Legendary West Hancock football coach Sanger loses battle with leukemia

BRITT — — Longtime West Hancock football coach Bob Sanger has died. Sanger coached for 52 years, accumulating a 358-160 record with state titles in 1973, 1996 and 2019.

Sanger was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia in the spring of 2018 with his son helping co-coach the team the last two years, including a perfect 13-0 run this fall for the program’s third state title. The Sangers were named the Class A coaches of the year by the Iowa Football Coaches Association.

Sanger’s son Kevin posted on social media this morning that his father died earlier this morning at the hospital in Britt.