Burt Fuller enters his first season as a member of the San Diego State coaching staff. Fuller, who spent the previous three seasons as an assistant at Utah and was formerly the head coach at Utah State, brings a wealth of success and knowledge to the Aztec volleyball program.
In his first season with the Utes in 2006 he helped lead the Utes to a 28-4 record, which included a 16-0 conference slate and a second round NCAA Tournament appearance. Last year, he coached a Utah squad that went 26-6 overall, won the MWC title with a 14-2 mark and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
While at Utah State, Fuller led his team to two NCAA Tournament appearances and guided the Aggies to an 82-70 mark. He chalked up two 20-win seasons in coaching two All-Americans (Erin Cartwright-Davis and Zuzana Cernianska) and 10 all-league selections.
The Aggies turned in a 21-13 record in 2005, finishing second in the Western Athletic Conference. They also took second in the WAC Tournament and earned their second NCAA Tournament berth that year.
Utah State[apos]s other NCAA Tourney showing came in Fuller[apos]s first year at the helm. In 2001, the team recorded a 20-11 mark and went 12-6 in Big West play. The Aggies opened the NCAA Tournament with a 3-2 win over No. 19-ranked Brigham Young. The 2001 squad finished its campaign ranked No. 21 in the final AVCA poll. Fuller coached five all-league honorees that year, the most on one team in USU history.
In addition to his collegiate coaching experiences, Fuller coached the IVA High Performance team at the 2006 Global Challenge in Maribor, Slovenia.
Prior to Utah State, Fuller was a long-time assistant at national power UCLA. In his seven seasons in Westwood, Calif., the Bruins went to the NCAA Tournament six times. UCLA finished second in 1994 and made two appearances in the regional final. His 2000 team finished No. 7 in the country. While at UCLA, he helped coach 23 All-Pac-10 selections and five All-Americans.
Fuller[apos]s first head coaching job was with Los Angeles Pierce Junior College where he coached the women[apos]s team in 1992 and 1993. He was also an assistant on the men[apos]s team, helping them to a state title in 1992 and a runner-up finish in 1994. He also has stints as an assistant at Fresno State (1989) and Chico State (1985).
Other coaching endeavors for Fuller include two years at Los Altos (Calif.) High School where he was named Central Coast Section Coach of the Year in 1998. He was also head coach of the USA Maccabiah Team in 1997 that won the USA[apos]s first-ever gold medal in volleyball at the World Games. In 2005, he served as the Intermountain Region Youth Team coach, guiding it to a championship at the 2005 Global Challenge.
Fuller earned his recreation management degree from Chico State in 1986 and was a member of the men[apos]s volleyball program from 1984-85. Prior to that he obtained his associate of arts degree from Los Angeles Pierce Junior College in 1982. As a player at LA Pierce JC, he played middle blocker during the 1981 season and led his team to the state tournament in 1982 as an all-conference setter.