Dave Fuller was an American college baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

 coach who led the Florida Gators baseball

Florida Gators baseball

The Florida Gators baseball team represents the University of Florida in the sport of baseball. The Florida Gators compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association , and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference . They play their home games in Alfred A...

 team of the University of Florida

University of Florida

The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...

 for twenty-eight seasons.

Early life and education

Fuller attended Wake Forest University

Wake Forest University

Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...

 in Wake Forest, North Carolina

Wake Forest, North Carolina

Wake Forest is a town and suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina in Wake County in the U.S. state of North Carolina and is located just north of the state capital, Raleigh. The population was 12,588 at the 2000 census. In 2009, the estimated population was 27,915...

, where he played for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons football

Wake Forest Demon Deacons football

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team represents Wake Forest University in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Wake Forest plays its home football games at BB&T Field....

, Demon Deacons basketball

Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball team participates in the Atlantic Coast Conference and their homecourt is the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Their only Final Four appearance was in 1962 and through the years they have produced several NBA players. The Demon Deacons have...

 and Demon Deacons baseball

Wake Forest Demon Deacons baseball

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons baseball team is the intercollegiate baseball team of Wake Forest University. The program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference...

 teams. He was a three-year letterman in all three sports, but achieved his greatest recognition as a fullback and tailback

Tailback

Tailback can mean:* Halfback * A line of motor vehicles caught up in traffic congestion; a traffic jam...

 for the Demon Deacons.

Transition from player to coach

After graduating from Wake Forest, Fuller played minor league baseball in the Dixie League

Dixie League (1933 baseball)

The Dixie League was a class C baseball league formed in 1933, with teams based in the US states of Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, and Arkansas. After one season of competition, the Dixie League was split into the East Dixie and West Dixie leagues, both of them competing in the 1934 and 1935 seasons....

 and Coastal Plain League

Coastal Plain League (Class D)

The Coastal Plain League was a minor league baseball affiliation which, except for the war years , operated in North Carolina from 1937 to 1952. It was classified as a "D" league. It grew out of a semi-pro league that operated from 1934 to 1936 under the same Coastal Plain League name.- Coastal...

. As he repeatedly recounted for friends, his inability to hit the curve ball led to the early end of his professional baseball career. Fuller tried his hand at coaching, first as the head football, basketball and baseball coach at Perquimans County High School

Perquimans County High School

Perquimans County High School is a public high school located in Hertford, North Carolina. It is the only high school in Perquimans County. Perquimans County High School's enrollment as of 2010 is 519 students. The student body is 59% White; 39% Black; 1% Hispanic; and 1% Asian.-Alumni:*Catfish...

 in Hertford, North Carolina

Hertford, North Carolina

Hertford is a town in Perquimans County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,185 at the 2008 census. It is the county seat of Perquimans County. Hertford is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region and is part of the Elizabeth City Micropolitan Statistical Area...

 from 1940 to 1942, and then as an assistant football coach for the backfield at Northwest Missouri State Teacher's College

Northwest Missouri State University

Northwest Missouri State University is a state university in Maryville, Missouri. Founded in 1905 as a teachers college, it offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. The campus, based on the design for Forest Park at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, is the official Missouri State Arboretum....

 in Maryville, Missouri

Maryville, Missouri

Maryville is a city in Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. The population was 10,581 at the 2000 census. The town, organized on February 14, 1845, was named for Mrs. Mary Graham, wife of Amos Graham, then the county clerk. Mary was the first Caucasian woman to have lived within the boundaries...

 in 1943. After coaching in the U.S. Navy's sports leadership program during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, he joined the University of Florida's physical education staff in 1946.

Major college coaching career

Fuller was the head coach of the Florida Gators baseball team from 1948 to 1975, serving longer and winning more games than any other coach in the history of the Florida Gators intercollegiate sports program. His Gators baseball teams compiled an overall win-loss-tie record of 557–354–6 (.611), won four Southeastern Conference

Southeastern Conference

The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...

 (SEC) Eastern Division titles and three SEC championships (1952, 1956, 1962), and made three appearances in the NCAA baseball tournament (1958, 1960, 1962). Fuller coached forty-seven All-SEC players, including the first three All-Americans in the history of the Gators baseball program, Bernie Parrish

Bernie Parrish

Bernard Paul "Bernie" Parrish is a former American college and professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League and American Football League for eight seasons during the 1950s and 1960s...

