Fuller makes believers out of undefeated Cougars

By St. Clair Murraine
Outlook Staff Writer

Corey Fuller is two wins away from going undefeated in his first season as Godby’s coach.
Photo special to the Outlook

Corey Fuller had swag as a high school football player. He took it to Florida State and then to the NFL for nine years.

 
It never left him. So you know he is passing it on to his players at Godby High School, where he’s got the cougars believing in themselves like never before.
At least not in the previous two seasons when they won just two games.

 
Fuller came in as head coach this season. Yep, he was loud and clear about his intent.

 
“Get our respect and take back what’s ours,” he said.

 
What they want is to get back to winning state championships. They’ve won four, the most by any public school in the city.

 
A fifth seems almost certain. Just look at the 8-0 record.

 
And, Fuller is not letting up in demanding total effort from every player on his team. They’ve become very good at doing that.
Of course, Fuller doesn’t have even an inkling that they’ll change. At least not before the final play in the 2-5A state championship game.
“When we do what we do,” Fuller said, “we’re going to be hard to beat.”

 
See, that’s the kind of swagger I’m talking about.

 
At the end of last season, the Cougars became the talk around town. Not for all the reason they were in every conversation about high school football when they were winning championships.

 
What was being said before Fuller took the job this past spring is whether the Cougars could ever return to being the team by which every other team was measured.

 
Fuller believed he could and he left it up to them to prove him wrong.

 
“I can’t play another down of football,” he said. “Not again. The kids have to go out there and do it and I feel good about the kids I’m going out there with.”
The guard seem to be switching to Rickards, but when the Cougars beat the Raiders 21-6 two weeks ago it was all the proof needed to make it known they’re back to being the team to beat.
Fuller wasn’t having it any other way.

 
Remember that reference to the swagger. He has too much respect for the men who gave him the confidence not to back up what he says.

 
Listen to how he puts it”

 
“I’ll be a fool not to bring back Mike Hickman’s teaching, Coach (Willie) Williams’ teaching, Bobby (Bowden’s) teaching and even my recruiter at Florida State, Chuck Amato,” Fuller said.

 
When he got to Godby, he was saying all the right things. They sounded cliché.

 
But if no one believed his players obviously did.

 
“We are going to do great things. I’m not good at underachieving so I’m going to try to do my best,” Fuller said just weeks into the job. “I don’t think it gets any better than this. I can’t say I’m going to win state, but we are sure going to try to kick the door in to be there.”

 
The Cougars have already taken the door off.