William Henry Fuller Jr. (born March 8, 1962) 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

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 formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

for 13 seasons in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). Fuller played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels (also Carolina Tar Heels) are the college sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to ...

and professionally for the

Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars The Philadelphia / Baltimore Stars were a professional American football team which played in the United States Football League (USFL) in the mid-1980s. Owned by real-estate magnate Myles Tanenbaum, they were the short-lived league's dominant ...

of the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

(USFL), and the

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston, Texas, from its founding in 1960 Houston Oilers season, 1960 to 1996 Houston Oilers season, 1996. The Houston Oilers began play as a charter member of the Ame ...

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

, and

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

of the NFL. Fuller was one of the better

pass rush On defense in gridiron football, a pass rush is charging across the line of scrimmage towards the quarterback in an effort to stop or " sack" them. The purpose is tackling, hurrying or flushing the quarterback out of his protective pocket or th ...

ers in the NFL during his time in the league and finished his career with 100.5 sacks. He was named 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 ...

four times and selected as an

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

twice while in college. In 2004, Fuller was inducted into the

Virginia Sports Hall of Fame The Virginia Sports Hall of Fame honors athletes, coaches, administrators, journalists and other contributors to athletics. Many of the more than 350 inductees since 1972 were born in Virginia or enjoyed success in college, professional, amateur or ...

. During his career and after his retirement, Fuller has also done considerable work in raising funds for

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

research.

Early life

Fuller was born in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...

. He grew up in

Chesapeake, Virginia Chesapeake is an independent city in Virginia, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 249,422, making it the second-most populous city in Virginia, the tenth largest in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 92nd-most populous city in the ...

, and attended Indian River High School,Robinson, Tom
You can go home again; Just ask William Fuller
''

The Virginian-Pilot ''The Virginian-Pilot'' is the daily newspaper for Hampton Roads, Virginia. Commonly known as ''The Pilot'', it is Virginia's largest daily. It serves the five cities of South Hampton Roads as well as several smaller towns across southeast Virgi ...

'', March 28, 1996, accessed February 26, 2007. where he lettered in track, basketball, and football.William Fuller
espn.com, accessed March 12, 2009. Fuller graduated from Indian River in 1980.

College career

Fuller attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he played defensive line for the

North Carolina Tar Heels football The North Carolina Tar Heels football team represents the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the sport of American football or gridiron football. The Tar Heels play in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Bowl Subd ...

team. He recorded nine sacks and 22

tackles for loss The following terms are used in American football, both conventional and indoor. Some of these terms are also in use in Canadian football; for a list of terms unique to that code, see '' Glossary of Canadian football''. 0–9 ...

as a sophomore. As a senior, he had 81 tackles, a team-leading five sacks, and 22 tackles for loss., chargers-stats.com, accessed February 27, 2007. For his efforts that season he was awarded

and first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) honors as well as UNC's defensive

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

award.The Class of 2004: William Fuller
virginiasportshalloffame.com, accessed March 4, 2007. Fuller was also a finalist for the Lombardi and Outland Trophies, special awards designated only for

linemen Lineman or linesman may refer to: In personal roles: *Lineworker, one who installs and maintains electrical power, telephone, or telegraph lines *Lineman (gridiron football), a position in American football *Head linesman, the American football of ...

. While at UNC, Fuller helped lead the Tar Heels to three

bowl game In North America, a bowl game, or simply bowl, is one of a number of postseason college football games primarily played by NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams. For most of its history, the FBS did not use a playoff tourname ...

s, made the All-ACC team three times, and the All-America team twice (

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...

and

1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...

). He graduated in 1986 with a degree in

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

. Fuller was later inducted into UNC's sports hall of fame, and selected as a member of the ACC's 50th Anniversary Football Team in 2002.

Professional career

Fuller was selected by the Philadelphia Stars in the 1984 USFL Territorial Draft.William Fuller
, sportingnews.com, accessed February 26, 2007. He was also selected with the 21st selection in the first round of the

1984 NFL Supplemental Draft of USFL and CFL Players The 1984 NFL supplemental draft of USFL and CFL players was a one-time draft of United States Football League (USFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL) players held on June 5, 1984. While there were a few Hall of Famers and Pro Bowl players in ...

by the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

. Fuller decided to play in the USFL with the Stars, where he played for two seasons, winning two USFL championships and playing with future NFL players such as Bart Oates and

Sam Mills Samuel Davis Mills Jr. (June 3, 1959 – April 18, 2005) was an American professional football player who was a linebacker for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers. He also played f ...

