North Carolina State University Athletics
CoachGott.com Feature: Todd Fuller
9/27/2013 12:00:00 AM
Sept. 27, 2013
1996 All-American; Co-Sida/GTE Academic All-American; 1996 ABC/Payne Webber Scholar-Athlete of the Year; NBA lottery pick; FAA-certificated instrument rated pilot; coach; teacher; mentor.
Todd Fuller's legacy at NC State includes being known as one of the premier student-athletes to ever grace the school, and his #52 jersey hangs from the rafters at PNC Arena. More importantly, Fuller left with a life philosophy to be great in everything you do, and has carried that with him in his diverse life endeavors.
Fuller has always been a dreamer of sorts, and exhibited that characteristic at a young age. Growing up in North Carolina, Fuller's house was located right underneath the path airplanes took just before landing daily at a small airport in east Charlotte. Watching planes captivated Fuller's attention and ignited a lifelong passion for aviation.
Most kids, after making it through a tough AAU basketball practice, are content to sit at home and watch television or play video games the rest of the day. But not Fuller. His idea of relaxation was watching planes. They enthralled him. After many practices, he would ask his parents to take him to the airport so he could sit for hours and watch them take off and land.
That passion turned into a way of life for Fuller, and he is now an FAA-certificated instrument rated pilot, and owns and flies his own plane. To show context, NC State basketball holds an alumni dinner each year that welcomes back former players for a meal and social event. Fuller arrived to the event in Raleigh by plane--piloting the one he owns. Fuller usually flies the plane (which seats 4 adults comfortably) every 10 days or so.
"I got flight training and licensed, and I'm just blessed to have an airplane and go places and serve people," Fuller said. "I like to use it as a way to volunteer, and try and take people wherever they may need to go."
Fuller's passion for aviation does not stop at just flying planes--he also serves as a current and 5-year member of the Airport Advisory Committee, appointed by the Charlotte City Council. The Charlotte-Douglas airport has grown tremendously since then, and was awarded the "Eagle Award" in 2010, known as the world's best airport. It is a highly-touted award voted on by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which is a conglomerate of over 200 global airlines. He also oversaw the opening of a third parallel runway at Charlotte-Douglas, the world's 6th busiest airport by takeoffs and landings.
In addition to piloting airplanes, Fuller has partaken in other global activities that have allowed him to share the wisdom he's garnered throughout his basketball career. He left for Micronesia in June 2008 on a 3-week volunteer mission to train islander young men to become coaches the first part of the trip, who then in turn ran a basketball camp for island kids the second half of the trip. He returned again in 2010 for another 10 days.
Fuller believes his experiences playing professionally overseas in Spain, Greece and Australia helped him with the mission trips, simply because of basketball's global reach.
"Basketball is a global language," Fuller said. "It's a platform, and one we can use to train young men to be coaches. In Micronesia, we'd have a basketball camp at the local gym, and we had school busses drive around the islands to pick the kids up and bring them to the gym. It's an open air gym, and although it got hot, they loved it; it was a way for them to learn the game of basketball."
Fuller has always been a man of strong faith, and he was able to teach the game of basketball while sharing his beliefs at the same time.
During his time at NC State, Fuller held an astounding 3.95 GPA, which is almost unheard of for a Division I college basketball player. He carried on his passion for academics beyond graduation, and sponsors the Todd Fuller Mathematics Competition that began in 2002 boosted by the NC State Math Department. Fuller personally funds the scholarships that are awarded to the winners of the competition.
Fuller also serves as a member of the NC State University College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Alumni and Friends Advisory Board.
Fuller's accolades as a member of the Wolfpack include All-ACC honors three times, a unanimous first team All-ACC selection as a senior. He led the ACC in scoring (20.9 ppg) and was second in rebounding (9.9 rpg). He currently ranks 11th in school history in scoring (1,589), sixth in rebounding (887) and fourth in blocked shots (147). He was also a member of NC State's first Phi Beta Kappa class and graduated summa cum laude with a degree in applied mathematics.
Finding balance during collegiate life as an athlete can be quite the challenge, but Fuller excelled in all phases. He was extremely disciplined and great at managing his time. He also gives credit to the NC State basketball support staff, whose fine attention to detail helped him with the "little" things that help a student-athlete become successful.
"I was always getting little nuggets of wisdom from coaches and tutors," Fuller said. "With all those little pieces in place, you can improve as an individual, a student, and as an athlete."
Fuller's outstanding play in college resulted in him being selected 11th overall by the Golden State Warriors in the 1996 NBA Draft. He spent three years there, and then played for the Utah Jazz, the Charlotte Hornets and the Miami Heat.
He remembers most fondly his time with the "hometown" team in Charlotte, a team he grew up watching.
"I was in 7th or 8th grade for the Hornets' first year and the whole city was abuzz," Fuller said. "I remember running up the steps at the arena right before opening tip when they played the Cavaliers and what it would be like if I actually played for this team, and it happened, and it's unbelievable."
Fuller specifically remembers a special event that took place during a home game one night in which the entire Hornets roster was fitted with their letter jacket from high school. As a Charlotte Christian School graduate, Fuller was the only member of the Hornets that was born and played in Charlotte in both high school and professionally.
"Here I am, playing with the in-state team right in Charlotte, with my Charlotte Christian letter jacket on, it was like a double dream come true," Fuller said.
Fuller is currently a math instructor at Queen's Grant Community School (a NC Public Charter High School) in Charlotte, where he teaches AP Calculus 1 as well as a few high school level math classes.
Fuller resides in Charlotte with his wife Libby (a former star basketball player at Houghton College) and their two children, Emma (3) and Grant (1). The family most recently traveled (via Fuller's private plane) to Cape Cateret to visit Emerald Isle and landed on a grass airstrip for a three-day family vacation.
When Fuller reflects on his time at NC State, he is eternally grateful. "It was a great experience for me, and I look back at that time in my life with a smile on my face."
