O.K. Fulton was there from the start.
The 76-year-old former coach, athletic director and assistant principal at Randall McDaniel’s high school will present the 12-time Pro Bowl guard for induction Saturday into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. McDaniel said Fulton stressed the importance of getting a good education and how big an asset it is for life beyond athletics.
Today, McDaniel is an elementary school teaching assistant in Minnesota.
“Mr. Fulton knew I played sports but said, ‘I want to get to know that young man’ that first year,” McDaniel said. “He always talked about taking care of school. He said if I got a scholarship, that would be a way to further myself. That scholarship, that education, they can’t take away from you.
“He’s always been that way. Part of the reason I do what I do now are those positive influences in my life along the way when I was younger.”
Fulton served as athletic director of Agua Fria Union High School in Avondale, Ariz., from 1963-86 and coached the school’s boys basketball team to a state title in 1966. He also taught McDaniel’s mother, Lela, at Agua Fria Union.
Fulton said McDaniel had the greatest attitude anyone could imagine when he was a student. He also sees the same work ethic as an educator.
“He always had the propensity to help others,” Fulton said. “And he loves it. He just loves his teaching.”
Canton Repository
