Sarah Fuller (athlete)

Sarah Fuller (born June 20, 1999) is an American college soccer goalkeeper and a college football placekicker for the Vanderbilt Commodores. She became a starter on the soccer team as a senior in 2020, when she helped lead Vanderbilt to a conference tournament championship in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Six days later, Fuller became the first woman to play in a football game for a Power Five conference team when she kicked off for the Commodores against Missouri on November 28, 2020.[1][2] Two weeks later against Tennessee, she kicked an extra point to become the first woman to score in a Power Five football game.

Sarah Fuller
Personal information
Date of birth (1999-06-20) June 20, 1999
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Club information
Current team
 Vanderbilt Commodores
Number 32
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017–present Vanderbilt Commodores 11 (0)

College football career
Vanderbilt Commodores – No. 32
PositionKicker
ClassSenior
MajorMedicine, health and society
Career history
College
High schoolWylie High School
(Wylie, Texas)

Early years

Fuller was born to 6-foot-2-inch (1.88 m) Brandon and 5-foot-10-inch (1.78 m) Windi Fuller. Both of Fuller's grandfathers are 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) tall.[3][4] She began playing soccer when she was five years old.[5] From elementary through junior high school, Fuller was the tallest student—boy or girl—in her class.[4] Growing up in Wylie, Texas, she attended Wylie High School, where she was a starter for two years at goalie and named the 2017 District 6-6A Goalkeeper of the Year.[6] Fuller was able to kick the ball over 60 yards (55 m) in games. Her leg strength impressed the school's football coaches, who would tell her soccer coach that they could use her on their team.[7]

College soccer career

Vanderbilt

Fuller entered Vanderbilt University on a soccer scholarship in 2017.[8] She broke her foot the summer before her freshman year, causing her to sit out her first season.[9] Back injuries sidelined her as a sophomore, and she played behind two senior goalkeepers the following season.[10] Fuller played in just two games in her first three years.[7] In the spring of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic struck and five exhibition games were cancelled, depriving her the opportunity to showcase herself to her coaches. Over the summer, she suffered a stress fracture on her other foot.[9]

As a senior in 2020, Fuller began the season on the bench. The Commodores began the season 1–2 before she made her first career start against South Carolina in October, recording six saves.[7][11] She remained the starter, finishing with a 7–2–0 record, 28 total saves, and a 75.5 save percentage.[11] Her 0.97 goals against average led the SEC and was the eighth-best in Vanderbilt history in a single season.[9][11] In the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament, Fuller recorded a rare goalkeeper assist after booting a free kick that almost travelled the length of the field, leading to a goal in a 4–2 win against Tennessee.[12][13] On November 22, 2020, she had three saves in the championship game against Arkansas,[14] helping the No. 7 seed Commodores win 3–1 and claim their first SEC Tournament title since 1994.[3][11]

North Texas

On November 13, 2020, North Texas women's soccer announced that Fuller signed to join the team in 2021 while she studied for her master's in hospital administration.[15][16] Her undergraduate major is Medicine, Health, and Society.[17]

College football career

Due to COVID-19, Vanderbilt's football team had limited options at placekicker for its upcoming game against the Missouri Tigers on November 28, 2020.[18] Their starting kicker had already opted out of the season due to coronavirus concerns,[19] and contact tracing had sidelined its other kickers.[19][20] The Commodores' punter was also an option to kick, but he also served as the team's holder, requiring a new holder if he were to kick.[20] With no men's soccer team at Vanderbilt, Commodores football coach Derek Mason turned to the women's team and Fuller.[21][22] Contacted the day after her soccer team's SEC title game, she agreed to try out for the 0–7 football team instead of returning home to Wylie for Thanksgiving.[6][23][24] Mason opted to use her as the kicker for the road game in Columbia, Missouri,[25][26] and she was the only kicker to travel with the team.[20]

Vanderbilt trailed Missouri 21–0 at the half. Unhappy with the team's lack of enthusiasm on the sidelines, Fuller gave a halftime speech, encouraging her teammates to cheer each other on and support one another.[27][28] Coaches told her afterwards that they had been wanting to say something similar for a while.[28][29] She opened the second half with a kickoff, a squib kick by design that travelled 30 yards.[17][23] Fuller became the first woman to play football in a Power Five conference, considered the elite conferences in college football,[8] as well as the third female to play in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).[lower-alpha 1][31] The Commodores lost the game 41–0.[17] With their offense rarely driving past midfield and never reaching inside the Missouri 30-yard-line,[6][17] she did not get a chance to kick a scoring field goal or an extra point.[23] Fuller trended in the top two on Twitter for much of the day's games, and her kick was the top video clip of the week on ESPN's digital platform. Her kickoff produced the SEC Network's most viewed tweet and most-liked Instagram post in the network's history.[32] She was named the SEC Co-Special Teams Player of the Week.[33]

