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By Mitch Chortkoff
Sports Editor 

Former Culver Football Coach Dies

 


Fuller Guided Championship Teams

Former Culver City High football coach Fred Fuller died last weekend.

In the recent past he had undergone cancer surgery.

Fuller had three children who attended Culver City High, two sons and a daughter. Both sons played football.

He is survived by his wife, Cris, a former teacher at Farragut and Culver Middle School.

Fuller coached championship Culver freshmen football teams from 1970 to 1978 and became the varsity head coach in 1979.

His initial Culver varsity team won the league championship as did his 1982 team. But after Fuller’s 1987 team went 0-10 he was replaced.

In that era Culver later had successful football coaches Dick Billingsley and Warren Flanagan.

“Fred’s freshmen teams won but he became controversial because he installed the wishbone offense while the varsity was running other offenses,” remembers Greg Goodrich, the former Culver quarterback who is now a varsity assistant coach.

“Usually the lower level teams run the varsity’s offense to prepare players for their progression. Nor everyone was happy with Fuller’s method but it was hard to argue with his success.”

Fuller was a member of Culver City High’s first graduating class in 1953.

‘Dad was involved with Culver High for 40 years,” said his son, Kenny. “He shaped a lot of lives.

‘I played on the team when he wanted us to have something new for a game against Beverly Hills, which was a major rival. So he installed the wishbone in just one week of practice. He was quite an innovator.”

A service for Fuller was held on Thursday.

 

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