Phil Fulmer
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Phillip Edward Fulmer Sr. (born September 1, 1950) is a former
American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
player, coach, and athletic director at the
University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state ...
. He served as head coach of the
Tennessee Volunteers football The Tennessee Volunteers football program (variously called "Tennessee", "Vols", "UT", or "Big Orange") represents the University of Tennessee (UT). The Vols have played football for 130 seasons, starting in 1891; their combined record of 862β ...
team from 1992 to 2008, compiling a 152–52 record. He is best known for coaching the Volunteers in the first
BCS National Championship Game The BCS National Championship Game, or BCS National Championship, was a postseason college football bowl game, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), first played in the 1998 college fo ...
in 1998, defeating the Florida State Seminoles. Fulmer was the Volunteers' 20th head football coach. At the end of his tenure at Tennessee, Fulmer had the second-highest number of wins of any head coach in Tennessee history, 21 behind
Robert Neyland Robert Reese Neyland (; February 17, 1892 – March 28, 1962) was an American football player and coach and officer in the United States Army, reaching the rank of brigadier general. He served three stints as the head football coach at the Univ ...
. Fulmer also was the third coach in Tennessee history to win a claimed national championship. His 1997 and 1998 teams won consecutive SEC championships. Despite a decline in the later years of his career, he is considered to be an icon of Tennessee football, noted for his loyalty to the institution. In recognition of his accomplishments at Tennessee, Fulmer was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2012. Fulmer served as a special assistant to the athletic director at
East Tennessee State University East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is a public research university in Johnson City, Tennessee. Although it is part of the State University and Community College System of Tennessee, the university is governed by an institutional Board of Tr ...
. On June 20, 2017, Fulmer was named as a special advisor to the University of Tennessee president. On December 1, 2017, Fulmer became the Athletic Director at the University of Tennessee, a position he held until his retirement in 2021.


Playing career

Fulmer was born in
Winchester, Tennessee Winchester is a city in and the county seat of Franklin County, Tennessee, United States. It is part of the Tullahoma, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population of Winchester as of the 2020 census was 9,375. History Winchester was ...
, where he attended Franklin County High School. While at Franklin, Fulmer played football and starred for the Rebels. Fulmer enrolled at the University of Tennessee as a student in 1968. He promptly joined the football team as an offensive guard. While playing for the Volunteers, Fulmer garnered All-Southeastern Conference honors at offensive guard. Fulmer contributed to Tennessee's 30–5 record from 1969 to 1971, where he played for head coaches
Doug Dickey Douglas Adair Dickey (born June 24, 1932) is an American former college football player and coach and college athletics administrator. Dickey is a South Dakota native who was raised in Florida and graduated from the University of Florida, wher ...
(who returned to Tennessee as athletic director and hired Fulmer as the Volunteers' coach) and
Bill Battle William Raines Battle III (born December 8, 1941) is an American former college athletics administrator and football coach. He was the athletic director of the University of Alabama from 2013 to 2017. He was appointed by University President J ...
. The Volunteers captured the SEC championship with a 9–2 record in
1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...
, went 11–1 and won the Sugar Bowl in 1970, and finished as
Liberty Bowl The Liberty Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in late December or early January since 1959. For its first five years, it was played at Philadelphia Municipal Stadium in Philadelphia before being held at Atlantic City ...
champions with a 10–2 record in 1971.


Early coaching career

Fulmer served as
linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...
coach and defensive coordinator for the Vols freshman team in 1973 before moving to
Wichita State University Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...
the following season. He spent five years at Wichita State, where he coached the
offensive line In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numb ...
in 1974 and 1977–1978 and served as linebacker coach in 1975–1976. He followed those years with a one-season stint at Vanderbilt, serving as an assistant to Commodores head coach
George MacIntyre George Wallace MacIntyre (April 30, 1939 – January 5, 2016) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Tennessee at Martin from 1975 to 1977 and at Vanderbilt University from 1979 to 1985, compi ...
.


