Only three Sun Devils have been named consensus All-Americas in back-to-back seasons, and two of those were safeties, so this was one of the easiest positions on the team to select.
Mike Richardson (1979-82) was a standout safety on the Sun Devils teams in the early years of Pac-10 membership, including the 1982 team that came within one win of the Devils' first-ever Rose Bowl appearance. "L.A. Mike" want on to play cornerback for the Chicago Bears, and was a key member of their dominant "46" defense of the mid '80s. Sadly, Richardson has led a troubled life since the end of his football career, and was recently released from prison.
Following Richardson at ASU was David Fulcher (1983-85). Fulcher is best remembered for his hard-hitting but, unlike many other players with that reputation, he was a complete player and tremendous athlete.
From his biography:
David Fulcher was born and raised in Los Angeles, California and received both football and baseball scholarships to Arizona State University. During his career at Arizona State, he began as a Wide Receiver, then after requesting a shift to Defensive Back, he earned the coveted award of Standout Player at that position.
David's nickname, "Fo-Rock" was placed on him by his teammates after their game with Colorado State, where his teammates said he hit one player, "like a rock!" The nickname obviously stuck and stayed with him even to this day. While at Arizona State, David won All American honors three consecutive years. In November of 1996, he received the honor of being inducted into the Arizona State University Hall of Fame for his outstanding college career.
