MIAMI – When the Titans selected defensive back Vincent Fuller in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft, it opened the NFL's doors to his little brothers, because it also opened their eyes.
Nearly 15 years later, one of the examples of that will take the field in Super Bowl LIV – Chiefs defensive back Kendall Fuller. He's the youngest of the four Fuller boys who made it to the NFL.
"I had to have been something like eight, nine years old back then," Kendall Fuller, with a smile, said of his trips to Nissan Stadium. "I remember going to Titans games, and I remember thinking how cool it was to say I had a brother that played in the NFL.
"(Vincent) did a good job of just showing us the ropes, and what it took to get there. It wasn't like he was wanting to show us the perks of being in the NFL. Growing up, he was always wanting to show me and all of us the hard work you had to put in to experience it. Even then, he was definitely setting the standard for us."
Vincent Fuller, who played in 75 games and intercepted six passes in six seasons (2005-2010) with the Titans, was the first of the Fuller boys to make it to the NFL.
Then came Corey, Kyle and Kendall.
A receiver, Corey played for the Lions and Saints from 2014-16. Kyle Fuller, a first round draft pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, is a star cornerback with the Bears, who just played in his second Pro Bowl.
Kendall, who has played in 55 NFL games over four seasons with the Redskins and Chiefs, is the first brother to make it to a Super Bowl.
"I'm proud of him," Vincent said of Kendall, "but I'm proud of all my brothers. I think back when I played, and when I worked to get to the league, the biggest thing for me was to set a good example. I never thought it would be possible to have all four of us play in the NFL. But I did want to show them, 'This is what hard work can get you.' And it can be in sports, in the classroom, doing something creative in the arts. Just being a hard worker and working on your craft can get you to whatever you want to achieve and more.
"For Kendall, he not only had me to look at, but he had Kyle, and he had Corey -- he had his other brothers as well. So he saw that hard work can get you somewhere at an early age."
Vincent Fuller, who is now an attorney with Fried Frank and based in the Washington, D.C. area, has fond memories of his days with the Titans.
Kendall Fuller has great memories of watching the Titans as a kid as well. Here this week, he rolled of names of the star Titans during those days, and he included his big brother.
Vincent Fuller, sitting at his desk in the law firm's New York City office, went down memory lane as well.
"I was living the dream," Vincent Fuller said. "I got to play with Chris Johnson, but the defensive guys as well – Albert Haynesworth, Kyle Vanden Bosh, Keith Bulluck and David Thornton. And, of course, Cortland Finnegan, Michael Griffin, Chris Hope, Nick Harper – those are the guys I spent the majority of my time with. … It was a great time."
This weekend, Kendall has a chance to do something none of his brothers did before him – win a Super Bowl ring.
But he's not celebrating anything yet.
"We have to win it first," said Kendall, who has played in 13 games for the Chiefs this season, with six starts, including one in the AFC Championship Game against the Titans. "Once I can say that, then I'll be able to brag a little bit."
Vincent Fuller and the rest of his family will be at Hard Rock Stadium this weekend to cheer him on against the 49ers.
A decade-and-a-half from when Vincent Fuller's NFL career began, it's kid brother who has a chance to shine the brightest on the game's biggest stage.
"Playing in the NFL, you realize how precious these moments are," Vincent Fuller said. "Four of us have played and Kendall is the youngest one, and he is the first one to go to the Super Bowl. I will be there to support him and hopefully he can get a ring."