University of Tennessee

Beginning in 1980, Fulmer served 13 years as a Vols assistant coach, initially as the offensive line coach, and then as the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. Linemen coached by Fulmer during this period include Bill Mayo, Raleigh McKenzie,
Bruce Wilkerson Bruce Alan Wilkerson (born July 28, 1964) is a former American football player who played offensive tackle for three National Football League (NFL) teams from 1987 to 1997. He started in Super Bowl XXXI for the Green Bay Packers. Wilkerson pla ...
,
Harry Galbreath Harry Curtis Galbreath (January 1, 1965 – July 27, 2010) was an American football player who played several seasons in the NFL, initially with the Miami Dolphins, and later with the Green Bay Packers and New York Jets. The 6-foot 1-inch 295- ...
,
Charles McRae Charles Edward McRae (born September 16, 1968) is Senior VP Operations for Radiology Partners and a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He spent five seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, starting ...
,
Antone Davis Antone Eugene Davis (born February 28, 1967) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle and guard in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons during the 1990s. He played one year of football fo ...
, and
Tom Myslinski Thomas Joseph Myslinski, Jr. (born December 7, 1968) is a professional American football strength and conditioning coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was strength and conditioning coach for the Cleveland Browns until the end of the 2009 sea ...
.


1992 season

Johnny Majors John Terrill Majors (May 21, 1935June 3, 2020) was an American professional football player and college coach. A standout halfback at the University of Tennessee, he was an All-American in 1956 and a two-time winner of the Southeastern Confe ...
was the coach of the Volunteers going into the 1992 season. However, a couple of weeks before the first game, Majors underwent quintuple-bypass heart surgery. Fulmer took over the role as interim head coach with
Heath Shuler Joseph Heath Shuler (born December 31, 1971) is an American businessman, former NFL quarterback, and former U.S. Representative for from 2007 to 2013. He is a member of the Democratic Party and was a member of the Blue Dog Coalition during ...
as his quarterback. Fulmer helped lead the team to a 3–0 start with a 38–3 victory over Southwestern Louisiana, a 34–31 victory over #14
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
, and a 31–14 victory over #4
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
. Majors returned for the
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
game, a 40–0 victory, and the
LSU Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...
game, a 20–0 victory. However, the Vols dropped their next three games, a 25–24 loss to
Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...
, a 17–10 loss to #4
Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...
, and a 24–23 loss to
South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...
. Among growing dissent among the fanbase, Majors resigned due to his contract being bought out and Fulmer became the 20th head football coach in Tennessee history at the end of the season. The team recorded three wins, a 26–21 victory over
Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...
, a 34–13 victory over 1992 Kentucky Wildcats football team, Kentucky, a 29–25 victory over 1992 Vanderbilt Commodores football team, Vanderbilt to close out the regular season. The team recorded a 38–23 victory over #16 1992 Boston College Eagles football team, Boston College in the 1993 Hall of Fame Bowl, Hall of Fame Bowl to finish with a 9–3 record and a #12 ranking in the AP Poll.


1993 season

Going into his first full season as the Vols' head coach, Fulmer's Vols were ranked #10 going into the season opener against 1993 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football team, Louisiana Tech. On September 4, the Vols defeated the Bulldogs by a score of 50–0. The next week, the Vols defeated the #22 1993 Georgia Bulldogs football team, Georgia Bulldogs by a score of 38–6. The first setback came in the next game against #9 1993 Florida Gators football team, Florida, a 41–34 loss in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, The Swamp. The Vols won their next three games, a 42–20 victory over 1993 LSU Tigers football team, LSU, a 52–19 victory over 1993 Duke Blue Devils football team, Duke, and a 28–14 victory over 1993 Arkansas Razorbacks football team, Arkansas to move to a 5–1 record. The next game, against #3 1993 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Alabama, was a rare 17–17 tie. Fulmer led the team to victories in the next four games against 1993 South Carolina Gamecocks football team, South Carolina, #13 1993 Louisville Cardinals football team, Louisville, 1993 Kentucky Wildcats football team, Kentucky, and 1993 Vanderbilt Commodores football team, Vanderbilt to finish the regular season with a 9–1–1 record. In the 1994 Florida Citrus Bowl, Citrus Bowl against #13 1993 Penn State Nittany Lions football team, Penn State, the Volunteers fell 31–13 to finish Heath Shuler's final season with a 9–2–1 record and #12 in the AP Poll.


