STERLING, Kan. – Former Sterling College coach, and recently-named NAIA Hall of Fame inductee, Lonnie Kruse, passed away Friday.

Kruse was the head coach for the Sterling College Women’s Basketball team from 1981-2014 and was inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in October 2015. He was scheduled to be inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame at the Women’s Division II National Championship in Sioux City, Iowa, over March 8-14, 2017. He ended his career as the winningest coach in Kansas women’s basketball history with a record of 706-244.