Baseball player-turned-educator made an impact on students, women’s athletics


Diamond Girl


O by Jeff Samoray 22 Eastern | SUMMER 2011


ne day in kinesiology class, Eric Durak (BS84) learned some- thing surprising about his professor, Jean Cione. “We were discussing the


aerodynamics of a baseball pitch,” Durak says. “She mentioned that she had played professional base- ball as a young girl, but most of the players weren’t strong enough or didn’t know how to throw curve- balls. I thought her reference to playing baseball


ABOVE: Photo of Jean Cione circa 1945 wearing her Rockford Peaches baseball uniform. OPPOSITE PAGE: Actors Lori Petty (left) and Geena Davis play for the Rockford Peaches in the 1992 Columbia Pictures movie, “A League of Their Own.” Photo © Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.


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