1994 season

Going into the 1994 season, Fulmer's Vols were the preseason #13 team. The season started off with a 25–23 loss to 1994 UCLA Bruins football team, UCLA, the first season-opening loss of Fulmer's head coaching career. The Vols got their first win, a 41–23 win over the #23 1994 Georgia Bulldogs football team, Georgia Bulldogs, in the next game. The Vols faced a tough task in the next game against #1 1994 Florida Gators football team, Florida and fell 31–0. The Vols' struggles continued in the next game, a 24–21 loss to 1994 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team, Mississippi State to fall to 1–3 and unranked for the first time with Fulmer at the helm. However, despite the loss, Fulmer had a young Peyton Manning as his quarterback due to injuries of previous starters Jerry Colquitt and Todd Helton. The Vols won their next two games, a 10–9 victory over #17 1994 Washington State Cougars football team, Washington State and a 38–21 victory over 1994 Arkansas Razorbacks football team, Arkansas to get to 3–3 on the season. A rough 17–13 loss to #10 1994 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Alabama followed before a four-game winning streak, which included a 52–0 victory over 1994 Kentucky Wildcats football team, Kentucky and a 65–0 victory over 1994 Vanderbilt Commodores football team, Vanderbilt to close out the season brought the Vols to a 7–4 record and a bowl game. The Vols faced off against #17 1994 Virginia Tech Hokies football team, Virginia Tech in the 1994 Gator Bowl, Gator Bowl and defeated them 45–23. The Vols finished 8–4 and #22 in the AP Poll despite their rough start to the season.


1995 season

The Volunteers started the season with a #8 ranking, the highest to start a season under Fulmer to that point. The season started with back-to-back victories over 1995 East Carolina Pirates football team, East Carolina (27–7) and 1995 Georgia Bulldogs football team, Georgia (30–27). The Vols suffered their first setback in a 62–37 defeat to #4 1995 Florida Gators football team, Florida. Fulmer lead the team to eight straight victories to close out the regular season. In the winning streak was Fulmer's first victory over 1995 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Alabama, a 41–14 win in Birmingham, Alabama. With a 10–1 record, the Vols played #4 1995 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, Ohio State in the 1996 Citrus Bowl, Citrus Bowl and defeated the Buckeyes by a score of 20–14. The Vols finished with an 11–1 record and #3 in the final AP Poll for their best finish with Fulmer to that point.


1996 season

The Vols started the 1996 season ranked #2 in the nation. Fulmer led the team to two victories over UNLV Rebels football, UNLV (62–3) and 1996 UCLA Bruins football team, UCLA (35–20) to start the season. Similar to the previous season, the Vols' first setback came to the #4 1996 Florida Gators football team, Florida Gators, this time by a score of 35–29. The Vols rolled off four straight victories, including another victory for Fulmer over #7 1996 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Alabama. The Vols faced Memphis and were shocked by the Tigers by a score of 21–17. To close out the regular season, the Vols ran the table to finish 9–2. They faced the 1996 Northwestern Wildcats football team, Northwestern Wildcats in the 1997 Florida Citrus Bowl, Citrus Bowl and won 48–28 to finish 10–2 and #9 in the final AP Poll. Fulmer led the team to consecutive 10-win seasons for the first time since 1971–1972 under
Bill Battle William Raines Battle III (born December 8, 1941) is an American former college athletics administrator and football coach. He was the athletic director of the University of Alabama from 2013 to 2017. He was appointed by University President J ...
.


1997 season

Fulmer's Vols started the 1997 season #5 in the nation and eventually finished in uncharted territory. With Peyton Manning, the Vols started with two victories over 1997 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Texas Tech (52–17) and 1997 UCLA Bruins football team, UCLA (30–24). Once again, the #3 1997 Florida Gators football team, Florida Gators defeated the Vols 33–20 for the first setback of the year. The Volunteers did recover from the defeat and won out in the regular season to finish with a 10–1 record. The Volunteers qualified for the SEC Championship and faced off against the 1997 Auburn Tigers football team, Auburn Tigers and won 30–29 for their first conference championship since 1990. The Vols played against #2 1997 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Nebraska with a potential National Championship at stake. However, the Vols fell 42–17 and finished with an 11–2 record and #7 in the final AP Poll. Despite the disappointing ending, Fulmer had brought the Volunteers to and sustained national prominence and greater things were on the horizon.


