Former SFCC Head Basketball Coach Dale Kimberling passed away on Thursday, April 7, at the age of 76.

Kimberling launched his collegiate coaching career as head women’s basketball coach at SFCC from 1977-1979. He left to coach at North Central Missouri College from 1979-1987, then coached one year at Missouri Southern State University.

Coach Kimberling returned to SFCC in 1988 and served as head women’s basketball coach for 17 seasons, leading the Lady Roadrunners to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) national tournament in 1989 and 1999; he was named Region 16 Coach of the Year both years.

Kimberling’s record was 259-242 as the Lady Roadrunners head coach.

In 2005, Kimberling took over the men’s team and coached until his retirement in 2007.
Kimberling stressed academic success and coached numerous All-Region, Academic All-American, and All-American student-athletes during his tenure at SFCC. Kimberling taught many different classes throughout his career at SFCC such as bowling, archery, golf, care and prevention of athletic injury, and building fitness for life.

Kimberling was inducted into the North Central Missouri College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012, and he was inducted into the SFCC Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013.

Current SFCC Athletic Director and Lady Roadrunners Assistant Basketball Coach under Coach Kimberling Darren Pannier had a special relationship with Coach Kimberling.

“He was a mentor, great friend, and father figure, not just to me, but to all the student-athletes he coached during his distinguished career,” said Pannier. “Coach K didn’t have children, but he was a family member to my family. He was a very giving person who gave a lot of time and energy to State Fair Community College. He was always willing to help former players in any way that he could. I was able to have a lot of great times with Coach K, and I have a lot of great memories of him. He will be greatly missed.”

State Fair Community College will host a Celebration of Life service for Coach Kimberling Friday, May 27 at 1 p.m. at the Fred E. Davis Multipurpose Center in Sedalia.

--David Rohrbach, SFCC Athletics

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