West Lafayette High School

Lane graduated from Northfield High School in 1974, where he played football, basketball and competed in track and field. He received high-caliber coaching from Dick Lemming, Mark Coppler and was positively influenced by the summer AAU track meets at Northfield in the late 1960s. There, he saw the likes of Larry Highbaugh, Mike Hanna and Northfield state high jump champion Gary Haupert. While attending Purdue and student teaching at West Lafayette Junior High, Lane volunteered to coach football and track at West Lafayette High School. After one year coaching at Lebanon, he was back at West Lafayette as an assistant coach in football and track. In the 1981-1982 school year, he took over head coaching duties in track, a position he continues to hold. In 1997, he took over girls head coaching duties and also continues in that position. Purdue Coach Mike Poehlein recruited Lane and Rensselaer's Gene Edmonds in 1982 to resurrect indoor high school track in Lambert Fieldhouse. Lane and his West Lafayette staff have continued to host practices and meets in Lambert ever since. Those combined 62 seasons as head coach (39 boys and 23 girls) have collectively produced 53 Hoosier Conference team championships, 56 individual all-state performers (four state champions) and 27 all-state relays (seven state champs) from a school with an enrollment of about 750. Lane has been nominated as girls IATCCC 2A coach of the year 13 times since 2002 and has won five times. He has been nominated boys IATCCC 2A coach of the year 14 times since 2001 and has won five times. Coach Custer has also been in charge of the Purdue Area Track Club for over 30 years.