Fuller resigns as head volleyball coach
Jackie Fuller coaches the Lady Bulldog volleyball team in this Pilot file photo.
After nearly two decades at the helm, Jackie Fuller has stepped down as head volleyball coach for the Lady Bulldogs.
Whitefish High School principal Kerry Drown said Fuller submitted her letter of resignation earlier this week just a few weeks into the season.
“[Fuller] has been a committed, dedicated coach for decades at Whitefish High School,” Drown said. “Certainly we want to appreciate that and wish her the best and we’ll do our best to try to move forward. Jackie’s a friend of mine, I’ve known her a long time, and yeah, it’s been a difficult week in that regard.”
No reason was given for the resignation.
Assistant coaches Breanne Kelley and Lucy McFadden will take over the program until a new head coach is hired, Drown said. The position is currently posted.
“We’re just trying to get on as quickly as we can to get the position filled and just keep the program moving forward,” Drown said.
Drown said he sent out a letter to the players and their parents earlier this week informing the team and reassuring the students that the program will continue its tradition of high-level volleyball.
“The health, well-being and success of our student athletes remains our top priority,” the letter states. “Stand tall, work through life’s challenges and exude BULLDOG PRIDE through thick and thin.”
Fuller is the assistant principal at Whitefish Middle School and coached volleyball from 1994 to 2010 before returning in 2015.
Last year Whitefish reached the state tournament in Bozeman before falling to Belgrade and Billings Central to end their season.
Fuller has won five state titles, six Coach of the Year awards, seven divisional titles, 15 trips to state and a spot in the Montana Coaches Hall of Fame.
She recently moved to the middle school after serving as the assistant principal at the high school since 2011. She also served as activities director from 2011 to 2013.
Whitefish started practice for this season Aug. 11 and took second place at the Northwest vs. Southwest Tip-off Tournament in Frenchtown last weekend.
The Lady Dogs are set to play Libby tomorrow night at home at 7:15 p.m.