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Stokeley Fulton

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Stokeley Fulton
Fulton pictured in Kaleidoscope 1972, Hampden–Sydney yearbook
Biographical details
BornOctober 24, 1929
Brosville, Virginia
Died(1985-07-13)July 13, 1985 (aged 55)
Farmville, Virginia
Playing career
1950–1951Tennessee
1952–1955Hampden–Sydney
Position(s)Center (football)
(baseball)
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1957–1959Hampden–Sydney (assistant)
1960–1984Hampden–Sydney
Baseball
1958–1959Hampden–Sydney (assistant)
1967–1985Hampden–Sydney
Tennis
1958–1964Hampden–Sydney
Wrestling
1959–1962Hampden–Sydney
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1971–1980Hampden–Sydney
Head coaching record
Overall143–99–5 (football)
209–244–2 (baseball)
52–28 (tennis)[nb 1]
Bowls0–2
Tournaments0–1 (NCAA Division III)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Football
     7 Mason–Dixon (1957, 1964, 1966, 1970–73)
     3 ODAC (1977, 1982, 1983)
Tennis
     2 Mason–Dixon (1962, 1963)
Baseball
      4 Mason–Dixon (1958, 1959, 1970, 1971)
Awards
ODAC Coach of the Year (1977, 1982, 1983)
AFCA Small College Coach of the Year (1977)[1]
Virginia Sports Hall of Fame (1977)

John Stokeley Fulton (October 24, 1929 – July 13, 1985) was an American college football, baseball, tennis, and wrestling coach for Hampden–Sydney College. He was also the school's head athletic director.

Coach Fulton in Death Valley, 1972.

Biography

Born on October 24, 1929 in Brosville, Virginia, John Stokeley Fulton grew up in Danville, Virginia. He attended George Washington High School and went on to the University of Tennessee to play football. After one year, Fulton transferred to Hampden–Sydney College. At Hampden–Sydney, Fulton stood out at both baseball and football – he was captain of both teams by his senior year and was named an all-conference player in football each year that he played. Fulton was also named a Little All-American in 1953.

Fulton was a brother and president of Pi Kappa Alpha, and admitted to Omicron Delta Kappa, the National Honorary Leadership Society. His senior year, Fulton was student body president.

Subsequent to graduating in 1955, Fulton enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard for two years. By 1957, Fulton returned to Hampden–Sydney where he was hired as a line coach for the Tigers' football team. That year, the Tigers won the conference. His second year working for Hampden–Sydney, Fulton was hired as an assistant for the baseball team. His teams won the conference the two years that he was an assistant baseball coach. Fulton also took over the reigns of tennis coach in 1958 and created the first Hampden–Sydney wrestling team in 1959. Fulton's coaching prowess shined quickly in tennis – by 1963 his teams had won 2 conference championships.

In 1967, Stokeley Fulton became head coach of the Tigers' baseball team. As the head of the squad, he won 2 Mason–Dixon Conference championships in 1970 and 1971.

Fulton is best remembered for his coaching dexterity in football. In 1960, he was hired as head football coach – a position he held for the next 25 years. Fulton would go on to win 9 conference championships as the head coach of the Tigers' football team. To this day he is the winningest football head coach at Hampden–Sydney (143–99–5) and the longest tenured head coach with 25 seasons. Fulton's teams went to back-to-back Knute Rockne Bowls in 1970 and 1971, and made the D–III quarterfinals in 1977 following an undefeated regular season.

Fulton brought Tigers' football to national attention in both 1976 and 1980. In 1976, his squad was host to a premier telecast on ABC against the undefeated and number one-ranked James Madison Dukes. The Tigers won the game, snapping the Dukes' 14–game winning streak, and pushing the Tigers to a 3rd overall national ranking.[2] Similarly, in 1980, the Tigers were again host to a nationally televised game on ABC against Salisbury State, in which they lost 28–13.[3]

Fulton was a member of the American Football Coaches Association, served on the NCAA rules committee for baseball,[4] and was the College's Athletic Director from 1971 to 1980. At the time of his retirement, Fulton placed eighth all-time in wins among active Division III coaches. In one of his last official appearances at Hampden–Sydney, coach Fulton was honored at the 1985 College commencement ceremonies, receiving the senior class award and concomitant commendation from commencement speaker Vice President George H. W. Bush.[5]

Death

Fulton ceased coaching midway through the 1985 baseball season at Hampden–Sydney, relinquishing the head coaching duties to his nephew, Frank Fulton. Several months later he succumbed to cancer on July 13, 1985.

