Kevin Penner

• Height 6' 2"

• School Wichita State University
• High School Aurora High School

BR minors page

Biographical Information

Kevin Penner was Nebraska's high school athlete of the year in 1980, starring in track (third in the state in the 100 dash), basketball (All-state) and football (quarterback on a team that was unbeaten in the regular season). He was with Wichita State when they made it to the finale of the 1982 College World Series. In the Series, though, he was hit in the face by a Calvin Schiraldi pitch, shattering his cheekbone and leaving a piece of bone in his eye. He underwent surgery which removed bone from his skull to rebuild the floor of his eye socket. He suffered double vision for months, but was able to return the field for the 1983 collegiate season. He played for Team USA in the 1983 Pan American Games alongside B.J. Surhoff, Mark McGwire, Tim Belcher and other future major leaguers. The Texas Rangers took him in the 48th round of the 1983 amateur draft, after all the other teams had stopped drafting already (though Texas went another couple rounds), but he never played in the minors.

Primary Sources: Wichita Eagle article, Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame