Serving as head track and field coach at Tabor College wasn’t on Dave Kroeker’s radar.
Kroeker (g’78) spent two decades coaching and teaching at high schools in Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska before returning to Hillsboro as a business professor and assistant football coach in 1997.
He aspired to someday serve as Tabor’s head football coach, and when an interview didn’t come in 2000, that vision changed. God had different plans for the Henderson, Neb., native.
Dr. Karol Hunt approached Kroeker in August 2000 and wondered if he’d want to take over as track and field head coach. While it was unexpected, he found intrigue in being able to stay at Tabor and be in charge of one of its programs.
“It was a real spiritual shock because I thought I knew what God’s will for my life was–but I didn’t,” Kroeker said. “After some humbling soul searching, the Holy Spirit got me to the point where I was willing to be an assistant to help Tabor football be better. God knows what’s best for us even if we don’t see it first.”
There was no indoor season and he stayed as an assistant football coach (through 2009). At the team’s first practice in January 2001, 14 athletes came to open their season and Kroeker had to learn many of the sport’s events. Hunt coached the distance runners, Kroeker coached throwers, and they brought in additional assistants for the other events.
Kroeker’s mark on Bluejay track and field is undeniable. Over the last two-plus decades, Kroeker coached Kaleigh Dill, Tabor’s first-ever national champion in the shot put. He has also seen 27 NAIA All-Americans and numerous KCAC champions. He has been named KCAC Coach of the Year seven times, including two honors for the men (2004, 2012) and five for the women (2003, 2007, 2009, 2012, and 2021).
Kroeker was proud to coach all three of his daughters, Angela, Shannon, and Cassie. Additionally, the personal records set by his athletes were deeply meaningful. He recalled seeing a former athlete reach and surpass his goal of 20 feet in the long jump at the KCAC conference meet.
His impact is not only felt on the Tabor campus but throughout Hillsboro. Kroeker was a key voice in the development of the track & field complex and Pendery Athletic Center on the north end of Joel H. Wiens Stadium.
He pitched the Tabor 20 Scholarship for Mennonite Brethren students and also serves in numerous roles in leadership and music at Parkview Mennonite Brethren Church.
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”
—1 Corinthians 9:24-25 (NIV)
Accolades aside, nothing meant more to Kroeker than his athletes’ relationship with God. He would host team Bible studies and also invite them over to his home. The two verses in 1 Corinthians were a constant in his coaching, often appearing on the team t-shirts and apparel.
“The spiritual aspect of coaching is the most important to me and every team that I’ve ever coached,” Kroeker said. “Every year at one of the first practices, I tell the team that I want them to be as competitive as they can be, but that’s not the most important thing. The most important thing is that you are with me in heaven.”
Having taken his last step on campus as Tabor’s head track and field coach, there is no denying that he brought his very best to the campus, classroom, community, or competition.
“My heart of what I did is because I want to better Tabor,” Kroeker said. “I bleed blue. I want everything at this college to be awesome and I never want to detract from anything else we do as a college. My hope is my contribution to Tabor has been a positive one.”
** This article includes history and quotes gathered from Tabor College Athletics and its Communication Office.**