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Kevin Lanke: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Assistant AD for Sports Information and Communications
Shake and Bake:
Rose-Hulman’s Kevin Lanke Loves the Thrill of the Race
by Laurie Bollig, CoSIDA Director of Membership Engagement
You’d think after the wear and tear of an academic year filled with games, matches and cross-over seasons, long nights, rainouts and senior days, a sports information professional might see the summer as the perfect time for rest and relaxation.
Nope. Not
Kevin Lanke, assistant athletic director for sports and communications at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana.
“My wife and I spend a lot of time in the summers getting out in the community. You have to take advantage of the time to do the things you want to do. We jam six months of what we want to do into three months,” Lanke explains.
So where will you find Kevin and his wife, Stephanie? They live 90 minutes away from one of the most hallowed sports venues in the country – the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
So, yeah, if there’s a race – Indy cars or NASCAR – the Lankes are likely to be in attendance. They’ve attended close to 200 races between the two circuits. They’ve visited about a dozen of the most famous racetracks in the country. They hold season tickets to the Kentucky Speedway three-and-a-half hours away from Terre Haute.
“I went to my first Indianapolis 500 when I was 11 years old,” Lanke recalls. “From the moment I walked in and saw race cars going around the track at 200 miles per hour, I was hooked. It was awesome.”
Kevin and Stephanie are big fans of the No. 24 car and they were in attendance at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida for Jeff Gordon’s last race as a full-time driver in 2015. Like most racing fans, the Lankes love the experience you get at a live event, complete with the headphones that allow you to listen to the radio broadcast of the race in addition to the pit crew/driver conversations of their favorite teams.
Kevin and Stephanie enjoy time together in the pit box for Jeff Gordon prior to his final NASCAR race as a full-time
driver at Homestead in 2015.
“There’s a whole other level you get live that you can’t get on TV,” Lanke said.
When Lanke isn’t at the track, he can be found watching a hockey game – another one of his passions.
“I think part of why I navigated to racing and hockey – they are sports we don’t offer at Rose-Hulman. For me, it’s total relaxation and something that has nothing to do with work.”
A 20-year veteran of the profession, Lanke knows a thing or two about sports information. He’s earned 28 national publications awards. He’s served as the primary media contact for NCAA championships, including the Division III Women’s Basketball Championship, the Division III Track and Field Championships and the Division III Cross Country Championships.
Lanke also has a soft spot where CoSIDA’s Academic All-America program is concerned. He’s been on the committee almost since his first day on the job. It’s something he believes in strongly - and something he’s seen grow from a faxed ballot to online nomination and voting.
“The Academic All-America program has always been at the core of what our institution at Rose-Hulman stands for. It’s everything we talk about when we recruit every student-athlete for every sport.
“When I was 23 years old and in the first year in my profession, I looked down the list to see what I could be involved with and saw the Academic All-America Committee. It aligned with my beliefs,” Lanke said.
Lanke, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics from Rose-Hulman in 1997 and a master’s degree from Indiana State University in recreation and sport management, said the growth of the program over the last 20 years has been exciting to watch.
“Originally, we had to mail out the ballot to every SID. They had to fax their nominations to me and I got the ballot printed. To go from there to the second generation of Academic All-Americas, to see where the program has come from and where it will go – it’s very exciting.”
For 11 years – from 1999-2009 – Rose-Hulman was the preseason training camp home of the Indianapolis Colts. And, yes, you guessed it. That involved some work on the part of the school’s SID.
Kevin and his wife Stephanie can often be found
in the grandstands at Indycar and NASCAR
events throughout the Midwest.
Most of Lanke’s duties involved making sure the national media covering the Colts knew they were on the Rose-Hulman campus. Banner placement, fast facts about the school – these were important branding opportunities for Rose-Hulman and Lanke was a go-to guy for those tasks. Well, that, and making sure Peyton Manning was in camp on autograph day.
“It was a great experience and I’m glad it was part of the Rose-Hulman culture for 11 years,” Lanke said.
Being pulled in a hundred different directions throughout much of the year is something Lanke has grown accustomed to. It’s also something his wife Stephanie relates to. When she’s not busy running 40 half marathons in the last four years, her day job is as the controller in the Rose-Hulman business office.
“It’s nice to have somebody that you can do fun things with and you can get along with but also has a job that is as demanding as yours and you never have to explain why you have to work until 10 p.m.,” Lanke said.
Kevin and Stephanie seem to have perfected the art of the vacation and it’s served them well in both their personal and professional lives.
“One of the things I’ve learned is you have a certain amount of vacation time allotted no matter where you work – you have to take it,” Lanke said. “If you don’t take the time they give you to get away, you aren’t going to be motivated to come to the office every day.”
A Final Four With Kevin Lanke
One thing you absolutely love about your job: “The excitement of game day.”
Two mentors in the business:
Bill Wagner from DePauw. “My first year as a full-time SID, our basketball team was ranked in the top 10. I was 23 and had no idea how to service the media. I called Bill about three times a week. Great mentor.”
Darin Bryan, Lanke’s predecessor at Rose-Hulman. “He was going to leave Rose-Hulman and join the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Two weeks before he left Rose-Hulman, he was killed in an automobile accident. To this day, I have a picture of Darin and myself as a student in my office – I’m interviewing him at halftime of a Rose-Hulman football game.”
Three favorite sports memories:
1. Atlanta Braves vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, 1992 NLCS, Game 7. “Barry Bonds is trying to throw out the potential game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth. Sid Bream is safe. Sean McDonough is on the call. I’m in my living room going crazy.”
2. 1987, Indiana’s Keith Smart hits a shot to win the national championship over Syracuse.
3. “Just getting to go to Homestead Miami in 2015 and experience Jeff Gordon’s last race as a full-time driver.”
Four words to describe you:
1. Detailed
2. Sports fan
3. Energetic – “You can’t do this job if you aren’t.”
4. Passionate – “When I believe in something, I’ll do work for it.”
Kevin and his father Michael enjoying spending time at sports events, including watching their beloved St. Louis Blues.