Ed Fullerton

Ed Fullerton
Pittsburgh Steelers
Date of birth(1931-04-07)April 7, 1931
Place of birthPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Date of deathMay 28, 2015(2015-05-28) (aged 84)
Place of deathMcCandless, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Career information
StatusRetired
Position(s)Halfback, defensive back
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight190 lb (86 kg)
US collegeMaryland
High schoolWest View High School
NFL draft1953 / round: 4 / pick: 46
Drafted bySan Francisco 49ers
Career history
As player
1953Pittsburgh Steelers
Career highlights and awards

Edward Reno Fullerton (April 7, 1931 – May 28, 2015) was an American football halfback and defensive back. He was selected in the fourth round of the 1953 NFL draft and played one season in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins at the University of Maryland.

Playing career

Fullerton graduated from West View High School in Pittsburgh in 1949.[1] He attended college at the University of Maryland where he played football from 1950 to 1951.[2]

In the 1952 Sugar Bowl, billed by The Washington Post as the second "game of the century", 3rd-ranked Maryland faced "General" Robert Neyland's 1st-ranked Tennessee Volunteers. Fullerton scored the first touchdown of the game by rushing into the end zone to cap a 56-yard drive. Soon after, Maryland quarterback Jack Scarbath pitched to Fullerton who then threw a six-yard pass to Bob Shemonski for another touchdown. In the fourth quarter, Fullerton returned an interception 46 yards for another touchdown.[3] Today, that pick-six is the second-longest return allowed by Tennessee in a bowl game, the first-longest being by another Terrapin, Curome Cox in the 2002 Peach Bowl.[4][5]

In 1952, Fullerton rushed for a career-high of 107 yards against in-state rival Navy.[2]

He was selected in the fourth round of the 1953 NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers (46th overall). Fullerton instead went on to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played one game in 1953, but compiled no statistics.[1][6]

After the NFL, he served in the United States Air Force as a lieutenant for two years in which he played and coached football at Bolling Air Force Base.[7][8] Upon his discharge from the Air Force in January 1956, he was hired at as an assistant coach his alma mater by Tommy Mont.[7] He served as an assistant coach there from February 1956 to 1958.[2] As of 2001, he was living in his hometown of Pittsburgh.[9]

He died on May 28, 2015, in McCandless, Pennsylvania.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b Ed Fullerton Past Stats Archived 2012-10-15 at the Wayback Machine, Database Football, retrieved January 25, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c Year-By-Year Results Archived 2018-10-26 at the Wayback Machine (PDF), 2007 Terrapin Football Record Book, University of Maryland, 2007, retrieved 16 January 2009.
  3. ^ Text from Page 178, The Reveille, University of Maryland Yearbook, 1952, p. 178, retrieved January 25, 2009.
  4. ^ Finally, Terps' Wike gets just deserts., The Washington Times, January 1, 2003, retrieved January 25, 2009.
  5. ^ Postgame Notes Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, University of Tennessee Football, December 31, 2002, retrieved January 25, 2009.
  6. ^ Ed Fullerton, National Football League, retrieved January 25, 2009.
  7. ^ a b Ed Fullerton To Join Mont[permanent dead link‍], The Victoria Advocate, January 22, 1956.
  8. ^ "Mont Names Fullerton To Coach Terp Backfield", The Sunday Star, 104th year, number 22, January 22, 1956, page C2.
  9. ^ 50 years ago, Terps ruled; Time has smudged memories of '51 team, but not even '01 UM is match for its feats; College Football: 1951 Terps, The Baltimore Sun, November 23, 1951.
  10. ^ "Edward Reno 'Ed' Fullerton". oldestlivingprofootball.com. Retrieved September 24, 2015.