Head coaching record

Football

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
Hampden–Sydney (Mason–Dixon Conference) (1960–1974)
1960 Hampden–Sydney 2–6 2–1 3rd
1961 Hampden–Sydney 3–6 2–2 2nd
1962 Hampden–Sydney 6–4 3–1 2nd
1963 Hampden–Sydney 6–3 2–1 2nd
1964 Hampden–Sydney 6–4 3–0 1st
1965 Hampden–Sydney 6–3 3–1 2nd
1966 Hampden–Sydney 5–4–1 5–0 1st
1967 Hampden–Sydney 5–5 3–1 2nd
1968 Hampden–Sydney 3–5–2 1–3 T–5th
1969 Hampden–Sydney 6–4 3–1 2nd
1970 Hampden–Sydney 9–2 4–0 1st L Knute Rockne
1971 Hampden–Sydney 10–1 4–0 1st L Knute Rockne
1972 Hampden–Sydney 8–2 3–1 1st
1973 Hampden–Sydney 7–3 3–1 1st
1974 Hampden–Sydney 6–4 2–2 3rd
Hampden–Sydney (Independent) (1975)
1975 Hampden–Sydney 7–2
Hampden–Sydney (ODAC) (1976–1984)
1976 Hampden–Sydney 7–4 3–1 T–1st
1977 Hampden–Sydney 9–2 4–0 1st L NCAA D–III Quarterfinal
1978 Hampden–Sydney 5–5 2–2 T–2nd
1979 Hampden–Sydney 4–6 2–2 T–2nd
1980 Hampden–Sydney 3–7 2–3 T–3rd
1981 Hampden–Sydney 2–7–1 2–2–1 3rd
1982 Hampden–Sydney 4–4–1 4–1 1st
1983 Hampden-Sydney 6–4 5–1 1st
1984 Hampden–Sydney 8–2 3–2 T–2nd
Total: 143–99–5
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

Baseball

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Hampden–Sydney (Mason–Dixon Conference) (1967–1975[nb 2])
1967 Hampden–Sydney 7–7
1968 Hampden–Sydney 9–9
1969 Hampden–Sydney 9–12
1970 Hampden–Sydney 23–4 1st 1st
1971 Hampden–Sydney 17–7 1st 1st
1972 Hampden–Sydney 12–9
1973 Hampden–Sydney 9–9
1974 Hampden–Sydney 7–18
1975 Hampden–Sydney 7–16
Hampden–Sydney (ODAC) (1976–1985)
1976 Hampden–Sydney 13–14
1977 Hampden–Sydney 14–17
1978 Hampden–Sydney 14–11
1979 Hampden–Sydney 12–20
1980 Hampden–Sydney 8–14
1981 Hampden–Sydney 8–17
1982 Hampden–Sydney 12–14
1983 Hampden–Sydney 9–16
1984 Hampden–Sydney 8–23
1985 Hampden–Sydney 11–7
Total: 209–244–2[nb 3]

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Tennis

Year Team Overall Conference Standing
Hampden–Sydney (Mason–Dixon Conference) (1958–1964)
1958 Hampden–Sydney
Unknown
1959 Hampden–Sydney 3–7
1960 Hampden–Sydney 10–4
1961 Hampden–Sydney 7–6
1962 Hampden–Sydney 13–0 1st[6]
1963 Hampden–Sydney 12–3 1st[7]
1964 Hampden–Sydney 7–8
Total: 52–28
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

Notes

  1. ^ The 1958 tennis records are omitted because the results can not be found.
  2. ^ Hampden–Sydney's Athletics' website lists coach Fulton as beginning his head coaching career in baseball in 1965. The H–SC yearbooks and The Record site his first year as 1967. This page uses 1967 as the starting year.
  3. ^ Hampden–Sydney's Athletics' website lists different records for 1973 and 1974. The records provided here were pulled from The Kaleidoscope - the Hampden–Sydney yearbook.

References

  1. ^ https://archive.org/stream/kaleidoscope1978hamp#page/137/mode/1up/
  2. ^ http://vshfm.com/inductees/inductee_details.php?inducteeID=79
  3. ^ https://archive.org/stream/kaleidoscope1981hamp#page/38/mode/1up
  4. ^ https://archive.org/stream/recordofhampd6211986hamp#page/n30/mode/1up
  5. ^ https://archive.org/stream/recordofhampd6211986hamp#page/n30/mode/1up
  6. ^ https://archive.org/stream/kaleidoscope1963hamp#page/154/mode/1up/
  7. ^ https://archive.org/stream/kaleidoscope1964hamp#page/156/mode/1up/
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