Marie Louise Kirkland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(1899-10-01)October 1, 1899
Sister Marie Louise Kirkland V. H. M. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Helen Kirkland (1899-10-01)October 1, 1899 |
| Died | July 10, 1999(1999-07-10) (aged 99) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Occupations | Roman Catholic nun, television personality |
Sister Marie Louise (October 1899 – July 10, 1999) was a Roman Catholic nun and television sports commentator in Washington, D.C. Even though she was a nun who lived in a monastery and wore a traditional habit, "Weezie" regularly appeared on television station WUSA with sportscaster Glenn Brenner, who called her "The Pigskin Prognosticator".[1]
Born in Washington, D.C., to Rose Virginia Kreamer Kirkland (1858–1944) and William L. Kirkland (1848–1918), with siblings William Louis Kirkland (1892–1955) and Camille Rose Kirkland Fisher (1901–1982), she played basketball in high school in Montgomery County, Maryland.[2] She graduated from Immaculata College and worked in the Rockville, Maryland, courthouse as a clerk until her 30s.[3]
She entered Georgetown Visitation Monastery on January 5, 1935, at age 35, and remained there as a semi-cloistered nun for the rest of her life.[3] Although she initially worried that she'd have to give up sports, her superiors did permit her to follow them avidly, especially her favorite, football.[3] Wrote Claudia Levy in The Washington Post, "It helped that the mother superior of Georgetown Visitation, Mother Mary de Sales, happened to be a rabid football fan herself and loved staying up late with her to watch the matches."[2]
Career as a celebrity sports forecaster
D.C. sportscaster Glenn Brenner was a Roman Catholic who went to parochial school in Philadelphia, and graduated from Saint Joseph's University, a Jesuit institution in that city.[4][5] In 1989 he heard from a Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School alumna that Sister Marie Louise had a talent for sports predictions, so he invited her to call into his "Mystery Prognosticator Contest".[6] Each week, a different guest made picks for the week's NFL schedule, including Dan Rather, Maureen Bunyan, Sugar Ray Leonard, Pee-Wee Herman, Mark Rypien, and members of the Temptations.[2] In Week 11, Sister Kirkland went 11–3, the best record of the season to date,[7] and finished tied with Santa Claus for the best record of the entire season.[8] Brenner made her a regular, with the permission of Mother DeSales, and the story was picked up internationally.[9]
Washingtonian reporter Barbara Matusow wrote that when Glenn Brenner was dying prematurely at age 44 in the hospital, Sister Marie Louise was one of his last visitors along with fellow WUSA broadcaster Gordon Peterson.[10] Peterson was also a devout Catholic, and had once considered becoming a Dominican priest.[11] Sr. Kirkland's presence in the hospital surprised him, because he knew that cloister rules were so strict that even though she had long wanted to attend a Washington Redskins game at Brenner's invitation, she wasn't permitted to go. "How the hell did she get out?" Matusow reported that Peterson wondered when he saw her there in the hospital. "Did she scale the wall?'"[10] When she went to the bedside, Brenner, who had been unconscious for days, opened his eyes in her presence and winked at her. Peterson told Matusow that he then became very emotional: "If it hadn't been for someone holding me up, I would have passed out. I think I'm getting more spiritual as I get older, but I honestly sensed the presence of God in the room at that moment."[12]
Sister Kirkland was included in the comments of U.S. representative Constance Morella when the representative paid tribute to Glenn Brenner on the House floor: "Whether it was his 'Weenie of the Week' award, his constant pranks, or his guest football prognosticator interviews, Glenn kept it light. Who can forget his wonderful interviews with Sister Marie Louise, classics in the annals of Washington broadcasting."[13]
References
- ↑ Hendrickson, Paul (25 November 1989). "Sister Marie Louise Explains It All... How an 89-Year-Old Georgetown Nun Became the Number One Pigskin Prognosticator". The Washington Post. pp. C1, C8. ProQuest 307221196.
- 1 2 3 Levy, Claudia (July 12, 1999). "Marie Louise Kirkland Dies at 99; Was Nun, Football Prognosticator; Georgetown Visitation Sister Known for Ability to Pick Winners". The Washington Post. ProQuest 408504784.
- 1 2 3 Holliday, Johnny; Moore, Stephen (2002). Johnny Holliday: From Rock to Jock. Champaign, Illinois: Sports Publishing, Simon & Schuster. pp. 211–212. ISBN 9781613215401.
- ↑ District of Columbia Register. Washington, D.C.: DC Board of Commissioners. 1992. p. 1824.
- ↑ Shapiro, Leonard (January 15, 1992). "Glenn Brenner Succumbs to Brain Tumor at 44; Sportscaster's Irreverent Humor Made Him a Local Institution". The Washington Post. pp. A1, A16. ProQuest 307502345.
- ↑ Conconi, Chuck (December 5, 1989). "Personalities". The Washington Post. pp. C3.
- ↑ "Heaven helps her: Nun picks 11 of 14 correctly". USA Today. November 17, 1989. p. 16. Retrieved May 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Carmody, John (December 26, 1989). "The TV Column". The Washington Post. p. B8. ProQuest 307218306.
- ↑ Borger, Julian (July 12, 1999). "TV Nun Football Pundit Makes Final Touchdown". The Guardian. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
- 1 2 Leshan, Bruce (February 24, 2024). "Legendary WUSA9 Sportscaster Glenn Brenner Was Irreplaceable". WUSA9.com.
- ↑ Grove, Lloyd (June 16, 1998). "The News Anchor, Not Swept Away; Ratings Rise & Fall, but Gordon Peterson Is on the Level". The Washington Post. pp. E1, E7. ProQuest 408370863.
- ↑ Matusow, Barbara (October 1992). "Life After Glenn: Glenn Brenner Was 44 and Very Funny. Then He Collapsed After Running a Marathon. This Is the Story of His Shocking Death and How Gordon Peterson and Channel 9 Coped With Losing One of the City's Most Popular Personalities". Washingtonian.
- ↑ Morrella, Constance (22 January 1992). "We All Miss Our Pal, Glenn Brenner". Congressional Record, House, January 03-February 04, 1992. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. p. 151.