Weeks after becoming the first woman to score in a Power 5 football game, Vanderbilt goalkeeper and kicker Sarah Fuller participated in Wednesday’s inauguration ceremony by introducing Vice President Kamala Harris during the evening’s celebration Wednesday night.
Harris is the first woman, the first Black American and first person of South Asian descent to hold the office.
“I faced a lot of challenges as a goalkeeper on the Vanderbilt University women’s soccer team, and as a kicker on the football team. But seeing other women break barriers, and be the first at what they do inspired me and gave me the strength to succeed,” Fuller said. “And that’s why it is such an honor to introduce a true groundbreaker, and after 232 years of waiting, being able to say these words: Our nation’s first woman vice president—Vice President Kamala Harris.”
Fuller wasn’t the only member of the sports world to partake in Wednesday’s ceremony. Miami Marlins general manager Kim Ng—the first woman to be a general manager in baseball history—read a portion of Ronald Reagan’s inaugural address earlier in the evening. Basketball Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar also participated, reading from Abraham Lincoln’s inaugural address.
Fuller appeared in two games for Vanderbilt in 2020, making two extra points in her second game. She is expected to transfer to North Texas this year to continue her soccer career, and will likely not make another appearance in a football game.
“It looks like my time as a football player has come to an end,” Fuller said in a statement in December. “I would like to thank personally the entire Vanderbilt football team, coaches and support staff for this amazing opportunity to be a part of this program. I was accepted as an athlete and a true member of this team. This is an experience that I will never forget and will cherish forever.”
