A lethal hitter and ravenous roamer in the secondary, he revolutionized the safety position in the late 1980s as the key chess piece in defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau's watershed zone blitz scheme that has become a staple of the 21st century NFL. LeBeau used the 6-3, 236-pound Fulcher's ability to play like a linebacker and cover like a free safety to trick offensive coordinators with calls such as "Fulcher 2 Stay." That was the first zone blitz call and one that Steelers safety Troy Polamalu used to ride into the Pro Football Hall of Fame 30 years later.
A third-round pick in the 1986 NFL Draft out of Arizona State, Fulcher twice led the Bengals in tackles and interceptions on his way to three Pro Bowls. As the leader of the Bengals secondary known as "The SWAT Team," he had a sack and forced fumble in Super Bowl XXIII. He was named Associated Press All-Pro First Team in 1989 after racking up a team-leading 107 tackles and eight interceptions. In 1990, he had an interception and two passes defensed in each of Cincinnati's two playoff games. His three post-season interceptions are tied for the most in franchise history with Ken Riley. His 31 career interceptions are third on the Bengals list and sixth among NFL safeties during his career.
A College Football Hall of Famer, Fulcher settled in Cincinnati post-career and founded the non-profit Mentoring against Negative Actions for inmates to teach them life skills as well as raising awareness of the fight against multiple sclerosis.
