Brugs re-signs at Pelican

Terry Vandrovec, Forum of Fargo-Moorhead

Wait. Did Doug Bruggeman resign or re-sign? The short answer – in a school district short on jobs – is yes and yes.
After stepping down as Pelican Rapids girls basketball coach in May, Bruggeman was officially rehired during a School Board meeting Monday night.
The school attempted to fill the position during the summer, even replacing Bruggeman’s name with “New Person” on the Minnesota State High School League Web site. But its desire to reserve coaching positions for teachers made finding a suitable replacement first difficult, then impossible when budget issues forced teaching positions to be cut, Vikings activities director Blace Schmidt said. Girls basketball assistants Michelle Grinstead and Rich Hills were among the casualties.
Meanwhile, volleyball head coach Chris Coleman, like Bruggeman, agreed to return after resigning, while the job of activities director will be cut to a half-time position when Schmidt – filling in for the (successfully) departed Becky Woessner – retires at the end of the calendar year.
“Our superintendent came in after the end of the year and said we’re only going to accept your resignation if they find a replacement,” said Bruggeman, who is unsure of his coaching status beyond this school year. “I kind of understood over the summer this was a possibility and got myself ready for the challenge.”