Tucker to be inaugural inductee in Badger Athletic Hall of Fame

Janis Tucker
Janis Tucker

Over the next few weeks, the Bonners Ferry Badger Athletic Hall of Fame will introduce and share biographies of our 2024 inaugural inductees to the Bonners Ferry Badger Athletic Hall of Fame. They will also be introduced at halftime of the September 6 BFHS home football game, and the Hall of Fame banquet dinner and ceremony will be held on Saturday, November 16. Details and ticket information will be announced soon.

Their first inductee is Janis Tucker. Janis was born in Worland, Wyoming. She was raised in Wyoming and Montana, but spent most of her life in Idaho. She attended Bonners Ferry High School, where she participated in volleyball, basketball and track.

Janis broke the high school discus record in 1976 and held it until 2004. After high school, Janis attended Spokane Falls Community College,

where she competed in intercollegiate volleyball and track and field. After her freshman year, she transferred to Idaho State University, where she continued to play volleyball for two more years.

She graduated from Idaho State University with a Bachelors of Arts Degree, majoring in physical education and health, and a minor in speech communication.

After college, Janis moved back to Bonners Ferry, where she met and married her husband, Jim. She worked for Boundary County School District as a substitute teacher, a paraprofessional, and was finally hired at Bonners Ferry High School, where she taught health, physical education, and speech for 37 years. Janis currently works part time for BCSD as a new teacher mentor.

She coached several sports at several levels: youth softball, junior high track and junior high basketball. She coached high school track and field for five years, junior varsity girls basketball for ten years, varsity volleyball for 31 years, and she will start her 11th year coaching middle school volleyball.

Janis has three children; Jodi, James and Austin. six grandchildren and two dogs. She enjoys working out, reading and watching sports, especially the Badgers.