Steve Fuller (American football)
{{Short description|American football player (born 1957)}}
{{About|the American football player|the philosopher-sociologist|Steve Fuller (sociologist)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Steve Fuller
| image = Steve Fuller (Taps 1976).png
| caption = Fuller with the Clemson Tigers in 1975
| number = 4
| position = Quarterback
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1957|1|5|mf=y}}
| birth_place = Enid, Oklahoma, U.S.
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 4
| weight_lb = 198
| high_school = Spartanburg
(Spartanburg, South Carolina)
| college = Clemson (1975–1978)
| draftyear = 1979
| draftround = 1
| draftpick = 23
| pastteams = * Kansas City Chiefs ({{NFL Year|1979|1982}})
- Los Angeles Rams ({{NFL Year|1983}})
- Chicago Bears ({{NFL Year|1984|1987}})
- San Diego Chargers ({{NFL Year|1988}})
| highlights = * Super Bowl champion (XX)
- Third-team All-American (1978)
- 2× ACC Player of the Year (1977, 1978)
- 2× First-team All-ACC (1977, 1978)
- Clemson Tigers No. 4 retired
| statlabel1 = Passing attempts
| statvalue1 = 1,066
| statlabel2 = Passing completions
| statvalue2 = 605
| statlabel3 = Completion percentage
| statvalue3 = 56.8%
| statvalue4 = 28–41
| statlabel5 = Passing yards
| statvalue5 = 7,156
| statlabel6 = Passer rating
| statvalue6 = 70.1
| statlabel7 = Rushing yards
| statvalue7 = 908
| statlabel8 = Rushing touchdowns
| statvalue8 = 11
| pfr = FullSt00
}}
Stephen Ray Fuller (born January 5, 1957) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. He played college football for the Clemson Tigers, where he was twice named ACC Player of the Year, and was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the 1979 NFL draft. Fuller played his first four seasons with the Chiefs and was a member of the Los Angeles Rams during his fifth season. He joined the Chicago Bears in 1984, where he spent four seasons as a backup and was a member of the team that won the franchise's first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XX. In his final season, Fuller was a member of the San Diego Chargers.
Early life
Fuller was born in Enid, Oklahoma and graduated from Spartanburg High School in Spartanburg, South Carolina.{{Cite web |title=Steve Fuller |url=http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=FULLESTE01 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020123313/http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=FULLESTE01 |archive-date=October 20, 2012 |access-date=November 10, 2012 |publisher=databaseFootball.com}}
College career
Fuller played college football at Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina from 1975 to 1978. He was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity,{{Cite web |title=SC Nu Athletics |url=http://www.scnu.org/gallery.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090731122953/http://www.scnu.org/gallery.php |archive-date=July 31, 2009 |access-date=April 11, 2010 |publisher=Sigma Alpha Epsilon}} Fuller was a football and academic All-America at Clemson University.
In 1975, Fuller was 22-of-46 for 354 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. In addition, he had 47 carries for 148 yards as Clemson finished with a 2–9 record.
In 1976, Fuller was 58-of-116 for 835 yards with five touchdowns and six interceptions. In addition, he had 157 carries for 503 yards with six touchdowns as Clemson finished with a 3–6–2 record.
In 1977, Fuller was 106-of-205 for 1,655 yards with eight touchdowns and eight interceptions. In addition, he had 178 carries for 437 yards with six touchdowns as Clemson finished with an 8–3–1 record.
In 1978, Fuller was 101-of-187 for 1,515 yards with seven touchdowns and four interceptions. In addition, he had 153 carries for 649 yards and ten touchdowns as Clemson finished with an 11–1 record.
