PELLA—Kevin Sanger, a former Central College standout athlete and coach, will be inducted into the Iowa High School Athletic Association's Football Hall of Fame Friday.
Sanger, a 1993 Central graduate, was previously inducted into the college's Athletics Hall of Honor in 2011. He's part of a five-member class that will be cited at halftime of the Class 4A high school championship game Friday in Cedar Falls.
At West Hancock High School in Britt, Sanger was a four-year
letterwinner and playoff qualifier for squads coached by his father, the late Bob Sanger. The team posted state runner-up finishes in 1986 and 1987 and Sanger was a two-time first-team all-state selection.
He's the oldest of four brothers to star in football and men's track and field at Central. Sanger was an all-Iowa Conference honoree in both sports. As a defensive end, he helped the Dutch compile a 36-5 record with two league titles and two NCAA Division III playoff berths. He was also a conference
placewinner in the shot put and discus as Central captured three league team men's track and field titles.
Sanger served as head men's and women's track and field coach from 1996-2008, piloting the Dutch to five men's championships and was the league's coach of the year six times, with top-10 national team finishes in 2000, 2001 and 2002. Sanger's men's and women's outdoor squads recorded 11 national top-25 team finishes, with the men placing third in 2000 and the women climbing as high as 14th in 2004. His athletes claimed 10 individual national championships and received all-America distinction more than 90 times.
Sanger also served as assistant football coach at Central for 14 seasons.
He is now a financial advisor in Mankato, Minnesota.
Central graduates previously inducted into the football hall of fame include Vern Den Herder '71 in 1983, Rich
Kacmarynski '92 in 2010 and Chris
Coffman '96 and Mark
Kacmarynski '96 in 2012.