About Fulton Stadium/Bob Black Field

   Long before Fulton played its first home game at the school, what is now known as Bob Black Field served as Fulton’s practice field. Home games from 1951-1964 were played at Evans-Collins Field. In 1964, the North Knoxville Stadium Association was established with the goal of building a football stadium at Fulton High School. The NKSA worked hard to raise money for the project from local businesses and individual donors. In October of 1964, local dignitaries gathered for the ground breaking of Fulton Stadium/Falcon Field. The original stadium, consisting of the middle section of the current stadium’s bleachers, along with temporary stands, seated 3000 people and was ready for the first game of the 1965 season on August 27, 1965 against Unicoi Co. On that historic evening, a full house watched the Falcons defeat the Blue Devils 13-0. The stadium was expanded to its current configuration before the 1969 season. Fulton lost to Sevier Co. 14-8 in the first game in the completed stadium. Falcon Field was renamed “Bob Black Field,” in honor of the coach and athletic director on September 12, 1986. In the dedication game, Fulton defeated Alcoa 10-7 on Mike Potter’s overtime field goal. Fulton concluded the 2002 season with a perfect 8-0 home record, including three consecutive home victories in the TSSAA Play-offs. For the first time ever on November 1, 2002, Fulton hosted a live regional cable broadcast on CSS, as the Falcons defeated the Gibbs Eagles 47-7.

Fulton Stadium/Bob Black Field Timeline

§         1964  Groundbreaking for new stadium

§         1965  1^st season at Falcon Field, Fulton completes the season with a perfect 5-0 home record.

§         1967  Fulton defeats Oak Ridge 14-13 on Falcon Field en route to an undefeated season.

§         1969  East and West stands added to existing stadium.

§         1974  Perfect 5-0 record at Fulton.

§         1979  Fulton hosts 1^st home play-off game. Oak Ridge 28 Fulton 14.

§         1986  Falcon Field renamed Bob Black Field.

§         1995  New scoreboard installed.

§         1996  Track re-surfaced.

§         2000  Press Box renovated creating a new second level.      

§         2002  Fulton wins all 8 home games and advances to the BlueCross Bowl.

§         2003  Fulton posts an undefeated 7-0 home record and defeated Macon Co. 26-0 to advance to their second consecutive BlueCross Bowl.

§         2004  New scoreboard installed honoring 2003 state champions.

Field Decorations

     Fulton takes great pride in the appearance of Bob Black Field. Many fans have said that Fulton’s field is the best-decorated field in the area. The coaching staff spends many hours on Wednesdays painting the field for Friday’s game. The drop wing falcon on the 50-yard line first appeared during the 1992 season. This is the second season that the falcon has been painted black. The FHS designs in both end zones debuted in 1993. The current field design has been in use since the 1996 season. The drop wing falcon and FHS logos are outlined by hand prior to the start of the season by Fulton graduates Tim Parker and Jason Harbison.

Fulton at Home

Fulton’s 19 game home winning streak ended last week at the hands of Austin-East. The 19 game streak set a school record for most consecutive home wins. The streak began with a win over Rutledge in week five of 2001 until Fulton’s semi-final win over Macon Co. in 2003. The Falcons opened their stadium with a 19 game unbeaten streak (17-0-2) from 1965-1968. Fulton’s all-time home record is 111-87-3, and Coach Coatney is 38-30 at home.

Fulton Quick Facts

Location……….. Knoxville

Opened………... 1951

Enrollment…….. 956

District/Region... 2-3A

Home Field……. Bob Black Field (1965)

Principal………. Kitty Hatcher

Athletic Director.. Bob Black

Head Coach…… Buck Coatney

Seasons………..  13

Record………… 79-67

Seasons Played.… 54

All-Time Record…304-257-11

Playoff Appearances..14

Playoff Record… 16-13

Fulton vs Seymour- The Series

   Fulton has played no other team over the last two decades than The Seymour Eagles. Tonight marks the teams’ 18^th meeting since 1991. Fulton and Seymour have met in the playoffs 8 times, with each team holding 4 post-season victories. The Falcons and Eagles have played a regular season and playoff game over the last 5 seasons, beginning in 1999. Seymour has a 10-7 advantage in the all-time series, but Fulton is currently in the midst of a 6 game winning streak against Seymour.

Seymour holds a 4-3 advantage at Fulton.

2004 Schedule and Results

8/27     @Carter                W 28-13

9/03     Austin-East           L 20-6

9/10     Seymour

9/17     Lenoir City           HC

9/24     @Rutledge

10/1     @Loudon

10/8     Anderson Co.        CSS-TV

10/15   @ Scott

10/22   @ Kingston

10/29   Gibbs

Region 2-3A Standings

2004 Statistical Leaders

Rushing: Tyrone Cobb

                8 Carries 49 yds. 6.1 avg.

Receiving: Elliott Bishop

                  9 Catches 150 yds. 16.7 avg.

Passing: Ish Young

               18-36 225 yds. 5 TD 2 Int.

Tackles: Tyrone Cobb

               20 total hits 12 solo 8 assists

Interceptions: Elliott Bishop 1

                       DeMarcus Matthews 1

Punting: Ryan Ferguson

               9 Punts 33.4 average

Last Week

   The much-anticipated match-up between the Falcons and Roadrunners turned into a defensive struggle as A-E ended Fulton’s 19 game home winning streak 20-6. Things started well for the Falcons as Elliott Bishop intercepted a Trevail Minifield pass 63 yards early in the first quarter. Ish Young’s 5-yard TD pass to Dennis Rogan gave the Falcons a 6-0 lead. Fulton trailed 7-6 at halftime, then struggled offensively in the second half. A-E limited Fulton to 0 yards rushing, and only 60 yards passing. Defensively, Fulton held A-E standout Albert Harris to only 71 yards on 27 rushes. The loss was Fulton’s first at home since the opening game of the 2001 season.

Class 3A poll released

   On Tuesday, the first AP class 3A poll was released, and East Tennessee was represented well. 5 area teams made the poll, led by #1 Austin-East. Anderson Co. is ranked #2 in the state, while the undefeated Lenoir City Panthers cracked

The poll at number 7. Fulton is ranked number 8, while future opponent Rutledge made the poll at #10.

Falcons on the Radio

   Fulton High School football will be featured this year in programming on the school’s radio station. WKCS 91.1 FM will broadcast every Fulton football game live this year. The pre-game show begins at 7:15 each Friday night. WKCS kicks off its Fulton football coverage on Fridays at 3PM, as FalconTalk returns to the air for the first time since 1994. FalconTalk is a live talk show featuring coaches and player interviews, and a preview of the upcoming game. FalconTalk will also be re-aired Friday nights before the Fulton pre-game show.

Next Week

   Fulton hosts the Lenoir City Panthers at Bob Black Field for Homecoming 2004. The Panthers are off to a 2-0 start this year.

Fultonfootball.com on the web

   Last winter, Fulton High School launched its own website devoted to football. The Fulton Football webpage is located at www.fultonfootball.com. The site is growing everyday and is a great source of information on the Falcons. Surfers can access current team news and updates, along with a large photo gallery. Historical information about the Falcons can be found also. The website is also featuring a brief video clip of highlights from Fulton’s state championship victory over Covington.