Kent Finager

Kent grew up in Wisconsin. He was an outstanding Football and Basketball player. Graduation from High School lead him to Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. Kent was All-Conference in Football and Basketball his junior and senior seasons, an All-American in Football his junior season and Conference Long Jump Champion his senior season. He remained at Luther College and became a Professor of Health and Physical Education, Chairman of the Department from 1964-1996. He coached Football for nine seasons, Assistant Basketball for Ten seasons, Head Basketball coach for 25 seasons, Assistant Baseball coach for seventeen seasons, Assistant Track and Field for 2 seasons – Head coach for 10 seasons, and Head Cross Country coach for 27 seasons. While Head Track and Field coach his teams won six Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Team Titles, placed Second in the 1965 NCAA Division III National Championships in Long Beach, California, along with five All-American Runners that season. Kent won 21 Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Cross Country Team Titles in twenty-six years. He guided Luther to the 1985 National Title. His teams finished in the top ten National Team Finishers ten times, second in 1978, third in 1980, and fifth in 1987. Kent served as President of the NCAA Division III Cross Country Coaches Association, served as a committee member for the NCAA Track and Field Committee, Director of the International Coaches Team to Iceland four times and a renowned clinic speaker. Kent was the NCAA Division III Cross Country Coach of the Year, and named ten times as the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Cross Country Coach of the Year. Kent is now retired and lives in Decorah. His wife passed away in 1992, but his days are filled with visits to and from his children and grandchildren.