David Dwayne Fulcher (born September 28, 1964) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

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for the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

and Los Angeles Raiders of the

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(NFL). He played

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for the Arizona State Sun Devils. He was inducted into the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...

in 2021.

College career

After graduating from John C. Fremont Senior High School in

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, Fulcher played

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

. While playing for the Sun Devils, Fulcher was known for his cover skills and punishing tackles. He earned the nickname "Fo-Rock" after tackling an opposing wide receiver in a game against

New Mexico State University New Mexico State University (NMSU or NM State) is a public, land-grant, research university in Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1888, it is the state's oldest public institution of higher education, and was the original land-g ...

. "The guy laid there for a while, then got up and was dizzy. Then he said 'Man, I feel like I ran into a rock,'" Fulcher explained. "My teammates started calling me 'Rock'. A lot of people, when they pronounce my last name, say 'Fo-cher. So I just put the 'Fo' in front of Rock." After his junior season was over in 1986, Fulcher declared himself eligible for the

NFL draft The NFL draft, officially known as the Annual Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the most common source of player recruitment in the National Football League. Each team is given a position in the drafting order in reve ...

. He finished his three seasons at Arizona State with 12 interceptions, 4 as a freshman, 2 as a sophomore, and 6 as a junior. He returned them for 193 yards and a touchdown. In 2021 he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

NFL career

Fulcher was selected by the Bengals in the third round of the 1986 NFL Draft. After just two NFL seasons, Fulcher was viewed as one of the top defensive backs in the NFL. In 1988, he recorded five

interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...

s and one

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, and earned his first trip to the

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

. The Bengals finished the season with a 12–4 record and went on to face the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

in Super Bowl XXIII, where they ended up losing narrowly to the 49ers 20–16 after quarterback Joe Montana threw the game-winning touchdown pass with 34 seconds left. In the game, Fulcher recorded several key tackles, a sack and forced a

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful h ...

that the Bengals recovered. Fulcher later said this game was his most memorable NFL moment. "It was the time they called my name during the introductions at the Super Bowl," he said. "Walking out of the tunnel at Joe Robbie Stadium, making sure I did not trip on the turf and fall down." In 1989, Fulcher recorded eight interceptions, at the time the second-highest single-season total by a Bengals player. He also tied a Bengals record by recording three interceptions in one game, a feat he accomplished twice. Fulcher once again was selected to play in the Pro Bowl, but the Bengals finished the year with an 8–8 record and failed to make the playoffs. In 1990 Fulcher made the Pro Bowl for the third year in a row. He intercepted four passes, forced three fumbles and recorded 53 solo tackles. The Bengals finished the season 9-7 and made it to the divisional playoffs, with Fulcher recording an interception in both of their playoff games. This would be the last winning season Fulcher would have playing for the Bengals, as they would not record a winning record again until 2005. In 1991, he led the team with 68 solo tackles, four forced fumbles (recovering three of them) and he intercepted four passes, returning them for 51 yards and a touchdown. In his final season in Cincinnati in 1992, he intercepted three passes and recovered five fumbles. Fulcher joined the Raiders as a free agent in 1993, but due to injuries he only played three games, and retired after the season. In his eight NFL seasons, Fulcher recorded 10 forced fumbles, nine fumble recoveries, 12 fumble-return yards, 31 interceptions, 246 interception return yards and two touchdowns. His 31 interceptions are the third most in Bengals history behind Ken Riley and

Louis Breeden Louis Everett Breeden (born October 26, 1953) is an American former American football, football cornerback who played for the Cincinnati Bengals (1978–1987) in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the North Caroli ...

After the NFL

Fulcher was named sixth on a list of "All-Time Cincinnati Bengals" in 2017. He is active in fundraising and awareness activities, especially for

multiple sclerosis Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease resulting in damage to myelinthe insulating covers of nerve cellsin the brain and spinal cord. As a demyelinating disease, MS disrupts the nervous system's ability to Action potential, transmit ...

, and founded the non-profit MANA (Mentoring Against Negative Actions), working with inmates to teach them life skills. Fulcher is also the Alumni President for the Walter Camp Football Foundation. Fulcher served as head football coach at Cincinnati Christian High School from 2011 through 2015. On June 1, 2015, Fulcher was announced as the head coach at Cincinnati Christian University for their inaugural 2016 season. Fulcher is married and has two children and three grandchildren.

Head coaching record

College

References

Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fulcher, David 1964 births Living people All-American college football players American Conference Pro Bowl players American football safeties Arizona State Sun Devils football players Cincinnati Bengals players Cincinnati Christian Eagles football coaches Los Angeles Raiders players High school football coaches in Ohio John C. Fremont High School alumni Players of American football from Los Angeles African-American coaches of American football 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen College Football Hall of Fame inductees