July 2, 2018
By Greg Ostendorf
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. -- There are Auburn fans. And then there's Chandler Fullman, the Auburn "Superfan."
That's not to say that all Auburn fans aren't passionate about the program. If you're reading this story, there's a good chance you're invested in the various sports and have traveled to see the Tigers play at some point. But over the last four years, Fullman – a student at Auburn – has traveled 35,752 miles to see football, basketball, baseball and softball.
That's the equivalent of traveling around the world and then some.
This past season, Fullman attended every football game on the road or at a neutral site. He went on a number of basketball trips, including Murray State, Tennessee, South Carolina, St. Louis for the SEC Tournament and San Diego for the NCAA Tournament.
"Seeing Auburn play in March Madness, that's something I've been dreaming about since I was a little kid," Fullman said. "Getting to travel out to San Diego and watch them play for the first time since 2003. And not only seeing them play, seeing them win the first game. It was a great trip all-around."
Fullman also went on a number of trips with baseball, including the Regional in Raleigh, North Carolina and the Super Regional in Gainesville, Florida. He's become such a fixture at baseball games, home and away, that head coach Butch Thompson now looks up in the crowd before every game, finds Fullman and tips his cap to him.
"I guess it started probably in our first full year," Thompson said. "I looked up there, and he's there every day. So I just take my hat off in appreciation, and ever since then, it's turned into an everyday event. He's part of my pre-game ceremonies every time we take the field with Auburn baseball. That's how important he is to me."
Like Thompson, Bruce Pearl saw that same passion when Fullman first came and introduced himself. He wanted to be involved with the basketball program, so Pearl suggested he take a leadership position in the Jungle and use that passion to bring in other fans.
Four years after that first meeting, the Tigers sold out seven of their nine home SEC games on their way to winning a conference title for the first time since 1999.
"With football, baseball, basketball, all of our walks – [Fullman] knows the blood, the sweat and the tears that went into all that," Pearl said. "And then ultimately the satisfaction of being rewarded with a championship."
The travel. The games. The growing celebrity of Fullman on Twitter -- his handle, @golfwizkid is approaching 3,000 followers -- and at games where random people he's never met will recognize him and yell out, "Superfan." It almost didn't happen.
In September 2010, Fullman was your average freshman at Hoover High School. He was a good student. He was set to try out for the golf team. And on the day of the tryout while lifting weights, he suddenly lost feeling in his legs and collapsed. The last thing he remembered before blacking out was the school nurse asking his name and how old he was.
Fullman had suffered a brain bleed and went into a coma for the next 17 days.
"It wasn't that bad for me because I was just taking a 17-day nap," Fullman said. "It was incredibly tough on my parents and my family and friends. The tough part for me was the after â€" the two-and-a-half years relearning to walk, relearning to talk. That part, that was miserable."
To this day, Fullman still doesn't have full strength on his right side. He struggles to lift his arm above his head and wears a brace on his leg. But he hasn't let it slow him down. He graduated high school. He's expected to graduate college this December. And from New York City to San Diego to Oklahoma City (twice) for the Women's College World Series, he's traveled the country to see and support his Auburn Tigers.
"I make the best of what my situation is, and I make the most of life," Fullman said.
"He's not just the biggest fan," Thompson said. "He's there. The support he's given to our players and to our program â€" to basketball, to football, to everything Auburn, we just can't gloss over it. He's one of the biggest fixtures or pieces here on our campus. He just lives and breathes it. That can be so respected by anybody that invests a lot of time in any sport."
So what's next for the "Superfan?"
Fullman played that role at Hoover High School and when he left, people asked "So what now?" That was easy. Obviously, he was going to be the Auburn "Superfan." But what happens when he graduates from Auburn?
"I guess it's just going to be Chandler Fullman," he said.
Fullman isn't graduating until December, so you'll still see plenty of him at football and basketball games this fall. And he's considering going back to Auburn to get his MBA once he graduates, which means even more opportunities to see the Tigers â€" though the travel might be more limited as the courses become more difficult in graduate school.
If it were up to Fullman, he'd stay in Auburn forever.
"My dream is to be the Auburn University athletic director," he said. "That's shooting high, but they say shoot for the moon and if you miss, land on the stars. That's my goal. That's just a dream of mine that I've had since 9th grade."
Regardless of what comes next for Fullman, the future is bright â€" brighter than he ever could have imagined eight years ago. There's a photo he looks at often of when he came from the hospital in 2010. His street was lined with people awaiting his arrival, and that particular photo shows him getting out of his car and waving to everybody.
"The day that I came home from the hospital, I was 6-feet tall, 96 pounds," Fullman said. "My legs aren't muscular now, but they looked paper thin. Sometimes I can't even believe how far I've come in just eight years. It's been an incredible experience."
What's just as exciting for Fullman -- or at least it feels that way when he talks about it -- is the future of Auburn athletics, in particular, the big three of football, basketball and baseball.
As much as Fullman has traveled to see Auburn over the years, he's quick to point out that across the three main sports, Auburn was 51-7 at home this past year. The football team was a perfect 7-0, including wins over No. 1 Georgia and No. 1 Alabama. The basketball team was nearly perfect, finishing 15-1 at Auburn Arena. And the baseball team won 29 home games.
But win or lose, Fullman is always going to support Auburn.
"Chandler's one of those guys that just loves Auburn, loves the brand, loves everything about it and supports everybody," Thompson said.
That's why they call him the "Superfan."
Greg Ostendorf is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @greg_ostendorf