Hall of Fame
Hometown: Marion, Iowa
The son of a Coe Hall of Famer, Brent Thurness ’90 made his own name in Kohawk athletics. He was a three-year letterwinner in football and track at Coe.
Playing defensive back under his dad, Brent ranked third in school history with 40 career passes defended. His 22 passes defended in 1988 alone ranks fourth in school history. He also led the Kohawks with four interceptions in 1988 and was named First Team All-Midwest Conference and Second Team CoSIDA/GTE Academic All-American.
In addition to numerous team awards, he was a Third Team All-American with Don Hansen’s Football Gazette, an honorable mention Pizza Hut All-American, and the Cedar Rapids Sports Club’s Outstanding Male Athlete. As a freshman, he started in the Midwest Conference championship game for Coe.
Brent was a high-placing hurdler and relay runner for the Kohawk track and field team, earning four third-place finishes as part of Coe relay teams at Midwest Conference indoor championships. After surgery to repair a fractured metatarsal in his left foot following the 1988 track season, he returned as team captain in 1989. He subsequently received the Midwest Conference’s Roy LeClere Award for posting the highest grade point average while lettering in at least two sports his junior year.
After receiving an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, Brent went on to study medicine and complete his anesthesiology residency at the University of Iowa. He is head of anesthesiology at Black Hills Surgical Hospital in Rapid City, South Dakota.
