Staying productive
This is one in a continuing series about Butler County sports fi gures from the past, their contributions and an update on their lives.SLIPPERY ROCK — Many doubted Josh Kniess.Before his senior season on the Slippery Rock High football team, many did not believe Kniess would make a huge impact on the Rockets.All Kniess did was rush for 2,172 yards, score 31 touchdowns and win the Butler Eagle Scoring Trophy by almost 100 points.When Kniess enrolled at Slippery Rock University, many did not believe he would last.All Kniess did was finish his four-year career as The Rock’s all-purpose yardage leader.“I proved a lot to a lot of people,” said Kniess, 29, who still lives in Slippery Rock with his wife of four years, Bridget, and his 1-year-old daughter Jacey. “A lot of people didn’t think I could do it at SRU in the classroom or on the field. But I did.”Kniess did a great many things on the football field that many could not believe.He was blessed with exceptional quickness and balance.After a relatively slow start with the Rockets during his senior season, Kniess broke the then Mercer County Athletic Conference single-game rushing record with 384 yards against Grove City.A few weeks later, he broke his own record with a 412-yard performance on a muddy field in Franklin in the season finale.“I don’t know, I was more impressed with it back then,” Kniess said. “It was so long ago. I’m happy with my career. It’s the same old story, though. I wish we could have done better as a team my senior year.”There is one number from his playing days, though, that still impresses Kniess: zero.That was the number of times he fumbled in 284 carries during his senior season.As a junior, he fumbled a few times at critical moments. So Slippery Rock football coach Brendan Smith gave him a ball to carry around in school and instructed his classmates to try to poke it out at random times during the day.“Not fumbling is probably ranked No. 1 on the things I’m most proud of,” Kniess said.In 2009, Kniess was inducted into the Slippery Rock High School Hall of Fame.During the ceremony, he got to meet Larry Galcik, a 1983 Slippery Rock High graduate who played college football at the University of Louisville for four years and also was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame.“I was honored to get into the Hall of Fame, but I was more glad that the school was finally recognizing people from the past,” Kniess said. “I had never heard of him before. The only people I had to look up to was my brother (Adam).“I went up to (Galcik) and told him it was an honor to meet him,” Kniess added. “I’m glad the school is doing things like this now.”These days, Kniess is far removed from the football field. He oversees eight employees in a flooring company he runs in Zelienople.Juggling business with family can be tough.“There’s no real set schedule,” Kniess said. “My phone basically is always ringing. It’s a can’t-miss business.”Kniess and his wife dated throughout high school and married in 2008. They welcomed their daughter to the family a year ago.“It’s awesome, I have to say,” Kniess said. “I didn’t exactly think this is where I would be, but I’m happy I’m here.”Kniess still misses football. He said he finds it hard to attend SRU football games to this day because of the overwhelming feeling he gets to be on the field.He had offers to play in semi-pro leagues shortly after he graduated from SRU in 2006, but turned them down.“Maybe it’s time for a comeback,” Kniess said, laughing.He still finds outlets for his competitiveness on the basketball court where he squares off his with two brothers, Adam, 32, and Jesse, 24, and his sister Samantha, 21.“We are all very, very competitive,” Kniess said. “We will compete over anything.”
