(Editor's note: Montana State University news release)
BOZEMAN — Montana State University director of athletics Leon Costello announced during a groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday that the school’s new indoor athletic facility will be named the Kennedy-Stark Athletic Center in honor of legendary MSU track and field coaches Rob Stark and Dale Kennedy.
Stark coached the Bobcat men’s program from 1977 until his retirement after the 2000 season. At that point Kennedy, who had coached the MSU women’s team since 1983, took over the combined men’s and women’s program until his retirement after the 2018 campaign. At that point, Lyle Weese became the Dale Kennedy Director of MSU Men’s and Women’s Track and Field. Weese was recruited to MSU by Stark, and coached by both him and Kennedy.
“We had two anonymous donors that saw an opportunity with this tremendous facility to honor Rob Stark and Dale Kennedy,” Costello said, “and given the inclusion of the track elements and the incredible legacy they both leave, we enthusiastically agreed. We are excited about how this benefits all our student-athletes and programs, especially our two largest that have had to compete and train outdoors before this facility.”
Stark took the reins of a program that had finished as high as third in the Big Sky Conference only twice in its history and led it to championship heights. From 1989, Stark’s 13th season, until his retirement the Cats finished second or third outdoors only six times. His 1990 and 1991 teams each finished in the top 30 at the NCAA Championships.
Kennedy’s three-and-a-half decade tenure included three women’s track and field championships and the first Big Sky men’s crown in program history. He also led one men’s and four women’s teams to Big Sky cross country titles.
The Kennedy-Stark Center will serve as a training and competition site for MSU track and field and as a practice facility for the school’s football team. Its completion is expected sometime late next spring.
