Former Alabama player and JSU Head Coach Jim Fuller dies

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Former Crimson Tide player and Gamecocks Head Coach Jim Fuller passed away on Sept. 1. He was 76 years old.

Fuller played offensive tackle for Alabama under Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant from 1964 until 1966, winning a national championship in 1964.

After serving as an assistant coach in two stints with Jacksonville State, he was named the head coach in 1977. Fuller won 54 games as the Gamecocks head coach, making him the fifth-winningest head coach of all time. He also led the team to a Gulf South Conference Championship, and an NCAA Division II National Championship appearance.

In 1983, he returned to Alabama as an assistant coach, winning a national championship in 1992. Fuller left coaching in 2003, going back to Jacksonville State as the Athletics Director. He retired in 2008.

Fuller was inducted into the JSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998.