=College statistics=
| class="wikitable |
| colspan="2"| Legend |
|---|
| style="background:#cfecec; width:3em;"|
| Led the ACC |
| Bold
| Career high |
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" | ||||||||||||
| rowspan="2"| Season
! rowspan="2"| Team ! rowspan="2"| GP ! colspan="8"| Passing ! colspan="4"| Rushing | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 1975 | Clemson
| 11 || 22 || 46 || 47.8 || 354 || 2 || 3 || 113.8 || 47 || 148 || 3.1 || 0 | |||||||||||
| 1976 | Clemson
| 11 || 58 || 116 || 50.0 || 835 || 5 || 6 || 114.3 || 157 || 503 || 3.2 || 6 | |||||||||||
| 1977 | Clemson
| 11 || 96 || 182 || 52.7 || 1,497 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 8 || 4 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 131.9 || 165 || 403 || 2.4 || 6 | |||||||||||
| 1978 | Clemson
| 12 || 101 || 187 || 54.0 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 1,515 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 7 || 4 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 130.1 || 153 || 649 || 4.2 || 10 | |||||||||||
| colspan="2"| Career{{Cite web |title=Steve Fuller college statistics |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/steve-fuller-1.html |access-date=July 14, 2019 |website=Sports Reference}} | 45 | 277 | 531 | 52.2 | 4,201 | 22 | 17 | 125.9 | 522 | 1,703 | 3.3 | 22 |
Professional career
Fuller was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round with the 23rd overall pick in the 1979 NFL draft. He played in the National Football League for seven years, most notably with the Chicago Bears as their backup quarterback from 1984 to 1986, including the Super Bowl XX championship season in 1985.{{Cite web |title=Steve Fuller Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/F/FullSt00.htm |access-date=2024-10-25 |website=Pro Football Reference |language=en}} Fuller was named by Sports Illustrated as one of the top fifteen backup quarterbacks of all time, based on his 1985 season with the Chicago Bears.{{Cite web |title=Backup plan saved Bears |url=http://www.espn.com/chicago/85bears/regular?id=5401541 |access-date=November 10, 2012 |publisher=ESPN Chicago}}
After not throwing a single pass during the entire 1983 NFL season, Fuller came in for the Chicago Bears in Week 10 of the 1984 NFL season against the Los Angeles Raiders after an injury to starting quarterback Jim McMahon halfway through the game. McMahon missed the rest of the 1984 season and Fuller became the Bears starter, all the way to the 1984 NFC Championship game against the eventual Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers.
Fuller was awarded a gold record and a platinum video award for the 1985 "Super Bowl Shuffle", for which he was the sixth of the ten solo singers.{{Cite web |last=Thorman |first=Joel |date=May 25, 2009 |title=The Greatest Kansas City Chiefs, By The Numbers: #4 |url=http://www.arrowheadpride.com/2009/5/25/885298/the-greatest-kansas-city-chiefs-by |access-date=November 10, 2012 |website=Arrowhead Pride}} In 2010, during Super Bowl XLIV, Fuller joined other members of the 1985 Chicago Bears in recreating the Super Bowl Shuffle in a Boost Mobile commercial.{{Cite web |last=Greenberg |first=Jon |date=January 15, 2010 |title=Chicago Bears' "Super Bowl Shuffle" an enduring, endearing sports moment - ESPN Chicago |url=https://www.espn.com/chicago/nfl/columns/story?columnist=greenberg_jon&id=4827883 |access-date=October 11, 2023 |website=ESPN.com}}
NFL career statistics
| class="wikitable mw-collapsible"
! colspan="2"| Legend |
| style="background:#afe6ba; width:3em;"|
| Won the Super Bowl |
| style="background:#cfecec; width:3em;"|
| Led the league |
| Bold
| Career high |
=Regular season=
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" | |||||||||||||||||||
| rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Team ! colspan="3"| Games ! colspan="9"| Passing ! colspan="5"| Rushing ! colspan="2"| Sacks | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| {{abbr|GP|Games played}} | {{abbr|GS|Games started}} | {{abbr|Record|Record as a starter}} | {{abbr|Cmp|Passes completed}} | {{abbr|Att|Passes attempted}} | {{abbr|Pct|Completion percentage}} | {{abbr|Yds|Passing yards}} | {{abbr|Y/A|Yards per passing attempt}} | {{abbr|Lng|Longest pass completion}} | {{abbr|TD|Passing touchdowns}} | {{abbr|Int|Interceptions}} | {{abbr|Rtg|Passer rating}} | {{abbr|Att|Rushing attempts}} | {{abbr|Yds|Rushing yards}} | {{abbr|Avg|Yards per rushing attempt}} | {{abbr|Lng|Longest rushing attempt}} | {{abbr|TD|Rushing touchdowns}} | {{abbr|Sck|Times sacked}} | {{abbr|Yds|Yards lost due to sacks}} | |
