Mary Owen - M Club Hall of Fame - University of Minnesota Athletics

Upcoming Events

Schedule

Sep 7

Men's Golf

vs 2nd Swing Gopher Invitational

Sep 8

Men's Golf

vs 2nd Swing Gopher Invitational

Sep 8

Women's Golf

vs ANNIKA Intercollegiate

Mary Owen
Softball, 1976-79
HOF Class of 2006

Mary Owen set the standard for Minnesota softball in its early years. In her 1978 junior year, she led the Golden Gophers to third place at the National Collegiate World Series.

That year, she batted .349 with 36 RBI. “Sparky” led the team with six home runs, 52 hits, 43 runs scored and 82 total bases, all school records. The team co-captain hit .309. Her single-game four runs scored and two home runs were records. Lettering four years, at graduation she ranked second on the Gophers’ career list with 77 RBI, 122 runs scored and nine home runs.

Owen was a co-winner of the Women’s Intercollegiate Athlete of the Year Award, and the Patty Berg Outstanding Graduating Senior in 1979. She played professional softball with the Mount Vernon (NY) Explorers and was 1979 Rookie of the Year. In amateur softball, she was a 1981 All-American and played on the U.S. team in the Tri-Nation Championship against Japan and China.

In 1986, Owen was an inaugural member of the University of Minnesota Women’s Softball Hall of Fame, and was later named to the Minnesota State Softball Hall of Fame. An undergraduate honor student, she continued her education at the University’s School of Dentistry, earning a DDS degree.