NDSU Athletics Trailblazer Collette Folstad Passes Away
9/21/2026 3:37:00 PM | General
FARGO, N.D. – Former North Dakota State University women's basketball and volleyball coach Collette Folstad passed away Sept. 20, at the age of 88.
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A 1962 graduate of NDSU, Folstad served as the first head coach at NDSU in both volleyball (1965-67) and women's basketball (1966-70). She was inducted into the Bison Athletic Hall of Fame in 1990.
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Folstad went on to serve as the head basketball coach at Dakota High School, Fargo South High School, Concordia College, Page High School, and West Fargo High School. She also returned to NDSU for a stint as an assistant coach to Amy Ruley in 1983-84.
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Folstad was the head girls basketball coach at West Fargo HS from 1987-2002, winning a pair of state championships. She became the first woman inducted into the North Dakota High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
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A trailblazing advocate for women's athletics at all levels, Folstad was inducted into the National High School Athletic Coaches Association (NHSACA) National Hall of Fame in 2003.
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A native of Buffalo, N.D., and a graduate of Ayr High School, Folstad also served as a basketball and volleyball official and spent many years working the scorers' table for NDSU women's basketball.
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A 1962 graduate of NDSU, Folstad served as the first head coach at NDSU in both volleyball (1965-67) and women's basketball (1966-70). She was inducted into the Bison Athletic Hall of Fame in 1990.
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Folstad went on to serve as the head basketball coach at Dakota High School, Fargo South High School, Concordia College, Page High School, and West Fargo High School. She also returned to NDSU for a stint as an assistant coach to Amy Ruley in 1983-84.
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Folstad was the head girls basketball coach at West Fargo HS from 1987-2002, winning a pair of state championships. She became the first woman inducted into the North Dakota High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
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A trailblazing advocate for women's athletics at all levels, Folstad was inducted into the National High School Athletic Coaches Association (NHSACA) National Hall of Fame in 2003.
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A native of Buffalo, N.D., and a graduate of Ayr High School, Folstad also served as a basketball and volleyball official and spent many years working the scorers' table for NDSU women's basketball.
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Sunday, September 20
Tuesday, September 15
Friday, September 11
Friday, September 11
