Fulton Gerald Kuykendall

Fulton passed away Feb. 15, 2024, after a long illness. He was born on June 10, 1953, at San Diego NAS to Thomas and Margaret Kuykendall. He was the youngest of four children. His father was eventually transferred to his final active-duty station at Mare Island in Vallejo, CA. His family settled in Vallejo where Fulton was raised from age three. He showed athletic skills at a very young age while playing little league baseball and youth basketball. It was in high school when he began to play football that his substantial athletic talent really blossomed. He was a multi sports star participating in basketball and baseball lettering in all three sports. He also excelled in the classroom receiving all A grades except for one B. He was consistently in the California Scholarship Federation and National Honor Society. He was the top laboratory student in his class receiving the Bank of America Award. On the football team, he started both ways as a halfback on offense and safety on defense. He also led the special teams as punter, punt returner and kick returner. He graduated from Saint Patrick High School in 1971. When college recruiting season started there were questions about his ability because of his school's small size and level of competition. He was recruited by several smaller schools and all the military academies. He narrowed his choice down to the two larger schools that recruited him, California and UCLA. The decision was made based on the level of competition the schools played and their academic standings. California's coach Ray Willsey spent a lot of time in the family's living room. Willsey felt that he was one of the top running backs in the country. UCLA had gotten off to a late start recruiting because of the hiring of a new coach, Pepper Rodgers. He eventually decided on UCLA. During his UCLA career he earned all-conference and all-coast honors. He was recognized his senior season with the Jackie Robinson Memorial Award for highest GPA for a senior on the football team. He played in the East West Shrine game his senior year. He graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology. He was selected in the sixth round of the 1975 draft by the Atlanta Falcons. He started with the Falcons the same way that he did at UCLA, as a special team's player. Soon he acquired his “Kaptain Krazy” nickname and became a fan favorite. He played for the Falcon's for ten years. He was named as the team's outstanding player in 1982 in addition to being the Falcon's Walter Payton Man of the Year. He was first team all-conference in 1978. He was a starter on 1977 Falcons defense that set a record for fewest points allowed in a season. His career was marked by numerous surgeries and broken bones. He played for the Forty-Niners in his final season. After his football career he worked in partnership with his father-in-Law Hollis Lathem. They developed subdivisions, built houses, and had a cattle farm. He eventually went to paramedic school and became an EMT. He first rode in ambulances. He then went to work in the emergency room at RT Jones Memorial Hospital in Canton. While working there, he was approached by a cardiologist who recognized him from his football days. The doctor asked Fulton if he would be interested in coming to work at Piedmont Heart Center. He worked at the heart center for ten years as a Cath Lab Tech. After retiring for a second time, he spent his time looking after family and friends. He also took up the hobby of growing roses like his mother. He eventually began to experience the repercussions of his long football career. He was one of the lead plaintiffs in the players' CTE suit against the NFL. Even with suffering the debilitating disease of CTE, his kindness, easy going temperament and smile still shone through to those who cared for him. He is survived by his loving and devoted wife of forty-four years Sherry, son Trent (Chelsea) and granddaughter Hayden. He is also survived by his sisters Mary Kuykendall and Joan Robinson (Richard) and his brother John Kuykendall (Melanie) in addition to his two sisters-in-law Holly Brasfield (Neil) and Misty Groves (Brian). In lieu of flowers, the family request donations be made to MUST Ministries in his memory. The family will receive friends at Darby Funeral Home on Sunday, March 10th from 1-3pm. Private services will be held at a later date. The caring staff of Darby Funeral Home is honored to serve the Kuykendall family. The service will be live-streamed at: https://vimeo.com/event/4150064

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Fulton Gerald Kuykendall

June 10, 1953 - February 15, 2024