Flathead to celebrate Epperly

Flathead High School will hold a ceremony to celebrate longtime coach Bill Epperly for his induction into the National High School Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame at 7 p.m. on Friday at the school gym.

Epperly, who has coached in Montana for 49 years and currently serves as the high jump coach for the boys and girls track and field teams, will be formally inducted at a ceremony in Illinois on June 20.

Epperly was formerly the head boys basketball coach at Flathead, leading the Braves to state championships in 1982 and 1989. The Braves also had second place finishes in 1986 and 1991.

He began his career in 1959 at Bozeman Rosary High School and has served as a coach in the state ever since, including three seasons leading the Montana Tech men’s basketball program.

As an assistant, he has been a part of 13 state championships.

Since he has led the high jump program at Flathead, the Braves and Bravettes have had 45 divisional and 24 state placers.

He is also a two-time MCA boys basketball coach of the year, Epperly was inducted into the MCA Hall of Fame in 1990. He was a 1993 nominee for national high school basketball coach of the year and was inducted into the Kalispell Legends Wall of Fame in 2005.