Dan Cloeter
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Dan Cloeter (born May 16, 1952) is a retired athlete and current pastor in
Osceola, Nebraska Osceola is a city in and the county seat of Polk County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 880 as of the 2010 census. History According to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the first settlers of Osceola, which included the families ...
. While attending Concordia University Nebraska, Cloeter was forty-eighth at the 1972
Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...
Cross Country Championships and seventh at the 1973 NAIA Men's Cross Country Championship. Between 1973 and 1981, Cloeter competed in American marathons including multiple appearances at the
Chicago Marathon The Chicago Marathon is a road marathon held in October in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the seven World Marathon Majors. Thus, it is also a World Athletics Label Road Race. The Chicago Marathon is one of the largest races by number of fini ...
. Cloeter won the 1977 event, then known as the Mayor Daley Marathon, and was third in 1978. He won again in 1979, the year the marathon's name was changed to the America's Marathon-Chicago. Apart from Chicago, Cloeter was twenty-fourth at the marathon during the 1976 United States Olympic Trials and eighteenth at the 1978
New York City Marathon The New York City Marathon, currently branded as the TCS New York City Marathon for sponsorship reasons, is an annual marathon () that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest marathon in the world, with 53,627 fini ...
. Outside of running, Cloeter began his religious career working for
Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
churches in 1978. Between the 1980s and 2010s, Cloeter primarily held pastoral positions in
Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...
while working in various cities of
Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...
. During this time period, Cloeter was chosen to hold the opening ceremonial prayer at the 1999 USATF Junior Olympics.


Early life and education

Cloeter was born on May 16, 1952, and grew up in
Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...
,
Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
, until he was ten years old. During his high school education in
Seward, Nebraska Seward is a city in and the county seat of Seward County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 7,643 at the 2020 census. Seward is part of the Lincoln, Nebraska metropolitan area. History Seward was platted in 1868. It was named from ...
, Cloeter began running. For his post-secondary education, Cloeter attended Concordia University Nebraska between 1970 and 1974. During this time period, Cloeter competed at cross country championships held by the
Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...
and
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for higher education, colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic schola ...
. In these championships, Cloeter was forty-eighth at the 1972 AAU Cross Country Championships and seventh at the 1973 NAIA Men's Cross Country Championship. In 1975, Cloeter continued his post-secondary education at
Concordia Theological Seminary Concordia Theological Seminary is a Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, Lutheran seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It offers professional, master's degrees, and doctoral degrees affiliated with training clergy and deaconesses for the Lutheran Churc ...
in
Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its population was 114,394 at the 2020 United States census, which makes it the state's List of cities in Illinois, seventh-most populous cit ...
, and worked at
J. C. Penney Penney OpCo LLC , doing business as JCPenney (colloquially Penney's and abbreviated JCP) is an American department store chain with 649 stores across 49 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. It is managed as part of the Catalyst Brands portfolio along ...
. During the late 1970s, Cloeter went to
Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in Allen County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 at the 2020 census ...
, where the seminary had subsequently relocated, to complete additional studies and worked as a gym teacher.


Athletic career

From 1973 to 1982, Cloeter ran primarily in American races ranging from the ten kilometers to marathon. When the Mayor Daley Marathon premiered in 1977, Cloeter won the event with a time of 2:17:52. The following year, Cloeter was third at the event. When the event was renamed to the America's Marathon-Chicago in 1979, Cloeter won the event in 2:23:20. After the event, Cloeter received medical treatment for dehydration. The following year, Cloeter stated he would not compete at the 1980 Chicago Marathon due to leg injuries he had sustained from a dog. Outside of Chicago, Cloeter was 18th at the 1978
New York City Marathon The New York City Marathon, currently branded as the TCS New York City Marathon for sponsorship reasons, is an annual marathon () that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest marathon in the world, with 53,627 fini ...
. Competing in the 1976 United States Olympic Trials, Cloeter was 24th in the marathon event. Four years later, Cloeter qualified to participate at the 1980 United States Olympic Trials. After the United States decided not to attend the
1980 Summer Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad () and officially branded as Moscow 1980 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1980 in Moscow, Soviet Union, in present-day Russ ...
, Cloeter pulled out of the Olympic Trials. Apart from the United States, Cloeter appeared at racing events in
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,
Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
, and
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before his last marathon in 1981.


Religious career

While competing in running, Cloeter began working at
Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
churches in 1978. Between the late 1970s and early 1980s, Cloeter was a minister and assistant pastor at a church in
Norfolk, Nebraska Norfolk ( or ) is a city in Madison County, Nebraska, United States, 113 miles northwest of Omaha and 76 miles southwest of Sioux City, Iowa, at the intersection of U.S. Routes 81 and 275. The population was 24,955 at the 2020 census, mak ...
. In 1982, it was announced that Cloeter would continue his religious career in
Racine, Wisconsin Racine ( ) is a city in Racine County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River (Wisconsin), Root River, south of Milwaukee and north of Chicago. It is the List ...
. During this decade, Cloeter initially stayed in Wisconsin until he took a pastoral position in
Hutchinson, Minnesota Hutchinson is the largest city in McLeod County, Minnesota, McLeod County, Minnesota, United States. It lies along the South Fork of the Crow River (Minnesota), Crow River. The population was 14,599 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census ...
, in the late 1980s. At the beginning of the 1990s, Cloeter remained in Hutchinson. By the end of the 1990s, Cloeter had moved to
Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...
, to continue his pastoral experience. While in Omaha, Cloeter was selected to give the opening ceremonial prayer at the 1999 USATF Junior Olympics. In the 2000s, Cloeter stayed in Omaha until he began pastor at a congregation in
Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...
, in 2002. After he stepped down from his senior pastor's position in 2004, Cloeter worked for a
San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...
, financial company until 2006. In 2007, Cloeter and his wife moved to
Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The city covers and had a population of 291,082 as of the 2020 census. It is the state's List of cities in Nebraska, second-most populous city a ...
, to open up a church. For the majority of the 2010s, Cloeter continued to work in as a pastor in
Osceola, Nebraska Osceola is a city in and the county seat of Polk County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 880 as of the 2010 census. History According to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the first settlers of Osceola, which included the families ...
, after starting there in 2012.


Honors and personal life

In 1994, Cloeter was inducted into an athletic hall of fame for Concordia University Nebraska. Cloeter is married and has four children.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cloeter, Dan 1952 births Living people American male marathon runners Armenian religious leaders Chicago Marathon male winners Concordia Bulldogs men's track and field athletes Concordia Theological Seminary alumni 20th-century American sportsmen