Fulmer Cup
The Fulmer Cup is a tongue-in-cheek award given each year in the United States to the Division I FBS college football program whose players collectively have the worst criminal record.[1]
The Fulmer Cup was conceived in 2006 by Every Day Should Be Saturday sports blogger Orson Swindle, a fan of football rival Florida, and named for then-University of Tennessee football coach Phillip Fulmer. While Fulmer was coach, the Tennessee team had over 20 players arrested for criminal activity in a 16 month period from 2004 through 2005. This mirrored a similar outbreak of criminal activity at the University of Tennessee in 1995 when 9 players were arrested.
The University of Arkansas are the winners for the most recent (2012) season, with 68 points,[2] and now holds the record for highest score among Division I FBS programs with a current all-time total of 125 points.[3]
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Duration [edit]
Teams compete for the Fulmer Cup during the offseason, which is generally defined as being from midnight EST the day after the BCS National Championship game until 24 hours before kickoff of the opening game of the season. This means the typical Fulmer Cup season runs from early January to late August. Crimes committed by players outside of this window are not eligible for Fulmer Cup points, and fans of several teams have lamented their teams (or their rivals) players committing "false starts" by committing crimes just before the opening of Fulmer Cup season.
Points [edit]
Points are scored for each charge received by players (players must be on the team roster at the time of the offense).
The scoring for the Fulmer Cup is imprecise — murder is 5 points; rape, bestiality, and grand larceny are 4 points; assault et al. are 3; drug possession et al. are 2; and misdemeanors (including traffic violations) are 1 point.[4] Bonus points are awarded for arrests that occur under interesting and unusual circumstances.
In order to be eligible to win the Fulmer Cup, a school must have more than one player charged (a school may not win the cup on the basis of a single player's criminal record; this is known as the Ellis T. Jones III Rule, named after the San Jose State wide receiver who in 2006 accumulated 31 points by himself having been charged with 13 felony counts, including robbery, assault, and kidnapping). However, the Ellis T. Jones III Award for Individual Achievement is given to the player with the single highest point total.
Past winners [edit]
| Year | School | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Marshall University | 15 |
| 2007 | University of Illinois | 24 |
| 2008 | University of Alabama | 28 |
| 2009 | University of South Florida[5] | 18 |
| 2010 | University of Georgia[6] | 20 |
| 2011 | Auburn University[7] | 81 |
| 2012 | University of Arkansas[8] | 68 |
References [edit]
- ^ Travis, Clay (25 July 2007). "ClayNation: Honoring the dishonorable with the Fulmer Cup". CBSSports. Retrieved 2009-07-29.
- ^ FULMER CUPDATE: CUP GONE HAM
- ^ SAS Wiki Fulmer Cup Dynasty standings
- ^ Fulmer Cup Scoring: Further Clarification. February, 2006
- ^ 2009 Fulmer Cup Final Standings
- ^ 2010 Fulmer Cup Final Standings
- ^ http://www.sectalk.com/boards/sec-trash-talk/102199-auburn-wins-2011-fulmer-cup.html
- ^ http://www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com/2012/8/27/3271525/the-fulmer-cup-ball-state-receives-no-points-for-appropriate-crime
