When Roger Fuller received the message from the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, the now-retired Methuen High track coach of 46 years believed it was an error. “When I got the email from the MIAA I said, ‘I think you made a mistake,’” Fuller said with a laugh. “I received the MIAA (indoor) track Coach of the Year last year and I thought they had sent it to the wrong person.” Little did the 72-year-old Fuller know, there was a major surprise in store. Fuller has been honored as the National Federation of State High School Coaches Association indoor track Section 1 Coach of the Year for 2016-17. Section 1 —or the Northeast Section — consists of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. “It was really a shock for me” said Fuller. “It’s quite exciting. It’s something that I never really thought would happen, but I was really thrilled. “After winning the MIAA honor last year I was put into a pool for the national award. The NFHS newsletter was something I was always interested in reading, so it’s a thrill to be honored by them. I’m still surprised.” Fuller was informed of the award in April, and honored during the MIAA Recognition Banquet on May 25. According to current Methuen head boys indoor and outdoor track coach Kevin Alliette, who ran for Fuller as a Ranger, no one is more deserving of the honor than his mentor. “Coach Fuller will always be more than a coach to me and so many others,” said Alliette, a 1999 Methuen High graduate. “Running for coach Fuller was special to all of my distance teammates and me. He has the ability to motivate anyone to do better. Coach is one of the biggest influences on my life today in teaching and coaching.” Fuller retired from coaching after the 2015-16 indoor track season after 46 years coaching cross country and track at Methuen. A former baseball and tennis player convinced to coach track by fellow Rangers coaching legend Larry Klimas, Fuller was an assistant before taking over as head coach of the outdoor (2003) and indoor (2003-04) track teams. The always-optimistic Fuller was named to the Methuen High athletic Hall of Fame in 2016. He is a Massachusetts State Track Coaches Hall of Famer and in 2015 won the Moynihan Lumber Merrimack Valley Lifetime Achievement Award. And Fuller’s influence reached far further than just the track, according to Alliette. “Coach taught me a lot about life and what hard work can lead to,” he said. “Coach Fuller has been a part of so many athletes’ lives over the years and he does an amazing job of keeping track of his former athletes in and out of college. He is getting good with the computer and is able to watch races on-line.” Retired from teaching since 2002, Newburyport resident Fuller is still seen at track meets, wearing his stop watch and taking splits. But he says he has found plenty to fill his time since retiring as Rangers coach. “It’s amazing to look at my calendar because for years it was six or seven days a week I had practice or was on a bus to a meet” said Fuller. “And I do miss it. But it’s amazing how things happen to take up your time. I thought I would be around track all the time, but I wanted to stay out of Kevin’s hair. “I’m working on things around the house I’ve put off for years and I enjoy that. I still love to golf, so it’s nice to have the weekends open, and I run two benefit golf tournaments. Time fills up amazingly fast. But I do miss track.” Alliette, however, makes sure Fuller’s encyclopedic track knowledge is still playing a major role in Methuen’s success. “Coach Fuller was and still is always there for me,” he said. “We speak often and I still park in his driveway when I go run in Maudslay (State Park in Newburyport). I call him all the time to see what he thinks about a line-up for the next duel meet or to gather his thoughts on a workout. You can’t beat almost 50 years of experience.”
Inducted: 2013