Former Lincoln wrestler rose to Olympic glory

Mark Fuller marks success a number of different ways. Fuller, who graduated from Lincoln High School in 1979, went on to be a member of four different U.S. Olympic teams as a Greco-Roman wrestler. Lincoln High School's annual wrestling tournament, which is Saturday, is named for him.And today, with his wrestling days behind him, Fuller is the proud father of four children.He has seen and done a lot since leaving Lincoln. He also has learned a lot."We're all Olympians at what we do," Fuller said by telephone last week from Oren, Utah, where he is a corporate sales rep for Gold's Gym of Utah.It took Fuller a while to come to that conclusion. The seed was planted after he had competed in his last Summer Olympic Games, in 1992 in Barcelona, Spain.He had just lost his second match. He was walking through the Olympic Village feeling depressed. Despite all of his success on the mat, Fuller had never won an Olympic medal."I was 31 years old," Fuller said. "I had two children and my wife was pregnant. I was thinking maybe it was time to go home. But then a voice in my head said, 'you are walking in shoes where no one else has walked before.' I was the first U.S. Olympic wrestler to be named to four Olympics. No one had ever done that before. I realized I had been a success. All of a sudden, I felt good about myself."Fuller left Barcelona with two weeks still remaining in the Olympic Games. Three days later, his wife Heidi delivered their third child."I made myself a promise then that I would never compete again," Fuller said.It was time to leave his "adolescent fantasies" behind and get on with his life and enjoy his family.Fuller said he told himself to stay away from the wrestling mat for three years. If he ever returned prior to that, he was afraid he would get the urge to return and compete.Fuller admitted in 1996 he thought about trying to make the Olympic team for the Atlanta Games, especially since he had been coaching another wrestler. But, he was too out of shape and quickly dismissed the notion. His wrestling experiences were truly over."I had traveled all over the world," Fuller said. "I met so many interesting people. I had met the challenge of putting it all on the line in front of the whole world."He competed in what he called a "warrior sport, fighting with rules. It wasn't without pain."Fuller suffered 14 broken ribs and a broken nose. He had elbow surgery and six knee surgeries. His right knee is so bad that in the next five of six years, he will have the knee replaced.After all of that, Fuller was ready to be a father and husband."I'm raising a family now," he said.Taft, 18, is a high school senior who wrestles for the fun of it, and he is an avid soccer player.Travis, 16, recently competed in the Nike Cross Country National Championship, placing 58th in the nation. Daughters JaNae, 13, and Marcy, 10, are both solid soccer players. And wife Heidi recently qualified to compete in her first Boston Marathon.Fuller takes great pride in following their exploits. They are making a mark in the sports world just as he did.While competing for the Zebras at Lincoln High, Fuller twice qualified for the California state wrestling meet. His senior year, he finished third."I went undefeated for the season until I lost in the semis at state," he recalled.Right out of high school, Fuller began training for the U.S. Olympic team. At age 19, he was on the squad that was scheduled to go to Moscow and compete in the 1980 Summer Games.But that year, the U.S. boycotted the Olympics because of political conflicts with Russia.Fuller expected to do well four years later at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. A lot of his family and friends were there. He was ranked No. 1 in the world at 105.5 pounds.Two weeks prior to the Games, however, Fuller re-injured his knee. He first tore the ACL in his right knee in 1981. He did not know if coaches would let him compete or have the alternate wrestle in his place.Fuller worked hard to overcome the injury. But, besides battling the injury, he also had trouble making weight. Today, wrestlers weigh in the night before, but back then they weighed in two hours before the tournament.Not only that, but Fuller's weight class was the first one up and he was the first wrestler to take the mat."I didn't have much time to re-hydrate myself," Fuller said.It was an incredible experience, competing for his country, but Fuller admitted he also was frustrated and upset. He wished he had been able to compete at the '80 Games. Given that experience, plus the fact he would be competing before a home crowd, he felt he would have had a distinct advantage in Los Angeles."I was at the top of my game," he said. "I trained and prepared to be in the best shape of my life to put it before the entire world."While the competition was awesome, what Fuller remembered most about the Los Angeles Games were the opening ceremonies."When we walked into the stadium I looked around and there wasn't a dry eye in the place," Fuller said. "Everyone was chanting 'USA.' It made me realize what I had done, making the Olympic team."Thanks to the experiences he gained in Los Angeles, Fuller was ready for the 1998 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea. But, a big mistake on his part cost him a shot at glory.Fuller was wrestling Vincenze Maenza of Italy, who went on to win the gold medal. He noted he had a game plan and was following it."I had a lead on him," Fuller said, recalling he was up 4-1. "No one else ever got a lead on him in the tournament. I thought he was tired and I thought I could turn him."He deviated from his game plan."It probably cost me a medal," Fuller said. "He reversed me and all of a sudden I was down 7-4."He went on to lose the match.Another memory Fuller came away from Seoul with was all of the security, because of tensions between South and North Korea. He even visited the Demilitarized Zone and looked across into North Korea.The atmosphere in Barcelona four years later was a lot more relaxed, Fuller said.Fuller said he didn't make any major errors like he did in Seoul and he wrestled well. It just wasn't meant to be for him to medal. It capped an outstanding wrestling career that saw him win seven National Greco-Roman wrestling titles at 48 kilos (114 pounds). He was the Junior World Champion and Cadet World Champion. He earned a gold and silver medal at the Pan American Games and was a five-time World Team member.Fuller currently is writing a book about his experiences, training, and travel, titled "Are You An Olympian In Life?""I hold him in the highest regard," said Bob Noyes, his wrestling coach at Lincoln High School and now the director of Human Services for the Western Placer Unified School District. "I was so impressed with the young man and his family that I named my second child after him."His family includes his mother, Dolores Fuller, who lives in Roseville, and his father and step-mother, Bert and Joanne Fuller, who live in Auburn.Noyes coached him for three years. He recalled Fuller's sophomore year, when he placed fourth in the state championships."He was a tough competitor," Noyes said. "He wore braces and a mouthpiece, but his mouth was cut up and constantly bleeding. He never once gave up."Noyes said he was always struck by Fuller's work ethic. Noyes recalled he used to arrive at school at 6 a.m. for driver's training and Fuller was always there waiting for him to open the gym for his own workout, after he had finished his running. Fuller then returned to the gym for the team workout after school.Noyes also remembers Fuller's personality, noting everyone, teachers and students, liked him."I had him in the classroom and he was the nicest kid you ever wanted to meet," Noyes said. "He didn't have a mean bone in his body. It amazed me how someone that nice could be the master of throws on the wrestling mat."I always called him my little big man," Noyes added, referring to Fuller, who is only 5-3.