1998 season: National Championship

Due to the loss of Peyton Manning to the NFL, the Vols might not have been as respected going into the 1998 season. However, Fulmer had a new quarterback ready to go in Tee Martin. The season started with a close 34–33 victory over the Donovan McNabb-led 1998 Syracuse Orangemen football team, Syracuse Orangemen. Two weeks later, after years of defeat, the Vols finally overcame the #2 1998 Florida Gators football team, Florida Gators in a 20–17 overtime victory. The following game was a 42–7 victory over 1998 Houston Cougars football team, Houston. On October 3, the Vols survived a close game with the 1998 Auburn Tigers football team, Auburn Tigers by a score of 17–9. Against the #7 1998 Georgia Bulldogs football team, Georgia Bulldogs in the next game, the Vols won 22–3. Fulmer continued his winning streak over 1998 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Alabama with a 35–18 victory. After two more wins against 1998 South Carolina Gamecocks football team, South Carolina and 1998 UAB Blazers football team, UAB, the top-ranked Vols faced off against #10 1998 Arkansas Razorbacks football team, Arkansas. The Vols escaped with a 28–24 victory after recovering a late fumble by the Razorbacks to get the go-ahead score. The Vols closed out the regular season undefeated with wins over 1998 Kentucky Wildcats football team, Kentucky and 1998 Vanderbilt Commodores football team, Vanderbilt. In the SEC Championship, the Vols defeated the #23 1998 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team, Mississippi State Bulldogs by a score of 24–14. The Vols made the Bowl Championship Series, BCS National Championship game and faced off against the #2 1998 Florida State Seminoles football team, Florida State Seminoles in the 1999 Fiesta Bowl. The Vols defeated the Seminoles by a score of 23–16. With the victory, the Volunteers won their first National Championship since 1967. Fulmer's senior class of the 1998 team compiled a record of 45–5, losing only to Florida Gators football, Florida (three times), Nebraska Cornhuskers football, Nebraska, and
Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...
. As a result of the 1998 season, Fulmer was named National Coach of the Year and SEC Coach of the Year.


1999 season

Fresh off the National Championship, Fulmer's Vols started the season as the #2 team in the country. After a 42–17 victory against the 1999 Wyoming Cowboys football team, Wyoming Cowboys, the Vols dropped a game to the #4 1999 Florida Gators football team, Florida Gators by a score of 23–21. The Vols then won their next six games including another victory over #10 1999 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Alabama and a 38–14 victory over 1999 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, Notre Dame. On November 13, the Vols lost 28–24 to 1999 Arkansas Razorbacks football team, Arkansas before closing out the regular season with two wins to finish 9–2. In the 2000 Fiesta Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, the Vols lost 31–21 to #3 1999 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Nebraska. Fulmer's streak of 10-win seasons was snapped, but the Vols finished #9 in the nation going into 2000. Fulmer was honored with the State Farm Eddie Robinson Coach of Distinction Award in December 1999.


2000 season

The 2000 season brought Fulmer and the Vols some struggles early on in the season. The season started off with a narrow victory 19–16 victory over #22 2000 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team, Southern Miss. After the game, the City of Knoxville proclaimed September 9, 2000, as "Phillip Fulmer Day" in honor of the coach. However, the Vols lost the next game 27–23 to #6 2000 Florida Gators football team, Florida. After a 70–3 victory over 2000 Louisiana–Monroe Indians football team, Louisiana–Monroe, the Vols dropped their next two games to 2000 LSU Tigers football team, LSU by a score of 38–31 and #19 2000 Georgia Bulldogs football team, Georgia by a score of 21–10 to drop to 2–3 and unranked for the first time in several years under Fulmer. The Vols recovered and won their next six games, which included a 20–10 victory over 2000 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Alabama and a 17–14 victory over #17 2000 South Carolina Gamecocks football team, South Carolina, to finish with an 8–3 record and qualified for a bowl game. In the 2001 Cotton Bowl, Cotton Bowl against 2000 Kansas State Wildcats football team, Kansas State, the Vols fell 35–21 and finished unranked for the first time under Fulmer.