The following week, Fuller remained with the team, but Mason was fired after a 27–55 overall record as Vanderbilt's coach.[34][35] She was expected to be in uniform in the following game against Georgia, but the game was postponed due to the SEC's COVID-19 protocols when the Commodores' roster did not meet the minimum requirements.[36] On December 12, Fuller was one of three kickers on the Commodore's active roster against Tennessee.[37] Interim head coach Todd Fitch decided that she would handle kicks inside the 10-yard line, while Pierson Cooke—who was pulled from extra points by Mason after struggling on short kicks earlier in the season—would handle the longer-range opportunities.[38][39] Fuller kicked an extra point following a first-quarter touchdown to become the first woman to score in a Power Five football game;[40] she finished the game 2-for-2 on extra points.[37] Vanderbilt lost 42–17 to finish the season 0–9.[39]

Honors

Personal life

Fuller has worked as an intern for the Nashville Adult Literacy Council and the End Slavery Tennessee campaign.[48] She had also intended to apply for an internship at Play Like a Girl, but did not. In a nod to the organization, she had "Play Like a Girl" printed on the back of her helmet in her first football game with Vanderbilt. The following day, the non-profit reported receiving $13,000 in donations and an increase in people inquiring about volunteering since her game.[49]

In 2021, Fuller was invited to participate in Joe Biden's inauguration.[50]

See also

Notes
  1. Liz Heaston was the first woman to play college football in 1997, when she kicked for Willamette in an NAIA game. Ashley Martin was the first women in NCAA Division I with Jacksonville State in 2001, playing in what is now known as the Football Championship Subdivision. In 2003, Katie Hnida with New Mexico became the first woman to score in a Group of Five conference, part of the FBS in addition to the Power Five.[30] April Goss of Kent State became the second woman in the FBS in 2015.[30][31]

