Raptors set to host "Andy Fuller Day"
June 7, 2005 - United Indoor Football Association (UIF)
Tennessee Valley Raptors News Release
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. â The "Playmaker" will shine again Saturday night at the Von Braun Center.
Andy "Playmaker" Fuller, an original Tennessee Valley player and former standout Auburn tight end, will have his No. 82 jersey retired Saturday night during a ceremony at halftime of the Raptors' game against the Ohio Valley Greyhounds.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 and the first 1,500 fans 18 and under will receive an Andy Fuller bobblehead compliments of Hometown Lenders.
Fuller played five seasons for Tennessee Valley and was a key offensive and defensive ingredient in a five-year run that saw the club post a 63-17 record. Tennessee Valley won four straight division titles, made the playoffs each season and competed in the ArenaCup finals in 2000.
Fuller's 82 jersey will be the second retired by Tennessee Valley, which retired Kelly Field's No. 15 in 2003.
"It's a big honor,'' said Fuller, a 30-year-old Huntsville native and Johnson High graduate. "Growing up you wish you could get to that level, whether it high school, college or professional, where you come back and somebody retires your number.
"It shows the respect that people have for your ability and what you contributed to the organization. It really hasn't sunk in and I guess it will really hit me on Saturday night. I just hope a lot of people come out and see it."
Fuller played in 74 career games for Tennessee Valley, catching 54 passes for 574 yards and 28 touchdowns while totaling 95 tackles and 15.5 sacks. He is currently fifth all-time in career receiving touchdowns and tied for second in sacks and forced fumbles (9).
"The highlight was the guys I was around for five years and the friendships I made,'' Fuller said.
"The closest friends I made on the team were Curtis Jeter and Ronald Bonner and I had a good relationship with Jerrian James my last two seasons.
"I just liked the bonding, the travel and going to battle with my teammates. I also played for some great coaches. It was an honor to help build the organization into a powerhouse and Art Clarkson is a great owner and Joe Stroud is a great general manager. Anytime I needed help with something they were always there for me."
Fuller signed as a free agent with the Miami Dolphins following an Auburn career that saw him catch 33 passes for 513 yards and five touchdowns from 1992-95. He spent the 1997 season with the Barcelona Dragons of NFL Europe and 1999 with Mobile of the Regional Football League before joining Tennessee Valley.
Clarkson said that Fuller was an asset to the franchise and to the community.
"Andy is one of the original members of the Tennessee Valley football team and he will always be part of this family,'' Clarkson said. "We are not only retiring his jersey for his contributions on the field, but for his contributions off the field to the community and what he has meant to this organization."
Fuller, who resides in Huntsville with his wife, Cynarra, and children Ashai, Ciedah and Chequente, currently is a loan officer at Hometown Lenders.
"When we look for loan officers, we're looking for people who we don't have to go behind and check them,'' Hometown Lenders owner Billy Taylor said. "We want to be sure through their reputation in the community that they are going to handle their business ethical and honest, and that they're going to communicate.
"That's really the key and basis for "Andy Fuller Night" - communication, hard work and good ethics. And he's got them all. There is no doubt about it."
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