General | 12/22/23 | 10:55 AM

HELENA, Mont. – The Carroll College Athletic Department is proud to announce a new honor for one the institution's most beloved supporters, Jerry Loendorf.
 
On Thursday, January 11, a formal ceremony will be held to name the Carroll College PE Center event room the "Jerry Loendorf Event Room".
 
Success does not happen overnight, and long-term success for any athletic program does not happen without the dedication, commitment, and engagement from alumni.
 
Few Carroll College alumni have had as much of an impact on the institution, and its athletic programs, as Jerry Loendorf.
 
A native of Wolf Point, Mont., Loendorf arrived at Carroll in 1957, at the behest of his mother, and was a standout Halfback and Captain of the Fighting Saints football team.
 
Upon graduating from Carroll with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration in the spring of 1961, Loendorf went on to earn a Juras Doctorate Degree from the University of Montana in 1964.
 
After finishing his post graduate education, Loendorf, had a short stint in the United States Army reserve, before serving as a law clerk for the Montana Supreme Court in 1965.
 
Loendorf had a prominent career in law, and was a founding member of the Helena-based law firm Harrison, Loendorf, Poston and Duncan, P.C. from 1966 through 2003.
 
In addition, Loendorf was a Lewis and Clark County Public Defender in 1968; Lewis and Clark Deputy County Attorney in 1970; and was elected a Delegate to the Montana's Constitutional Convention in 1971.
 
As a delegate, Loendorf helped draft the state's current constitution, serving as a member of the legislative committee. Upon completion, the constitutional draft was ratified and approved by the voters, by a slim margin. The election was upheld by both the state and federal courts.
 
As a lifelong servant leader, Loendorf has been instrumental in creating and funding three separate scholarships; the George C. Loendorf and Helen T. Loendorf Endowment, Gary Turcott Endowment, and Father William Greytak Endowment.
 
From 2001-2008, Loendorf served on the Carroll College Board of Trustees, and held the position of Chairman the final three of those years.
 
Perhaps most important to the success of the Carroll College Athletic Department, Loendorf was one of the initial architects of the Carroll College Century Club, which asked members to donate $100 to assist the Carroll Athletic programs in the form of scholarship support.
 
Alongside coaches Bill Racicot and Tom Kelly, Loendorf, Jim Foley, and Tom Kerwin launched the club in 1969. Loendorf was the Century Club's first president, and helped start the longest running Carroll Athletic fundraiser to date, the Saints Shindig. Much akin to the membership fee of $100, the initial event was a $100 dinner and was limited to the first 100 registrants.
 
Over the last 50 years, the Century Club has evolved into one of the premier fundraising organizations in the NAIA. The Saints Athletic Association, as it is now referred to, annually provides over $200,000 to directly impact Carroll's 350-plus student-athletes in the form of scholarship and team operational support.
 
Above and beyond the generous monetary support, Loendorf continues to be one of the school's most prominent in-house supporters.
 
It is nearly impossible to attend a Carroll College athletic event without seeing Loendorf in the stands wearing Purple and Gold.
 
Loendorf will be forever enshrined with his name adorning the event room at the Carroll College PE Center, a place in which he has spent countless hours.
 
The room itself, used primarily by Carroll's teams, staff, and community groups for a gathering space, as well as the SAA hospitality room during conference home basketball contests, will be receiving a face-lift in advance of the January 11 event.
 
The dedication ceremony will take place at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 11 ahead of the Carroll Basketball Frontier Conference home-opening matchups with Montana Western, and the public is welcome to attend.
 
Visit www.carrollathletics.com to stay up to date with everything going on in Carroll Athletics.