“I definitely felt like no matter where I ended up or what I ended up doing I wanted to coach,” Fulk said.
What better place than his alma mater, which has a winning tradition that goes back to Gary Bradds in the 1960s. Recently, the Rams excelled under Rocky Rockhold, who was Fulk’s coach, and Bill Green with seven Ohio Heritage Conference titles in 11 seasons, including the past three. Green, 60, retired from his second stint as coach after this season with 353 victories.
“There is added pressure, but I feel like that’s a good thing.” Fulk said. “It’s high standards to live up to. You can’t be complacent.”
Athletic Director Mark Rinehart said only candidates within the school district were interviewed, and he expects a smooth transition.
“I like his energy, I like his enthusiasm, I like his approach,” Rinehart said. “He’s a Greeneview guy, so he’s a Ram. He knows the history, knows the tradition, he already knows what type of kids we have, and I think that’s going to be a bonus.”
Fulk’s experience of working under Cupps also looked good on the resume. Cupps built a strong program at Graham over 12 years and won sectional titles his last five years there. He moved to Centerville this past season and guided the Elks to a district final. Fulk said Cupps was a tremendous mentor and example.
“Without a doubt the hardest working person I’ve ever been around,” Fulk said. “I couldn’t have asked for any better person to work with for two years.”
Cupps said having Fulk on his Centerville staff was important to the Elks’ success this year. Fulk worked mostly with the junior varsity in practice, but was one of the main bench coaches for varsity games.
“He was always willing to put in extra time and go above and beyond whatever I asked him to do,” Cupps said. “He always exceeded expectations, which is a great attribute to have.”
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