| 1979 | KAN
| 16 || 12 || 6–6 || 146 || 270 || 54.1 || 1,484 || 5.5 || 40 || 6 || 14 || 55.8 || 50 || 264 || 5.3 || 49 || 1 || 37 || 244 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1980 | KAN
| 14 || 13 || 6–7 || 193 || 320 || 60.3 || 2,250 || 7.0 || 77 || 10 || 12 || 76.4 || 60 || 274 || 4.6 || 38 || 4 || style="background:#cfecec; width:3em;"| 49 || style="background:#cfecec; width:3em;"| 348 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1981 | KAN
| 13 || 3 || 1–2 || 77 || 134 || 57.5 || 934 || 7.0 || 53 || 3 || 4 || 74.0 || 19 || 118 || 6.2 || 27 || 0 || 17 || 117 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1982 | KAN
| 9 || 3 || 0–3 || 49 || 93 || 52.7 || 665 || 7.2 || 51 || 3 || 2 || 77.6 || 10 || 56 || 5.6 || 12 || 0 || 17 || 143 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1984 | CHI
| 6 || 4 || 2–2 || 53 || 78 || 67.9 || 595 || 7.6 || 31 || 3 || 0 || 103.3 || 15 || 89 || 5.9 || 26 || 1 || 7 || 41 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1985 | style="background:#afe6ba; width:3em;"| CHI
| 16 || 5 || 4–1 || 53 || 107 || 49.5 || 777 || 7.3 || 69 || 1 || 5 || 57.3 || 24 || 77 || 3.2 || 13 || 5 || 17 || 102 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1986 | CHI
| 16 || 2 || 0–2 || 34 || 64 || 53.1 || 451 || 7.0 || 50 || 2 || 4 || 60.1 || 8 || 30 || 3.8 || 10 || 0 || 8 || 53 | ||||||||||||||||||
| colspan="2"| Career | 90 | 42 | 19–23 | 605 | 1,066 | 56.8 | 7,156 | 6.7 | 77 | 28 | 41 | 70.1 | 186 | 908 | 4.9 | 49 | 11 | 152 | 1,048 |
=Playoffs=
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" | |||||||||||||||||||
| rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Team ! colspan="3"| Games ! colspan="9"| Passing ! colspan="5"| Rushing ! colspan="2"| Sacks | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| {{abbr|GP|Games played}} | {{abbr|GS|Games started}} | {{abbr|Record|Record as a starter}} | {{abbr|Cmp|Passes completed}} | {{abbr|Att|Passes attempted}} | {{abbr|Pct|Completion percentage}} | {{abbr|Yds|Passing yards}} | {{abbr|Y/A|Yards per passing attempt}} | {{abbr|Lng|Longest pass completion}} | {{abbr|TD|Passing touchdowns}} | {{abbr|Int|Interceptions}} | {{abbr|Rtg|Passer rating}} | {{abbr|Att|Rushing attempts}} | {{abbr|Yds|Rushing yards}} | {{abbr|Avg|Yards per rushing attempt}} | {{abbr|Lng|Longest rushing attempt}} | {{abbr|TD|Rushing touchdowns}} | {{abbr|Sck|Times sacked}} | {{abbr|Yds|Yards lost due to sacks}} | |
| 1984 | CHI
| 2 || 2 || 1–1 || 22 || 37 || 59.5 || 298 || 8.1 || 75 || 2 || 1 || 91.9 || 8 || 44 || 5.5 || 23 || 0 || 13 || 84 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1985 | style="background:#afe6ba; width:3em;"| CHI
| 3 || 0 || 0–0 || 0 || 4 || 0.0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 39.6 || 1 || 1 || 1.0 || 1 || 0 || 1 || 11 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1986 | CHI
| 1 || 0 || 0–0 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| colspan="2"| Career | 6 | 2 | 1–1 | 22 | 41 | 53.7 | 298 | 7.3 | 75 | 2 | 1 | 83.2 | 9 | 45 | 5.0 | 23 | 0 | 14 | 95 |
Personal life
Fuller and his wife, Anna, have two children. The couple live in South Carolina where Fuller was a high school football coach at Hilton Head Prep School. Fuller currently works as offensive coordinator for the Hilton Head Prep School Varsity football team.{{Cite web |title=Hilton Head Island High School Boys Varsity Football Fall 2016 Coaches |url=http://www.hiltonheadhighsports.org/main/teamcoaches/id/68087/seasonId/4070611 |access-date=February 20, 2017 |website=www.hiltonheadhighsports.org }}{{Dead link|date=June 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Footballstats |nfl=Steve-Fuller|espn= |cbs= |yahoo= |si= |pfr=F/FullSt00 |rotoworld= }}
{{Atlantic Coast Conference football Player of the Year navbox}}
{{Clemson Tigers quarterback navbox}}
{{Kansas City Chiefs starting quarterback navbox}}
{{Chicago Bears starting quarterback navbox}}
{{Super Bowl XX}}
{{1979 NFL Draft}}
{{Kansas City Chiefs first round draft picks}}
{{Chiefs1979DraftPicks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fuller, Steve}}
Category:American football quarterbacks
Category:Chicago Bears players
Category:Clemson Tigers football players
Category:Kansas City Chiefs players
Category:Los Angeles Rams players
Category:High school football coaches in South Carolina
Category:Sportspeople from Enid, Oklahoma
Category:Players of American football from Spartanburg, South Carolina