For five decades, Roger Fuller was synonomous with track and field, not just at Methuen High but across Massachusetts and New England.
Even after he retired, following a 46-year career coaching track and cross country for the Rangers, the Newburyport native was still a fixture at meets — with a stop watch in hand, taking splits and providing help to anyone in need, be it an athlete, a coach or even an overwhelmed reporter learning the sport.
“Roger changed my life, and changed the lives of every kid that he coached,” said former Methuen standout and current Rangers boys head coach Kevin Alliette (class of 1999). “It didn’t matter if you were a state champion or a 10-minute miler. He put his heart and soul into every kid that he coached. He made you love the sport, because you had someone that believed in you. He was like a father to everyone.”
Fuller passed away on Friday at 78-years-old, following a period of ill health and the loss of his wife in January. He leaves behind a tremendous legacy both on the track, and more importantly away from competition.
“Coach Fuller changed my life,” said former Methuen High track great and UConn runner Mike O’Donnell. “I’m at a loss for words because of how many doors he opened for me. I would never had the success I did without his guidance. Thank you for everything! Rest easy.”
Fuller’s road to Hall of Fame track coach was an unlikely one. He was a baseball and tennis player, who had to be convinced to coach track by fellow Rangers coaching legend Larry Klimas. Fuller started as an assistant in 1971, before eventually taking over as head coach of the outdoor (2003) and indoor (2003-04) track teams. He held the jobs until retiring after the 2015-16 outdoor season.
He 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. In 2017, he was named National Federation of State High School Coaches Association indoor track Section 1 (Northeast) Coach of the Year.
“The man was a genius coaching middle distance runners,” said North Andover girls cross country and track head coach Rick DelleChiaie. “He was a resource for all of us, providing knowledge about getting athletes to peak at the right time. He got the max out of his runners. His passing is a tremendous loss for Methuen athletics and for Massachusetts State Track and Field.”
More than his success was the impact he made on athletes.
“Running for and coaching with him changed me,” said Alliette, who last saw Fuller in March. “I could have been a punk as a kid, but when you know you have someone counting on you, it makes you work harder. He helped me love the sport. We would all go over his house in Newburyport, go for a run, then have amazing cookouts. Four of the five groomsmen at my wedding were kids I ran with in high school, and I don’t know if we would have stayed so close without coach.
“When I got out of college, I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I wanted to teach because of Fuller. I talked to him and he told me he was going to teach MCAS prep, but he stepped aside and helped me get the job. That got me back in the door at Methuen, I started coaching, and I’m still going.”
And the always-optimistic Fuller’s kindness extended far beyond his own team, to anyone that wanted to talk about the sport that became his passion.
“When North Andover came back to the Merrimack Valley Conference, he was one of the first guys to reach out to me and welcome me as a coach,” said North Andover boys track coach and athletic director Steve Nugent. “He had a knack for projecting when each event would happen over the course of a track meet. It’s always challenging, but he was usually right on the money.
“His teams were always so well prepared — a great reflection of Rog and the values he placed on doing things the right way. Roger was always a class act and will never be forgotten!”
Added Central Catholic boys track coach Mike Leal: “Roger loved the sport of track and field, and it was always apparent that the athletes on the teams he coached loved the sport as well. His athletes competed hard and always displayed great sportsmanship. He was a class act. The track and field community lost a great one.”
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