William Marcus Fulcher (February 9, 1934 – September 23, 2022) was an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

player and college coach. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...

at the

Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part ...

and then played pro ball for the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

(NFL). Fulcher served as head football coach at the

University of Tampa The University of Tampa (UT) is a private university in Tampa, Florida. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. UT offers more than 200 programs of study, including 22 master's degrees and a broad variety of majors, ...

in 1971 and at his alma mater, Georgia Tech, in 1972 and 1973, compiling a career college football record of 18–15–1.

Football career

Fulcher was born on February 9, 1934 at

University Hospital A university hospital is an institution which combines the services of a hospital with the education of medical students and with medical research. These hospitals are typically affiliated with a medical school or university. The following i ...

Augusta, Georgia Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Geor ...

, and he attended the

Academy of Richmond County The Academy of Richmond County is a high school located in Augusta, Georgia, United States. Known previously as Richmond County Military Academy, it is commonly known as Richmond Academy or ARC. Chartered in 1783, it is listed as the sixth old ...

, where he played football, baseball, and basketball. He also played football for one year at the

Darlington School Darlington School is a private, coeducational, college-preparatory day and boarding school in Rome, Georgia founded in 1905. It serves students from pre-kindergarten to grade 12, and is divided into a Pre-K to 8 division and an Upper School d ...

Rome, Georgia Rome is the largest city in and the county seat of Floyd County, Georgia, United States. Located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, it is the principal city of the Rome, Georgia, metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all ...

. Fulcher enrolled at

, where he played

for the

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets is the name used for all of the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), located in Atlanta, Georgia. The teams have also been nicknamed the Ramblin' Wre ...

as a

walk-on Walk On may refer to: Music * ''Walk On'', a 1994 album by Boston, and its title song Albums * ''Walk On'' (Boston album), 1994 * ''Walk On'' (John Hiatt album), 1995 * ''Walk On'' (Randy Johnston album), 1992 *''Walk On'', a 2007 album by ...

. He became a starting

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for the Yellow Jackets. Fulcher was not selected in the 1956 NFL draft, and he signed with the

as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who i ...

in May 1956 to play as a

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

. Fulcher retired from the NFL after one season to coach high school football, but returned in December 1957 due to a season-ending injury to Tom Braatz. After the 1958 season, Fulcher became the

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in asso ...

of the football team at Screven County High School in

Sylvania, Georgia Sylvania is a town in and the county seat of Screven County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,956 at the 2010 census. History The area was inhabited for thousands of years by various cultures of indigenous peoples. By the time of Eur ...

, going 15–6–1. He next coached at Richmond, and then in 1963 became the freshman coach for Georgia Tech. He coached at Waynesboro High School in 1964 and 1965, returned to Georgia Tech to coach linebackers and

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is p ...

s in 1966, and then spent 1967 and 1968 in business. In 1969, Fulcher returned to Georgia Tech as an aide, and then he was an assistant coach at the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

in 1970. Fulcher was hired to be the head coach for the

Tampa Spartans The Tampa Spartans are the athletic teams that represent the University of Tampa, located in Tampa, Florida, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Spartans compete as members of the Sunshine State Conference for all sports besides beach ...

of the

in 1971. He led the Spartans to a 6–5 record in the 1971 season. Fulcher accepted the head coaching position with Georgia Tech in January 1972, resigning his position with Tampa after one year. In Fulcher's first season with Georgia Tech, the team had a 7–4–1 record in the 1972 season, and defeated the Iowa State Cyclones in the

1972 Liberty Bowl The 1972 Liberty Bowl was a college football postseason bowl game played on December 18, 1972, in Memphis, Tennessee. In the 14th edition of the Liberty Bowl, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defeated the Iowa State Cyclones, 31–30. Background ...

. The team finished ranked No. 20 by the Associated Press poll. After the 1973 season, Fulcher resigned, saying that coaching was no longer enjoyable for him. He left Georgia Tech with a 12–10–1 record. In 2015, Fulcher was inducted to the

Georgia Sports Hall of Fame The Georgia Sports Hall of Fame is located in Macon, Georgia. It is the largest state sports hall of fame in the United States at . Exhibitions The Hall of Fame houses over of exhibit space broken down into sections including Hall of Fame Induc ...

Later career

After leaving Georgia Tech, Fulcher sold real estate in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

. He attended Augusta Law School and graduated in 1980. He later moved to Tampa to open a restaurant and then sold insurance, before returning to Augusta to sell real estate.

Personal life

Fulcher and his wife, Bequi, had five children. He died on September 23, 2022, at age 88.

Head coaching record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fulcher, Bill 1934 births 2022 deaths American football guards American football linebackers Florida Gators football coaches Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football coaches Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football players Tampa Spartans football coaches Washington Redskins players Coaches of American football from Georgia (U.S. state) Players of American football from Augusta, Georgia