University of South Carolina Libraries
GAM I 1% * j.u. ru Carolina I n,, ni?KT\TIC OUH1w?r<? uj KJMZdil IN *0 OTY 1 1 ?JTJI\ SUH Writer One look through the program book and you would have to think this guy is mean, real mean. His picture probably scares the opposing offensive linemen. He looks like a 6-2, 220 pound grizzly bear. On the field he torments the quarterback and terrorizes the runningbacks. But off the field the grizzly bear turns into a big teddy bear. Yes, and linebacker J.D. Fuller is really a nice guy. And to say modesty is one of his virtues would be an understatement. He is third on the team in total tackles with 69 and has caused one fumble along wim iwu pass uenecuons, yei says, "l haven't done anything real spectacular." He's the type of player that would work perfectly in a 'No-Name' defense. He seeks no recognition and considers himself just one of a group of men who have the 1 responsibility of stopping the other team. ( "On defense you can set some individual goals, but on defense it's more 'if a team has success, individuals have success,"' Fuller said. Some people would think that phrase is i backwards. "If we go out and shut people out, shut people down completely, the whole defense ; is going to get some plugs," Fuller said. m.. V.; * w 1 A ' m.in*i o iny uiggeai guai, jusi 10 get a reputation for great defense and don't let people score," he added. 1 Last year in South Carolina's first game of the season against Pacific, Fuller dislocated his elbow on the very first play of the game and watched the rest of the season from the sidelines. That was a very disappointing moment I for Fuller, coaches, and fans alike who had ! high expectations from the second-year i player. "It had me down for awhile. I didn't expect it to happen, but it did. It took me some time to get myself together. I had to live for | this year," he said. Fuller was redshirted but he didn't like ; the idea of missing last year's season. But he isn't the type of person to dwell on that type of thing. Instead, he lifted weights and Skoal, Je men r 1. Skoal 42. America's Team 43. Kappa Alpha 44. Moore Alumni 45. Sigma Nu 46. Wade Hampton Hotel 4 7. Alpha Tau Omega 48. Lambda Chi Alpha 49. Zeta Beta Tau 310. ITK 4Honorable Mention: Sigma EpsiJon, Moore Rebels i ECOC Her i .irveiiacKer ju: prepared himself for this season. "I got a lot stronger from last yestf to this year. I spent a lot of time in the weight room," Fuller said. "It helped, but it didn't help to sit out a year. I guess in a sense it helped me, it might help me in the long run, but sitting out a year never helps." As far as future individual goals, Fuller says ins main oDjecuve is, "I want to stay healthy. That's the most important thing." Fuller is a team man, and he believes things are starting to look better for the Gamecocks as a team. "We've got to stop giving up so many points on defense. I think the future looks pretty good for us as a team now. Our offense is beginning to mature a little more," he said. "Our defense has got to get a little more consistent. We hold'em for three downs then give'em a big play, we've got to work on that. We're going to try to go out and keep people from scoring," he added. L.iKe so many young boys, J.D. used to have his favorite professional football players, except he had an advantage: His boyhood idol, Calvin Hill, is his cousin. "When I was small, 1 would always see him on T.V. and my mom told me that was my cousin. It was amazing because when he first came in the league in 69-70, he was the big franchise then. I would say, 'This man's my cousin' and I would just imagine myself being him," he said. Fuller also believes that having that kind of idol had a big influence on the beginning c?At?11 ui ius> louiuau career. "I guess he did have a lot to do with it. I started out playing running back, and that's what I wanted to do because that's what he did. "I finally got to meet him one day. I was in the tenth grade, and, WOW. I stayed with him a couple summers and we worked on moves sometimes," he reminisced. At the high school level, his dreams of being the next Calvin Hill were shattered wrien ne was moved to linebacker. But he adjusted to the transition without much problem and by his junior year was named tsnns Ton By MIKE LOUGH SUH Writer rk?T*jrr*o For *?ie consecutive OilM I S week, powerful Skoal takes of\ No 1 s*ot *n wee^ s J OU Gamecock Flag Football ) 50 . Po" ) 49 Skoal's counterpart the rv Jetsons retained their No. 1 J 4b position in the women's side, ) 32 a s'?