2001 season

Despite the disappointing ending to the 2000 season, the Vols started the 2001 season ranked #8 in the nation. The Vols started the season off with two wins over 2001 Syracuse Orangemen football team, Syracuse (33–9) and 2001 Arkansas Razorbacks football team, Arkansas (13–3). Due to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Florida game had to be moved to later in the season. The Vols faced off against #14 2001 LSU Tigers football team, LSU without having played in three weeks. The Vols won 26–18 to move Fulmer to 3–0 on the season. The Vols suffered their first setback against 2001 Georgia Bulldogs football team, Georgia in the next game, a 26–24 loss. The Vols followed the loss with a six-game winning streak to move to #5 in the nation and faced off with the #2 2001 Florida Gators football team, Florida Gators on December 1. The Vols won a close game against their rivals, 34–32, to go up against #21 2001 LSU Tigers football team, LSU in the SEC Championship. The Vols controlled their own destiny in the National Championship race, but fell 31–20 to the Nick Saban-led Tigers. In the 2002 Florida Citrus Bowl, Citrus Bowl against #17 2001 Michigan Wolverines football team, Michigan, the Vols won 45–17 to finish 11–2 and #4 in the country in the AP Poll. In 2001, Fulmer has named to the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.


2002 season

Fulmer and the Vols had high expectations as a result of their #5 ranking to start the 2002 season. However, the season was inconsistent for the Vols. After two wins against 2002 Wyoming Cowboys football team, Wyoming and 2002 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team, Middle Tennessee State, the Vols dropped a game to the 2002 Florida Gators football team, Florida Gators by a score of 30–13. After two victories over 2002 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team, Rutgers and 2002 Arkansas Razorbacks football team, Arkansas, the Vols dropped two games to #6 2002 Georgia Bulldogs football team, Georgia and #19 2002 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Alabama. The unranked Vols finished out the season with a 3–1 stretch to make a bowl game against 2002 Maryland Terrapins football team, Maryland in the 2002 Peach Bowl. The Vols fell to the Terrapins by a score of 30–3 and finished with an 8–5 record.


2003 season

Fulmer's Vols came into the 2003 season with a #14 ranking. The Vols started off the season with four straight victories to move to #8 in the country going into the 2003 Auburn Tigers football team, Auburn game. The Vols fell to the Tigers 28–21 for their first setback. The Vols dropped the next game to #8 2002 Georgia Bulldogs football team, Georgia by a score of 41–14. The Vols won their next six games, including a 5OT 51–43 victory over 2003 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Alabama to finish with a 10–2 record. In the 2004 Peach Bowl (January), 2004 Peach Bowl against 2003 Clemson Tigers football team, Clemson, the Vols fell 27–14 to finish 10–3 and #15 in the final AP Poll.


2004 season

Fulmer's Vols started the 2004 season #14 in the country. The Vols started off 3–0, including a 30–28 victory over the #11 2004 Florida Gators football team, Florida Gators in the last matchup with Gator head coach Ron Zook. The Vols lost the next game against the #8 2004 Auburn Tigers football team, Auburn Tigers by a score of 34–10 before winning four straight, including a 19–14 over #3 2004 Georgia Bulldogs football team, Georgia. On November 6, the Vols lost to 2004 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, Notre Dame by a score of 17–13 before winning out to finish 9–2. In a rematch with the #3 Auburn Tigers in the 2004 SEC Championship Game, SEC Championship, the Vols fell 38–28. In the 2005 Cotton Bowl against #22 2004 Texas A&M Aggies football team, Texas A&M, Fulmer led the Vols to a 38–7 victory to finish 10–3 and 13th in the final AP Poll.


2005 season

In 2005, Fulmer's pre-season #3 Volunteers had very high expectations. However, for the first time in his tenure, Fulmer's Volunteers struggled mightily by the standards that were established. After a close 17–10 victory over 2005 UAB Blazers football team, UAB, the Vols fell to the #6 2005 Florida Gators football team, Florida by a score of 16–7. After a 30–27 victory over #3 2005 LSU Tigers football team, LSU and a 27–10 victory over 2005 Ole Miss Rebels football team, Ole Miss, the Vols lost four straight games to stand at 3–5. The Vols ended up 5–6, losing to in-state SEC rival 2005 Vanderbilt Commodores football team, Vanderbilt for the first time in his 14-year tenure. The losing season also kept Tennessee out of a bowl game for the first time since 1988 Tennessee Volunteers football team, 1988, a streak of 16 years, which was the third-longest in the NCAA.