References
  1. "Vanderbilt kicker Sarah Fuller makes history as first woman to play in a Power Five college football game". CBSSports.com. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  2. "Vanderbilt's Sarah Fuller could be first woman to play in Power 5 football game". ABC News. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  3. Culpepper, Chuck (December 3, 2020). "Sarah Fuller made history. Her parents understand why her moment matters". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  4. Hunt, Loretta (December 11, 2020). "Sarah Fuller: 'My male college football teammates call me Champ'". The Guardian. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  5. "Sarah Fuller". VUCCommodores.com. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  6. Caplan, Callie (November 28, 2020). "Vanderbilt kicker Sarah Fuller, a Wylie grad, becomes first woman to play in Power Five football game". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  7. Kamrani, Christopher; Rexrode, Joe (November 27, 2020). "Next woman up: Amid COVID-19, Vanderbilt football turns to women's soccer". The Athletic. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  8. Lutz, Tom (December 1, 2020). "Vanderbilt set to stick with trailblazing female kicker Sarah Fuller". The Guardian. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  9. Scarborough, Alex (November 30, 2020). "'This was never an easy path': Sarah Fuller and the winding road to two-sport immortality". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  10. Chester, Michella (December 8, 2020). "Before Sarah Fuller broke through national gender barriers, she first had to break through her own". NCAA.com. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  11. Martinelli, Michelle R. (November 26, 2020). "5 things to know about Sarah Fuller, who could play football for Vanderbilt on Saturday". USA Today.
  12. Negley, Cassandra (November 30, 2020). "Vanderbilt's Sarah Fuller named SEC special teams player of the week after historic kick". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  13. Gibbs, Simon (November 17, 2020). "Vanderbilt advances to SEC Tournament semifinals with 4-2 victory over Tennessee". Vanderbilt Hustler. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  14. Jones, Matt (November 23, 2020). "Vandy blitzes Arkansas for title". Arkansas Democrat Gazzette. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  15. Hall, Erik. "Sarah Fuller: 5 things to know about the Vanderbilt football kicker, women's soccer goalie". The Tennessean. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  16. "Soccer Adds Key Signees". University of North Texas Athletics.
  17. Forde, Pat (November 28, 2020). "Vanderbilt Kicker Sarah Fuller Was Made for the Moment". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  18. "Vanderbilt kicker Sarah Fuller to suit up vs. Missouri on Saturday, can make history". ESPN. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  19. Witz, Billy (November 29, 2020). "A Season of Footnotes Limps to Its Conclusion". The New York Times. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  20. Sparks, Adam (November 28, 2020). "Sarah Fuller is only Vanderbilt placekicker against Missouri football". Nashville Tennessean. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  21. Walker, Teresa M. (November 29, 2020). "Sarah Fuller sticking with Vanderbilt men's football team after historic kick". CBC.ca. The Associated Press. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  22. Talty, John (November 29, 2020). "Steve Sarkisian could be Saban's best OC, why Sarah Fuller moment resonated". AL.com. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  23. Scarborough, Alex (November 28, 2020). "Vanderbilt Commodores K Sarah Fuller makes history with second-half kickoff". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  24. Finger, Mike (November 29, 2020). "When risk is weighed against reward, some miscalculate". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  25. "Sarah Fuller becomes first woman to play in Power 5 college football game". Fox News Now. November 28, 2020.
  26. "American football: Sarah Fuller makes history as first woman in a Power 5 game". BBC.com. November 29, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  27. Sparks, Adam (November 28, 2020). "Vanderbilt kicker Sarah Fuller makes Power-5 college football history after giving halftime speech in her 'goalkeeper voice'". Nashville Tennessean. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  28. Adelson, Andrea (November 30, 2020). "Sarah Fuller plans to stick with Vanderbilt football, addresses halftime pep talk". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  29. Helmkamp, Jon (December 3, 2020). "Sarah Fuller called out Vanderbilt in a halftime speech, it was awesome, and now Derek Mason is gone". Deadspin. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  30. Walker, Teresa M. (November 25, 2020). "Vanderbilt may have women's soccer player as kicker at Missouri". Chattanooga Times Free Press. The Associated Press. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020.
  31. Massey, Lydia (November 28, 2020). "Sarah Fuller Makes History As 1st Woman To Play In A Power 5 Football Game". NPR.org. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  32. Brooks, Amanda (December 2, 2020). "College Football Catapults Viewership across ESPN Networks to Register Record Thanksgiving Weekend". ESPN Press Room (Press release). Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  33. Werner, Barry (November 30, 2020). "Sarah Fuller named SEC Co-Special Teams Player of the Week". MSN.com. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  34. Cooper, Sam (December 2, 2020). "Sarah Fuller listed atop Vanderbilt's depth chart, could kick vs. No. 9 Georgia". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  35. "Sarah Fuller wants to keep kicking for Vanderbilt". Boston Globe. November 29, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  36. Odum, Charles (December 4, 2020). "COVID-19 issues postpone Vandy-Georgia; no Fuller this week". The Seattle Times. The Associated Press. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  37. Sparks, Adam (December 12, 2020). "Vanderbilt kicker Sarah Fuller becomes first woman to score in Power Five college football game". Nashville Tennessean. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  38. Sparks, Adam (December 12, 2020). "Sarah Fuller, College Football Hall of Fame getting footballs from historic kicks for Vanderbilt". Nashville Tennessean. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  39. "Vanderbilt kicker Sarah Fuller first woman to score in Power 5 football game". ESPN.com. December 13, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  40. "Vanderbilt kicker Sarah Fuller makes history again as first woman to score points in Power Five game". CBSSports.com. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  41. "Vanderbilt upsets Arkansas to win the SEC Championship". Southeastern Conference. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  42. Payne, Ed (December 21, 2020). "Sarah Fuller's jersey added to College Football Hall of Fame". WSAW-TV. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  43. McCarriston, Shanna (December 21, 2020). "Sarah Fuller's Vanderbilt uniform on display at College Football Hall of Fame". CBSSports.com. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  44. Cash, Meredith (December 21, 2020). "Sarah Fuller College Football Hall of Fame Vanderbilt uniform display". Insider. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  45. Scarborough, Alex (November 30, 2020). "Vanderbilt Commodores kicker Sarah Fuller named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  46. Grott, Connor (November 30, 2020). "Vanderbilt's Sarah Fuller named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week". United Press International. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  47. Pickman, Ben (November 30, 2020). "Vanderbilt's Sarah Fuller Named SEC Special Teams Co-Player of the Week". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  48. Bishop, Chad (August 20, 2020). "Living a Fuller Life". VUCommodores.com. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  49. Sulek, Marissa (November 29, 2020). "Play Like A Girl sees increase in donations after Sarah Fuller plays for Vanderbilt". WSMV.com. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  50. "History-making kicker Sarah Fuller invited to Joe Biden's inauguration". ESPN.com. Associated Press. January 17, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
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