A long-time and respected collegiate track coaching veteran, John Fulkrod is in his third season overseeing the University of Minnesota Duluth men's team and his seventh year as head coach of the Bulldog women.

The 66-year old Fulkrod took over as the Bulldog men's head coach in 2006 after spending the previous 13 years in an assistant coaching role. His charges have posted a pair of fourth-place finishes at the North Central Conference men's outdoors and placed third at last year's conference indoor championships.

On the women's side, Fulkrod served as an assistant coach with the Bulldog program for the nine years before taking over the head job in 2001-02. In his first season at the helm, Fulkrod led the Bulldogs to the 2002 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference indoor and outdoor titles and was named the league's Coach of the Year at both events. He added an indoor and outdoor championship to his resume in both 2003 and 2004 before his Bulldogs joined the NCC the following season. During his somewhat brief head coaching tenure, Fulkrod, the 2003 NSIC Outdoor Coach of the Year award recipient, has helped produce a trio of All-Americans in Heather Hamilton (indoor in 2005 and outdoor in 2004), Abby Demulling (indoor in 2006) and Liz Palkie (indoor in 2007).

In addition to his track responsibilities, Fulkrod doubles as the Bulldogs head men's and women's cross country coach. Last fall, he completed his 17th year with the men and 15th with the women. During the past five seasons, Fulkrod has directed the UMD men a a pair of successive berths in the the NCAA Division II Championships (2003 and 2004) and their best finish ever (second place) at the 2006 North Central Conference meet. Prior to hooking up with the NCC in 2004, Fulkrod's runners captured 11 consecutive NSIC titles (1993-2003). The UMD women, meanwhile, ran off with 10 conference crowns (NSIC from 1994-2003) under his watch and qualified for the school's only NCAA II Championship appearance in 1994. Fulkrod has also coached the school's only two NCAA II All-Americans in Sara Frederickson (2004) and Tammy Stang (2001). Fulkrod came to the UMD campus in the fall of 1992 after serving a 20-year coaching stint at the now-defunct University of Minnesota-Waseca. A native of East Peoria, Ill., Fulkrod started the Minnesota-Waseca men's cross country and track and field programs in 1972-73 and stayed on as the Ram's head coach for two decades. He also headed the women's cross country and track and field teams for 15 years before Minnesota-Waseca closed in May 1992. Six of his cross country clubs captured National Junior College Athletic Association Region 13 titles.

A member of the Minnesota Community College Conference Hall of Fame, Fulkrod earned his Bachelor's degree in 1963 from Eureka College, his master's from Purdue University in 1967, and his PhD from Iowa State in 1971. He is a professor in UMD's Chemistry Department.