The 14-14 record is very telling and I believe even the average fan is now starting to look at the stats that paint a not so pretty picture.
Stats can be pulled out of context, same as words.
Johnny Majors last "28 games" stops short of 4 straight SEC losses in 1988.
Meanwhile, Fulmer's last "28 games" stops short of a 6-2 regular season record in 2004 and also includes 2 postseason SEC Championship Game losses.
If you are going to compare apples to apples, it really ought to be based on winning percentage over a period of years and should not include postseason games.
Johnny Majors' last 6 seasons had a winning percentage of 67.5%. (26-12-2)
Phillip Fulmer's last 6 seasons (including this year) has a winning percentage of 61.9%. (26-16)
Majors had 2 non-winning SEC records in that stretch, while Fulmer has had 1. Majors shared or won via probation 2 SEC titles during that stretch, while Fulmer has guided 2 teams to the SEC Championship game.
If you go back 4 seasons, the difference in win pct separates quite a bit (similar to the previously quoted records by other posters). However, if you go back 3 seasons for each, they are back to being very similar again.
Now that we've got that out of the way, the reason that Majors was fired was not because of his record. Majors put together some good teams towards the end of his career and with Neyland, Majors, and Fulmer, Tennessee is one of a handful of schools with 3 coaches that have 100+ career victories.
In today's knee-jerk, fast-food society, everybody wants to react immediately. Let's see how the season plays out before making a decision. If the Vols finish 6-6 with the talent they've got, I am all for getting a new coach. However, more times than not since 1993, the Vols find a way to win more SEC games than they lose (with exception being 2005).
Also, remember that one team lost 4-of-5 games 2 seasons ago, including losses to Kentucky and Vanderbilt. Fans wanted the coach gone. They were on the verge of a national title last season and were ranked no. 1 to start this year. Same quarterback for all 3 seasons...... Georgia.