$1 million gift given to Luther College for the Kent Finanger Endowed Chair

Kent Finanger

A gift of $1 million to Luther College will be used to establish the Kent Finanger Endowed Chair for Women's Cross Country and Track and Field.

A member of the very first Luther College women's cross country team and her husband have donated the money.  The former cross country team member, who was not identified by Luther, stated, "As a student and runner, I thrived under Coach Kent's leadership. The immense respect I have for him and his nurturing abilities have unequivocally impacted my life."

Said Finanger, who celebrated his 85th birthday on Tuesday, "I am awed that the way you go about coaching, inspiring and motivating an individual would one day lead to an honor such as this. I'm so thankful for their generous gift and what it will do for Luther College and the growth and development of our women's cross country and track and field programs."

Finanger coached multiple sports at Luther from 1956 to 1996 and was instrumental in developing the women's cross country team. He coached Luther's women's cross country team from the first official season in 1976 through the fall season of 1978.