2006 season

Despite their abysmal finish to the 2005 season, Fulmer's Vols started the 2006 season ranked #23. The team started with two straight wins over #9 2006 California Golden Bears football team, California and 2006 Air Force Falcons football team, Air Force before dropping a game to #7 2006 Florida Gators football team, Florida Gators by score of 21–20. The Vols reeled off five straight wins before dropping two games to #13 2006 LSU Tigers football team, LSU and #11 2006 Arkansas Razorbacks football team, Arkansas. The Vols won their last two regular season games to finish 9–3 and face 2006 Penn State Nittany Lions football team, Penn State in the 2007 Outback Bowl. The Vols fell to the Nittany Lions by a score of 20–10 to finish 9–4 and #25 in the final poll.


2007 season

Fulmer's Vols started the season ranked #15. The Vols dropped their opening game to the #12 2007 California Golden Bears football team, California Golden Bears by a score of 45–31. After a 39–19 win over 2007 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team, Southern Miss, the Vols dropped a game to #5 2007 Florida Gators football team, Florida Gators by a score of 59–20. They won their next three games, a 48–27 victory over 2007 Arkansas State Indians football team, Arkansas State, a 35–14 upset against #12 2007 Georgia Bulldogs football team, Georgia, and a 33–21 victory over 2007 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team, Mississippi State. The next week, Tennessee suffered a setback in a 41–17 loss to 2007 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Alabama. Tennessee went on a five-game winning streak to close out the season, which included a 27–24 victory over #15 2007 South Carolina Gamecocks football team, South Carolina. The Vols finished with a 9–3 record, won the SEC East, and qualified for the SEC Championship. Against #5 2007 LSU Tigers football team, LSU, the Vols fell 21–14. In the 2008 Outback Bowl against 2007 Wisconsin Badgers football team, Wisconsin, the Vols won 21–17 to finish 10–4 and #12 in the final AP Poll.


2008 season

The Vols started the 2008 season as #18 in the country. The team dropped their season opener to 2008 UCLA Bruins football team, UCLA by a score of 27–24 in overtime and fell out of the rankings. In the next game, the Vols got their first victory of the a season, a 35–3 result against 2008 UAB Blazers football team, UAB. Tennessee dropped their next two games against #4 2008 Florida Gators football team, Florida by a score of 30–6 and #15 2008 Auburn Tigers football team, Auburn by a score of 14–12. After a narrow 13–9 victory over 2008 Northern Illinois Huskies football team, Northern Illinois, the Vols dropped a game by a score of 26–14 to #10 2008 Georgia Bulldogs football team, Georgia. The Vols recorded their first conference win in the next game against 2008 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team, Mississippi State 34–3 before dropping a 29–9 result to #2 2008 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Alabama and a 27–6 result to 2008 South Carolina Gamecocks football team, South Carolina to fall to 3–6. After the 3–6 start, Fulmer came under increased scrutiny from Tennessee fans, leaving skepticism about how long he would remain Tennessee's head football coach despite having just received a contract extension after the 2007 Tennessee Volunteers football team, 2007 season. Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton (athletic director), Mike Hamilton finally notified Fulmer of his dismissal on November 2, 2008. The next day, he agreed to step down as head coach following the season. That week, the Vols suffered a loss at the hands of 2008 Wyoming Cowboys football team, Wyoming, a 26-point underdog. Fulmer completed his long tenure at the University of Tennessee with a 28–10 win over 2008 Kentucky Wildcats football team, Kentucky on November 29, 2008. Lane Kiffin was hired by Mike Hamilton (athletic director), Mike Hamilton to succeed Fulmer as the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers.


