Former Georgia Tech football coach Bill Fulcher dies at 88

Updated Sep. 24, 2022 11:03 p.m. ET

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ATLANTA (AP) — Bill Fulcher, who coached Georgia Tech's football team for two seasons in the 1970s in what remains the shortest tenure in the school's modern era, has died at the age of 88, the school announced Saturday.

Fulcher, who also played in the NFL, died Friday at home in his native Augusta. The school gave no further details.

Fulcher coached at the University of Tampa in 1971 when the Spartans had a football program, compiling a 6-5 mark.

He returned to his alma mater as head coach in 1972 after Bud Carson was fired, guiding Georgia Tech to a 7-4-1 record, a victory in the Liberty Bowl, and a No. 20 ranking in The Associated Press final poll.

Georgia Tech finished 5-6 the following season and Fulcher resigned at the age of 39, saying "it is no longer as enjoyable for me to coach football as it once was.”

Fulcher's tenure remains the shortest of the 13 full-time coaches in Georgia Tech history. He was replaced by Pepper Rodgers and never coached again.

After leaving Georgia Tech, Fulcher launched a successful career in commercial real estate in Atlanta and Augusta. He also graduated from Augusta Law School in 1980.

In 2015, Fulcher was inducted to the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.

Fulcher enrolled at Georgia Tech in 1953 and walked on to the football team when the Yellow Jackets were a national powerhouse and member of the Southeastern Conference.

Fulcher, a linebacker, played in two Sugar Bowls and a Cotton Bowl as Georgia Tech compiled a 26-6-2 record during his three-year career.

Fulcher went on to play three seasons in the NFL for Washington, did a stint in the U.S. Army, and then began coaching at the high school level.

He served three stints as an assistant coach at Georgia Tech during the 1960s, working under Bobby Dodd and Carson.

Fulcher is survived by his wife of 37 years, Bequi, five children and 11 grandchildren.

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