Katie Meyer’s No. 19 will officially be the first jersey number retired in Stanford women’s soccer history.
The former standout goalkeeper will be honored during a ceremony before the Cardinal’s home match against USC on Thursday. Meyer, who played for Stanford from 2018 to 2021, died by suicide in March 2022. The two-time team captain helped lead the Cardinal to the 2019 national championship.
“Katie was an extraordinary competitor, an exceptional leader and, most importantly, an incredible person who had a profound impact on everyone around her,” Stanford women’s soccer coach Paul Ratcliffe said in a statement. “She played the game with such passion and courage, and she brought a joy and energy to our program that was uniquely Katie.
“Retiring the No. 19 is a meaningful way for us to honor her legacy and ensure that future generations of Stanford women’s soccer players understand the impact she had on this program, this university and the people who had the privilege of knowing her.”
According to Stanford athletics, the match against USC will also serve as the school’s annual Mental Health Awareness match. The Cardinal will distribute “Mental Health Matters” hats to fans in attendance, and various on-campus organizations will be present to promote mental health awareness and emphasize the importance of supporting people who may be struggling.
A few months before she was set to graduate, Meyer was found dead in her dorm room on March 1, 2022. She was 22. At the time of her death, Meyer was facing disciplinary action from the university. Her father, Steve, said Meyer was defending a teammate when she allegedly spilled coffee on a Stanford football player who had been accused of sexually assaulting another member of the women’s soccer team.
Meyer’s parents eventually filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Stanford in November 2022 alleging that, on the night of Meyer’s death, the school had “negligently and recklessly” sent her a formal disciplinary notice containing “threatening language regarding sanctions and potential ‘removal from the university.’”
In January, Stanford and the Meyer family jointly announced that they settled the lawsuit. As part of the settlement, Stanford created the Katie Meyer Leadership Award, which is presented to the Cardinal athlete that most embodies Meyer’s leadership and spirit. The inaugural recipient was Meyer’s former teammate, Andrea Kitahata.
In the wake of Meyer’s death, California passed a bill in 2024 known as Katie Meyer’s Law, which requires any public university or college in the state to allow a student facing disciplinary action to have access to an independent advisor.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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