Tiger Sports Hall of Fame
Men's Track & Field (1959-62)
Kent Bauer, a native of Radium, Kansas, was a member of the FHSU Track and Field squad for four years from 1959 to 1962. Bauer was the NAIA National Champion in the pole vault as a senior in 1962, clearing a height of 14 feet, 1 inch. Bauer was a two-time All-America performer at Fort Hays State, also finishing third in the nation as a freshman in 1959. He was the CIC Champion in the pole vault his final two years as a Tiger. He set the school record at the time in 1962 at 14-feet, 6.5-inches by tying for first at the Missouri Valley AAU meet. Bauer was a recipient of the FHSU Busch Gross Award. Upon graduation from Fort Hays State University and then Wichita State University, Bauer worked as an aircraft engineer and was named Boeing Wichita Engineer of the Year. He still resides in Wichita, Kansas today.