Legacy

Fulmer had a reputation as an ace recruiter, leading many analysts to praise him as one of the game's top head coach recruiters. Despite his decline over the last several years of his career, Fulmer's winning percentage was still among the top in the country for head coaches who had over ten years' experience. After winning the National Championship in 1998, a street near Neyland Stadium was renamed "Phillip Fulmer Way". During Fulmer's tenure, Tennessee had a seven-game winning streak over longtime rival Alabama from 1995–2001. The winning streak marked the longest for a Tennessee coach in the Third Saturday in October. Fulmer never lost to the Kentucky Wildcats football, Kentucky Wildcats, winning 17 straight games.


Post-coaching career

Fulmer was a sports analyst on CBS's ''SEC Postgame Show'', as well as various programming on the CBS College Sports Network. Fulmer was a strong candidate for the Louisville Cardinals football, University of Louisville head coaching job. He stated in many interviews that he was interested in the job and had a phone interview with Louisville Cardinals football, Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich. However, the job was eventually offered to Charlie Strong. After Connecticut Huskies football, UConn head coach Randy Edsall left for Maryland Terrapins football, Maryland in January 2011, sources confirmed that Fulmer expressed interest in the coaching vacancy at Connecticut. After Mike Hamilton (athletic director), Mike Hamilton stepped down as University of Tennessee athletic director, Fulmer was frequently brought up by Tennessee fans as a potential replacement, but said that he did not consider himself a likely candidate. Fulmer appeared as himself in the 2009 Biographical film, biographical Sports film, sports Drama (film and television), drama film ''The Blind Side (film), The Blind Side''. On May 15, 2012, Fulmer was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Fulmer served as a consultant and special assistant to athletic director Richard Sander at
East Tennessee State University East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is a public research university in Johnson City, Tennessee. Although it is part of the State University and Community College System of Tennessee, the university is governed by an institutional Board of Tr ...
, which relaunched a East Tennessee State Buccaneers football, football program it had shut down for financial reasons in 2003. Fulmer became a founding partner at BPV Capital Management in Knoxville. He serves as part of the business development team. On June 20, 2017, it was announced that Fulmer will serve as a special advisor to the University of Tennessee president. On December 1, 2017, following the suspension of John Currie (athletic director), John Currie, the previous athletic director at the University of Tennessee, Fulmer was named the new Athletic Director for the university. In April 2018, Fulmer signed a four-year contract extension. In 2018, Fulmer was able to achieve getting the University of Tennessee to #35 in the NACDA Directors' Cup. In 2019, he helped improve Tennessee's standing to #25, their best finish since 2011. Fulmer retired as Athletic Director in 2021. In 2018, Fulmer was named to the 2018 SEC Legends Class, honored at that year's SEC Championship game. In 2019, Fulmer was named East Tennessean of the Year by the East Tennessee Historical Society. In December 2019, Fulmer was named to ESPN's list of their top 150 college football coaches to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the sport. He was named #94.


Family

Fulmer and his wife have three daughters. In addition, Fulmer has a son.


Head coaching record

*Fulmer served as interim coach for the first three games of the 1992 season while
Johnny Majors John Terrill Majors (May 21, 1935June 3, 2020) was an American professional football player and college coach. A standout halfback at the University of Tennessee, he was an All-American in 1956 and a two-time winner of the Southeastern Confe ...
recovered from heart surgery. He was named full-time coach after the 1992 season, and led the team in the 1993 Hall of Fame Bowl. Tennessee credits the first three games of the 1992 regular season and the Hall of Fame Bowl to Fulmer, and the eight games in between to Majors.

^Fulmer's 1993 Tennessee team finished 9–2–1 (6–1–1), but Alabama subsequently forfeited the tie to Tennessee.


See also

* List of College Football Hall of Fame inductees (coaches) * List of NCAA Division I athletic directors * List of Tennessee Volunteers head football coaches * List of presidents of the American Football Coaches Association


References


External links


Tennessee Volunteers coach profile


* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fulmer, Phillip 1950 births Living people American football offensive linemen Tennessee Volunteers football coaches Tennessee Volunteers football players Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers athletic directors Vanderbilt Commodores football coaches Wichita State Shockers football coaches College Football Hall of Fame inductees People from Winchester, Tennessee Coaches of American football from Tennessee Players of American football from Tennessee