From practice squad to Eagles’ hero
Former ODU star propels Philly with late TD
Old Dominion fans who stayed up late Sunday night must have enjoyed seeing Travis Fulgham help the injury-riddled Philadelphia Eagles gain their first victory of the season.
Fulgham, 25, a wide receiver just activated from the Eagles’ practice squad, had the most noteworthy moment of his two-year NFL odyssey in the fourth quarter. With San Francisco leading 14-11 on NBC, he raced down the left sideline, turned his head with the ball in the air and caught a 42-yard touchdown pass from Carson Wentz to put Philadelphia ahead. The Eagles (1-2-1) went on to pull
a 25-20 upset of the 49ers and climb to first place in the so-far-weak NFC East.
“After we broke the huddle, Carson said, ‘Get ready,’ so I knew there was a good
shot he’d get the ball to me,” Fulgham said, according to ESPN’s Tim McManus. “(I) came off the line, beat the corner, do what I do every day in practice. We just
executed.
“At first, I lost the ball. But since Carson gave me a great throw, I was able to
locate it, and it was right in the bread basket.”
Wentz said, “I’ve seen him with this team for a while now, going up against our defense on scout team and what he does to our defense. … I was just proud of him for coming out here tonight and making the plays when asked to. He’s been working against our first-team defense and they’ve said great things about him.”
NBC a nal y st Cris Collinsworth called it “a fantastic play for a guy who’s come out of nowhere.”
Nowhere? Actually, Fulgham’s from Alexandria and didn’t start playing football until 11th grade. As a kid, he spent lots of time overseas since his parents worked for the foreign service.
Leaving cricket and soccer behind, the excellent student originally came to ODU as a walk-on. His first appearance in the limelight beyond his state came in the Monarchs’ 49-35 upset of No. 13 Virginia Tech in 2018. He had nine catches for 188 yards and a touchdown as ODU won as a 29-point underdog.
He was drafted by Detroit in the sixth round in 2019. He played in three games for the Lions, but had no receptions.
Cut by Detroit on Aug. 9, 2020, he went to Green Bay, but the Packers waived him Aug. 19. A day later, he was claimed by the Eagles. Philadelphia waived him Sept. 3, but gave him a practicesquad berth, where he showed enough to be the proverbial next man up.
Maybe even “up” enough to please the occasionally fickle Philly fans.
This week’s update, with jersey number, position(s), name and connection(s):