* ^ave maintained for five straight weeks. B 29 Skoal came out on top of a fl 94 2~? forfeit by AROTC while U the Jetsons topped No. 2 1 yl HairnAm 1 o rv j XI uuiiwui uuuuica, iok, America's Team imL 11 proved its standing by two 1 10 notches, moving up from * fourth last week. America's Team, 19^ winners over AFROTC, edged defending Alpha champion Kappa Alpha for the second spot. KA, dropping one to third, nipped . Sigma Alpha Epsilon, 7-6. Moore Alumni, who was k mm st Another Nice J.D. Fuller (center-58) helps State 3A , Lineman of the Year at Clinton High School, an award he earned again as a cpninr "I was sort of lucky. We had some good teams at Clinton. We were state champions and I was right in the middle of a good thing. A lot of other players could have got it, I just happened to be the lucky one," he said in his usually modest way. And finally, at the close of his senior Kpncnn Ho moo u:-i ? 1 iiv 11 no uvoiuwai ins [ii^ncbi nonor, High School AU-American. Again, he doesn't play it up and puts it behind him. "That was a big thing when it happened to me in high school. I had to come to a different league and start all over again. That's probably the biggest honor I've ever received as an individual," he said. But this is a man that lives in the present, and doesn't dwell on the past. "I can't live l?S?f WIWI involved in a fight with AFRO last week, slides a notch to fourth. Alumni was idle this week. ' i T 4Sigma Nu moves up one 1. JCtS place to fifth this week after o p*ori beating Sigma Chi, 19-0. The -Ddl i Wade Hampton Hotel also 3. KciD moved up a notch to seventh, / p J thanks to its 6-0 victory over Columbia Hall. The loss c: knocked Columbia Hall, tenth last week, from the top Alpha Tau Omega, HonPFB although smashing Phi Delta out this week v Theta 25-0, slipped two over Bad News notches to seventh this week. Although the Lambda Chi Alpha finally No. 1 Jetsoi cracKed the top ten this Buddies retain: week, taking the No. 8 hole, this week in Lambda Chi sweated out a 7- poll. 6 win over Kappa Sigma to Kappa Delta get into the poll. this week, thf ZBT was idle this week, victory over A1 yet moved into the ninth Fourth went t position. ITK. absent from for the second \ the poll last week, rounds it They beat Chi < _ ) Guy ! * Riw f I push back Pitt ball carrier back. with it now," Fuller said. '! Wh;it nf tho f.ih.ro l T-k IT.. 11 ? O I17:*U > >. >v vmv auvui v wi u ,1/. i* unci n nil II two years remaining, he's still not sure what : will happen. Studying Criminal Justice, he \ would like to work in law enforcement when he graduates. MA "That's the only thing I can guarantee *y myself by getting my degree. Everything t else is'if'." J Fuller believes in being realistic and knows that it's hard to break into professional football. He thinks it's possible for him to make it, but he doesn't count on it. I "So many things happen in football that you really can't predict. I just go out and try ~.l l 1 _ t A - ' * ' iu pmy nara ana try to improve everything. "That's something you just can't prepare ; for. You can have a goal to play pro ball, but |? ; you can't put your whole life on playing pro i see Fuller, page 11 \ ill Polls i i WOMEN" 1 ! POINTS ons (6) 4-0 30 room Buddies 3-1 22 \ pa Delta 4-0 18 < is West 3-0 12 ters 3-1 "7 -*-< ble Mention Delta Zeta vith a 19-0 win earn its position. Rounding i out the top five is the ?y lost to the Strikers, after a week-long is, Barroom absence. The Strikers beat ^ 5 its No. 2 spot Capstone, 14-0. |> the women's Sc?o npvi soy for the results of the Skoal- I is third again America's Team contest, I1, inks to a 6-0 played last night aftei Ipha Delta Pi. Gamecock deadlines. p ; o Bates West For ail football scores and veekinarow. other scores and i'1_ jr )mega, 6-0, to formation, see page 10. |f