Leon Fuller, a longtime coach for multiple teams, has passed away at his home in Austin, Texas. He was 87.
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A product of Nederland, Texas, Fuller spent his high school years playing football for legendary coach Bum Phillips.
He then attended college at the University of Alabama, where he played for another icon of the sport in Bear Bryant. He earned All-SEC honors as a safety for the Crimson Tide, and he served as a captain while playing on both offense and defense.
The Texas native spent several years coaching defensive backs for the University of Texas after his playing career ended. His first stint was 1977-1981 as he coached under Fred Akers.
The Longhorns had a winning record every season in this stretch, and they won both the Sun Bowl and the Cotton Bowl. The win in the 1981 Cotton Bowl marked his final year with the team — for the time being — as he moved to Colorado State to become head coach in 1982.
Fuller spent seven years coaching at Colorado State. He led the team to an overall record of 25-55 and one winning season. The Rams went 6-5 in 1986.
Fuller returned to the Texas Longhorns after a 1-10 season in 1988, and he continued coaching defensive backs. This time, he coached under David McWilliams and John Mackovic between 1989-1993.
The tenure at Texas ended after 1993 due to differences between Fuller and Mackovic, but the time on the sidelines continued. The now-veteran coach headed to the NFL ranks in 1994 and joined Wade Phillips' staff on the Denver Broncos.
He spent one season with the Broncos before closing out his coaching career in the high school ranks. He led the Llano Yellowjackets to a 9-2 record in 1995 before retiring from coaching and becoming the athletic director at the Austin Independent School District.
"Leon Fuller was one of the first prominent coaches I ever interacted with as a young reporter in Colorado," longtime NFL writer Ed Werder wrote on X. "An outstanding man, excellent coach and a humorous storyteller.
"He told a story once about being at airport ticket counter and telling agent he wanted to send his three pieces of luggage to different locations while he flew to yet another city. The agent told him they couldn't do that, bags had to be sent to his destination. 'Well, that's what you did yesterday!' He laughed."
