Charles Elmer "Punch" Knoll (October 7, 1881 in Evansville, Indiana

Evansville, Indiana

Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the...

, USA - February 8, 1960 in Evansville, Indiana) was a Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the Washington Senators

Minnesota Twins

The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...

 in 1905. He also spent 27 seasons playing in the minor leagues and managed in the minor leagues for 22 seasons.

Major league career

Knoll made his major league debut on April 27, 1905 with the Senators and played in 79 games for them. He hit .213 with no home runs and 29 RBI in 244 at-bats, scoring 24 runs and hitting five triples. He committed eight errors as an outfielder in his only major league season, posting a .927 fielding percentage at that position. He played his final big league game on October 4.

Minor league career

Knoll began his minor league career in 1901 and played every season, expect for 1905, 1918 and 1929, until 1930. A .279 hitter, he had 2,455 career hits, 456 doubles, 141 triples and 85 home runs. In seasons in which he had more than 100 at-bats, Knoll hit more than .300 five times. He also exceeded the 10-triple mark four times and the 10-home run mark three times.

Managerial career

Knoll managed the Evansville River Rats

Evansville River Rats

The Evansville River Rats were a professional minor league baseball team based in Evansville, Indiana. They played from 1901 to 1902 in the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League and from 1903 to 1910 and 1914 to 1915 in the Central League...

 from 1907 to 1909, leading them to a league championship in 1908. He then managed the Dayton Veterans from 1910 to 1912, leading them to a league championship in 1911. In 1913, he returned to the River Rats and managed them until 1915. They switched their name to the Evansville Evas for the 1916 season, and he managed them until 1917.

He next managed the Ludington Mariners

Ludington Mariners

The Ludington Mariners were a professional Class D minor league baseball team from Ludington, Michigan. Their home field was located in Culver Park....

 in 1920 and the Bay City Wolves from 1921 to 1924, leading them to successive league championships in 1923 and 1924. In 1925, he returned to the Danville Veterans, whom he managed until 1926. He then managed the Quincy Red Birds for part of 1927 (replacing Mack Allison

Mack Allison

Mack Pendleton Allison was a professional baseball player whose career spanned 16 seasons, including three in Major League Baseball with the St. Louis Browns . Allison was a pitcher during his career...

), the Fort Wayne Chiefs in 1928 (leading them to a league championship), the Wilkes-Barre Barons

Wilkes-Barre Barons

The Wilkes-Barre Barons were a legendary basketball team from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.The Barons played between 1933 and 1972 in different American leagues. The team won 11 titles during this time, and the most memorable are those were won while playing in the American Basketball League and the...

 in 1929 (replacing Don Sykes) and the Fort Wayne Chiefs again in 1930.

Following his death, he was interred at Locust Hill Cemetery in Evansville.