BURLINGTON, Vt. – Former Vermont student-athlete and long-time Nordic volunteer coach Fred Fayette '69 passed away last week. Fayette worked with generations of UVM skiers over the last 40+ years with the program.
 
"Whether you were a UVM skier, an athlete from another school, or a colleague in the Athletic Department, Fred's positivity, kindness and generous spirit were felt by all who encountered him," said Director of Athletics Jeff Schulman. "Fred was an especially beloved figure in our ski program where his passion and commitment to generations of UVM skiers, on and off the snow, made an indelible impression in their lives. On a personal level, Fred was a shining light in the halls of UVM Athletics and in my life from the time I met him during my first year as a student at UVM.  His wisdom and sage advice for me and the other athletic directors with whom he worked was always well timed, appreciated and came from a place of deep care and concern for UVM and our student-athletes. Fred will be dearly by missed by all of Catamount Country."
 
"The UVM Ski team has been graced with Fred's presence for so many years," said Head Nordic Coach Patrick Weaver. "Countless people benefited from his positive energy and his friendly demeanor.  Fred produced thousands of smiles and had a magical way of making the people around him feel better about themselves.  The loss of Fred will certainly leave us with a huge void in our lives, but his spirit will remain in our hearts for years to come.  I feel lucky and fortunate to have been a part of his life while working alongside him with the team. We will miss him dearly."
 
Fayette was a 1969 graduate of the University of Vermont and competed on both the alpine and Nordic teams while at UVM. He was a mainstay with the ski team over the years and was an invaluable member of the coaching staff, putting in hours of work on a volunteer basis. He was named EISA Coach of the Year by his peers in 1990 and earned the EISA Service Award in 2008. In his time with Vermont he coached 21 individual national champions and was a part of five national championship teams.