their memories of Evan.  Over 200 people attended the service.

On Thursday, January 12, a Washington teen, so distraught by the passing of Evan, attempted to kill himself by crashing into the same tree that was involved in Evan's accident.  That student fortunately survived.

The visitation was held on January 15 at the Five Points Auditorium, with crowds extending into adjacent rooms.  At one point during the visitation, Evan's father, Herb, thrusts his arm into the air, extending two fingers, which is symbolic of Evan's uniform number.  The football players in the crowd followed suit, and a tribute was born.

That spring, Washington's basketball team made it to the IHSA Elite 8 state finals in Peoria.  Evan would have been front and center in the cheering section. The Panther student section kept an empty seat open during Washington's games as a tribute to their friend.  In keeping with a tradition that started after his death, during a quiet moment in the game, the student fan section would stand silent and hold up two fingers for the duration of the time-out.

For years after his death, the Evan Knoblauch Frisbee Golf Outing was held in his honor to raise funds for the Washington Park facility.