. Fuller joined the NFL after the USFL folded in 1986 and his rights were subsequently traded by the Rams to the Houston Oilers where he started his career in the NFL. After recording a total of 3 sacks in his first two seasons,, databasefootball.com, accessed February 26, 2007. Fuller emerged in 1988 and tied for the team lead in sacks with 8.5. He was described as the most improved defensive player on the team by

head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

Jerry Glanville Jerry Michael Glanville (born October 14, 1941) is an American football coach. He is the defensive coordinator for Northwestern Oklahoma State University, a position he has held since 2024. Prior to that, was most recently the head coach of the ...

. After recording 14.5 sacks over 1989 and 1990, Fuller finished tied for second in the NFL with 15 sacks in 1991,1991 NFL Sacks
jt-sw.com, accessed April 30, 2007. and was named to his first Pro Bowl. He followed that up by recording eight and ten sacks, respectively in 1992 and 1993. After the 1993 season Fuller signed a three-year $8 Million contract as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager 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 a contract at present ...

with the Philadelphia Eagles, in part out of a desire to be closer to his off–season home in Virginia.Kravitz, Gary
Where Are They Now: DE William Fuller
philadelphiaeagles.com, December 17, 2004, accessed April 2, 2007. He subsequently played three stellar seasons in 1994, 1995, and 1996. He recorded 9.5 sacks in his first season there (1994) and set a team record for most consecutive games with a sack at seven. Fuller had 13 sacks in each of the following two seasons (1995 and 1996), and was named to the Pro Bowl in each of his three seasons with the Eagles. After the 1996 season, Fuller signed a two-year $5.6 million contract with the San Diego Chargers, while there his production steeply declined. After two seasons, in which he recorded three sacks each, Fuller retired following the 1998 season. By the time his NFL career ended, Fuller had recorded 100.5 sacks becoming one of the few players in NFL history to record more than 100 sacks.All time leaders: sacks
espn.com, accessed February 26, 2007.

NFL career statistics

Personal life

Fuller has four daughters by his wife Precilla, Karen, Krystal, Kimberly, and Kalisa. Shortly before the 1995 season Fuller's father, who was blind at the time due to type 1

, died.Ducibella, Jim
Injury only compounds Fuller's season of grief
''The Virginian-Pilot'', October 15, 1995, accessed February 26, 2007. Fuller and his father were very close and had filmed a United Way and the NFL commercial together during the offseason. The commercial, which featured an organization for the blind, was not aired until two days after his father's death. Fuller is also a noted philanthropist, who was actively involved in programs relating to

Juvenile diabetes Type 1 diabetes (T1D), formerly known as juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the body's immune system destroys pancreatic cells (beta cells). In healthy persons, beta cells produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone required ...

Special Olympics Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in 172 countries. Special Ol ...

Ronald McDonald House Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) is an independent American nonprofit organization whose stated mission is to create, find, and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children. RMHC has a global network of ...

and the Boys' Clubs of America during his time in the NFL. He hosts the William Fuller Tournament in Houston for

JDRF Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF) is a type 1 diabetes (T1D) research and advocacy organization. Breakthrough T1D funds research for the development of new therapies and treatments for type 1 diabetes. The organization advocates for federal resea ...

(formerly Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). The event has raised over $1 million for research to cure diabetes, and Fuller himself has helped raise over $3 million for diabetes research. Fuller currently owns and operates his own real estate development company, Fulco Development, which is based in Norfolk. His company is currently working on development projects in the Hampton Roads region. He has also donated his time as an assistant football coach for Frank W. Cox High School in

Virginia Beach Virginia Beach (colloquially VB) is the List of cities in Virginia, most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in southeaster ...

.Krumrie, Matt
"Just" Coach Fuller
nflhs.com, accessed April 30, 2007. In 2011, Fuller became a radio commentator for the

Virginia Destroyers The Virginia Destroyers were a professional American football team based in Virginia Beach, Virginia. They began play in the United Football League (UFL) in the 2011 season. They played their home games at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex. The t ...

UFL team.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fuller, William 1962 births Living people All-American college football players American Conference Pro Bowl players American football defensive ends Houston Oilers players National Conference Pro Bowl players North Carolina Tar Heels football players Players of American football from Chesapeake, Virginia Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars players Philadelphia Eagles players San Diego Chargers players College Football Hall of Fame inductees