Four inducted into Hall of Fame

Kurt Paulson, Gary Smith, Tom Bertelsen and Rebekah Hudson joined an elite list on Saturday night of 48 other sport figures who have been inducted into the Whitefish High School Hall of Fame. From coaching wins to all-state honors, the resumes of this year’s inductees are stacked with Bulldog highlights.

Kurt Paulson

Paulson was three-sport athlete at Whitefish, playing basketball, football and track. He earned all-state honors twice in both basketball and football, and earned all-state academic honors nine times. He played on the 1999 Bulldog basketball team that took third-place in the state tournament.

After graduating in 2001, Paulson played basketball at Carroll College and earned Frontier Conference academic all-conference honors four times. As the starting point guard, Paulson helped the Saints make it to the NAIA Elite 8 in 2006 and the Fab Four in 2005. Carroll tallied an overall record of 104-30 with Paulson on the roster. He is currently a graduate assistant coach with the University of Montana’s men’s basketball team.

Rebekah Hudson

Hudson was a three-sport athlete for the Whitefish Lady Bulldogs, playing volleyball, basketball and track. She earned all-state volleyball honors twice and led the Lady ‘Dogs to two Class A state volleyball tournament appearances.

Hudson helped set a school record in the 1,600-relay and was the divisional long-jump champion in 2000 and 2001. She set a school three-point record in 1999. After graduating in 2001, she attended Montana Tech in Butte on a volleyball scholarship. She was the team captain and MVP of the volleyball squad in 2004.

Tom Bertelsen

A coach for 55 years, Bertelsen spent 22 years with Whitefish’s boys basketball program, 16 years coaching girls track and six years coaching girls basketball. He accumulated more than 300 wins in his basketball career.

Bertelsen was voted Montana Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year in 1984 and 1991. In 1978, he coached the Kalispell Lakers to the State Legion Baseball title.

Gary Smith

Smith was a three-year letter winner in football, basketball and track. Best known for his play on the gridiron, Smith led the Bulldogs to two conference championships. He was selected to the 1957 Montana East-West Shrine football game.

After high school, Smith played football at the University of Montana for three seasons. He earned all-conference honors twice while with the Grizzlies.