Marge Schott

Margaret Unnewehr Schott

• Born August 18, 1928, Cincinnati, OH
• Died March 2, 2004, Cincinnati, OH

Biographical Information

Marge Schott was the controversial majority owner of the Cincinnati Reds from 1984 to 1999 after having first bought a minority share in 1981. She was one of two female owners in professional sports during her reign. She was known for making a number of insensitive remarks about minority groups during her period of ownership, earning her reprimands and suspensions, for using her pet St. Bernard, Schottzie, as a team mascot, and for her unwavering support of manager Pete Rose in the face of serious gambling allegations that eventually led to his being permanently banned from baseball in 1989. Among the many low points of her career came on April 1, 1996, when home plate umpire John McSherry died of a heart attack in the 1st inning of the game, forcing its cancellation; she then blamed him for ruining Opening Day for the Reds. She had previously made the offensive remark "I'd rather have a trained monkey working for me than a nigger." She died in 2004 at age 75.

Her name was given to the ballpark used by the University of Cincinnati. The name was always controversial, and players and former players, like Kevin Youkilis have asked for it to be changed.

Further Reading

• William A. Cook: Lady Moguls: A History of Women Who Have Owned Major League Baseball Teams, Sunbury Press, Mechanicsburg, PA, 2015. ISBN 978-1-6200-6636-2

Related Sites

• Marge Schott at the SABR Bio Project