, Perry McGriff

Perry C. McGriff

Perry Colson McGriff, Jr. is an American politician, retired insurance agent, and former All-American college football and baseball player. McGriff is a former member of the Florida House of Representatives, and former candidate for the Florida Senate.- Early life and education :McGriff was born...

 and Tom Moore. Eight of his Gators played Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

, including Dennis Aust

Dennis Aust

Dennis Kay Aust is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Aust played for the St. Louis Cardinals in and . In 15 career games, he had a 0-1 record with a 5.82 ERA. He batted and threw right-handed....

, Ross Baumgarten

Ross Baumgarten

Ross Baumgarten is an American former professional baseball player who was a pitcher in Major League Baseball for five seasons in the late 1970s and early 1980s...

, Doug Corbett

Doug Corbett

Douglas Mitchell Corbett is a former American professional baseball player who was a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball for eight seasons during the 1980s...

, Roger Holt

Roger Holt

Roger Boyd Holt is a former Major League Baseball player. He was born in Daytona Beach, Florida. Holt attended the University of Florida and was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 4th round of the 1977 Major League Baseball Draft. He played second base in 2 career games. He had 1 hit in 6 at...

, Bernie Parrish, Haywood Sullivan

Haywood Sullivan

Haywood Cooper Sullivan was an American college and professional baseball player who was a catcher, manager, general manager and club owner in Major League Baseball...

, Dale Willis

Dale Willis

Dale Jerome Willis is a former American college and professional baseball player who was a pitcher in Major League Baseball for single season in 1963....

 and Casey Wise

Casey Wise

Kendall Cole "Casey" Wise was an American college and professional baseball player who was a Major League Baseball infielder during parts of four seasons, between 1957 and 1960, with three different clubs: the Chicago Cubs, the Milwaukee Braves and the Detroit Tigers.The son of longtime MLB scout...

.

Fuller was also an assistant coach for the Florida Gators football

Florida Gators football

The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...

 team for twenty-nine seasons from 1947 to 1976 under four different head coaches—Raymond Wolf

Raymond Wolf

Raymond Bernard "Bear" Wolf was an American football player and coach. Wolf was a native of Illinois and an alumnus of Texas Christian University, where he played college football and baseball...

, Bob Woodruff, Ray Graves

Ray Graves

Samuel Ray Graves is a former American college and professional football player and former college football coach. He is a native of Tennessee and an alumnus of the University of Tennessee, where he played college football...

 and Doug Dickey

Doug Dickey

Douglas Adair "Doug" Dickey is a former American college football player and coach and college athletics administrator. Dickey is a South Dakota native who was raised in Florida and graduated from the University of Florida, where he played college football...

. He served longer than any other assistant coach in school history, including as the head coach of the Gators freshman football team known as the "Baby Gators," varsity assistant, head scout and a key recruiter. Fuller was personally responsible for recruiting Doug Dickey, who later became the starting quarterback, the Gators head football coach and a member of the College Football Hall of Fame

College Football Hall of Fame

The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...

, and also Jack Youngblood

Jack Youngblood

Herbert Jackson "Jack" Youngblood, III is a former American college and professional football player who was a defensive end for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League for fourteen seasons during the 1970s and 1980s. He was a five-time consensus All-Pro and a seven-time Pro Bowl...

, who was recognized as a first-team All-American and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Pro Football Hall of Fame

The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...

.

Legacy

Fuller was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as an "honorary letter winner" in 1976. He died in Gainesville in 2009; he was 94 years old. Fuller and his wife Patricia had a daughter and three sons; all four of their children graduated from the University of Florida. One son played football and another was a two-time All-SEC baseball player for the Gators. Fuller's 557 career wins as the Gators head baseball coach remain the most in the history of the Florida Gators baseball program.

See also

• Florida Gators
  Florida Gators
  The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
  
  
• History of the University of Florida
  History of the University of Florida
  The history of the University of Florida is firmly tied to the history of public education in the state of Florida. The University of Florida, colloquially known as "Florida" or "UF," originated as several distinct institutions that were merged to create a single state-supported university by the...
  
  
• List of Florida Gators baseball seasons
• List of Wake Forest University people
• University Athletic Association
  University of Florida Athletic Association
  The University Athletic Association, Inc. is a non-profit corporation that is responsible for maintaining the Florida Gators intercollegiate sports program of the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida...
  
  
• Wake Forest Demon Deacons
  Wake Forest Demon Deacons
  Originally, Wake Forest's athletic teams were known as the Fighting Baptists, due to its association with the Baptist Convention...