COLOMBIA – Zia Cooke was unable to attend in person as she was busy getting ready to help South Carolina’s then-best women’s basketball team against South Dakota. Still, she felt an affinity before and after the game, reading about how Sarah Vanderbilt’s Fuller was about to become the first woman to play a Power-5 college football game and then see the video clip later.
“That was incredible,” Cooke gushed. “I saw it, I definitely thought of myself when I saw it.”
Cooke played pee-wee football in his hometown of Toledo, Ohio, and was so good that his team removed his shirt number when she finished.
Running across the field with his trademark from socks to knees, Wonder Woman, the dynamo with glasses and braids could probably have competed for a spot in the older leagues.
But she was incredibly talented at basketball even at that age, so she hung up her boots, tied up her sneakers and became a guard who started every game of her career for Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks.
Fuller arrived on the football field on November 28, six days after winning the SEC Women’s Football Tournament championship, at the request of Vanderbilt. COVID had hit the team’s kicks, the Commodores don’t have a men’s soccer team, and with all the students already going home for Thanksgiving, they were unable to take an open test.
They did not do so with the aim of making history. It was a matter of necessity.
With “Play Like A Girl” engraved on the back of his helmet, Fuller executed a perfect 30-yard kick (Vanderbilt was blown 41-0, so she never had a chance for a PAT or field goal) and called it during the day. But recognition was just beginning.
She was named SEC Special Teams Co-Player of the Week and received the Courage Award presented by the Football Writers’ Association of America. She has become known as a leading voice for women athletes everywhere, and an encouraging outlook for women who are thinking about playing football.
“All I want to do is be a good influence for the girls because there were times when I fought in sports, but I am so grateful to have persisted, and it gave me so many opportunities and I met so many amazing people through sports,” she said. Fuller to ESPN. “And I just want to say that you can literally do anything you want.”
Fuller was also the kicker of the Commodores’ PAT on December 12 and logged in on each of her attempts, making her the first woman to score in a Power-5 football game. His uniform has already been enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.
Cooke applauded Fuller for overcoming criticism and pointing out “just a publicity stunt” to achieve his goal.
“A lot of courage and strength to play that long,” said Cooke. “I definitely have a lot of respect for her being able to see her do that.”
Follow David Cloninger on Twitter @DCPandC.