Fulmer is proud of the University

[#1fulmerite]

My incredible hot take that I can't prove is that Patterson would not have been successful here.

Who was the would be replacement that Hamilton said was too much of a football coach? (Or something like that)

 

[GUNTERSVOL]

Sorry but he just needs to quit talking. He's done enough the past few years to damage the program

Guess you think he should quit using his platform to call on VOLS to raise money for The Boys and Girls Club with his golf tournament too!

Sorry, but your take is sorry and redundancy is not going to fix it. Available to you, but futile.

 

[OrangeAllDay]

I to think fulmer stretched out his time here and didn’t end well. But let me put something into perspective for you.

If your a 18-30 year old on this forum,you never knew winning UT football until Heupel. Maybe you want to include some of the decentish Butch years? Yet we have people like yourself on here bashing fulmer who will likely remain one of UTs all time winning coaches. Pair that with he had the only NC we will likely ever see given this new era NIL. We simply aren’t spending the money to compete.

So whether you like it or not, the era of Fulmer football is a good chance the best era we will see in our lifetime.

I was 4 when I went to my first game. The 2001 SEC championship. I know the Fulmer years well, it was my introduction to Vols football. The problem with Fulmer is he underachieved with the best era of talent Tennessee ever had. Only one championship is actually a disappointment compared to the nfl talent he had year in year out. Also to put in perspective that he didn’t build the program, that was done by majors, his best assistants were hired by majors, and he didn’t sustain the success. He was an average coach that got lucky in a weak SEC and other regional programs being down at the time. I say this all the time when it comes to Fulmer. If you didn’t build it, and you don’t sustain it, what did you really do?? Thanks for the one natty, but miracles had to happen just for that one natty. He’s the luckiest coach in NCAA history if you really think about it. He was in the right place at the right time, and only got one natty because of him being an average coach. And again had to get extremely lucky just to win the one

 

[EastTNVol6240]

I was 4 when I went to my first game. The 2001 SEC championship. I know the Fulmer years well, it was my introduction to Vols football. The problem with Fulmer is he underachieved with the best era of talent Tennessee ever had. Only one championship is actually a disappointment compared to the nfl talent he had year in year out. Also to put in perspective that he didn’t build the program, that was done by majors, his best assistants were hired by majors, and he didn’t sustain the success. He was an average coach that got lucky in a weak SEC and other regional programs being down at the time. I say this all the time when it comes to Fulmer. If you didn’t build it, and you don’t sustain it, what did you really do?? Thanks for the one natty, but miracles had to happen just for that one natty. He’s the luckiest coach in NCAA history if you really think about it. He was in the right place at the right time, and only got one natty because of him being an average coach. And again had to get extremely lucky just to win the one

Lucky or not he won the only NC many of us will likely ever see. I’m not saying he’s the greatest ever. But likely the greatest some of us may see. The stats revert they are, no matter how you want to break down the talent, etc. Every team winning the NC has had to have a few breaks go their way. It’s also kind of hard to argue he didn’t sustain it given his record. As said he definitely stayed past his prime. You can have your opinions, but the numbers are what they are.

 

[Behr]

Let’s say he takes your advice. If someone asks him to comment on the situation and he responds, “no comment,” how do you think that comes off? You’d be pissed that he threw Heupel under the bus.

Aside from the 152 wins he had, there is no winning for Fulmer with some. The guy devoted most of a 50 year chunk of his life to the program and delivered the only national championship you will ever see. I think he earned the right to comment if asked a question about it.

Lol, I'd love to go back in time and had this message board with your inspirational comments following Vol football. Beginning with the firing of Majors through Fulmers career.

"Thank Clint Stoerner for Fulmers NC" ~ LegionnnaireOfTheMiserable

 

[volbound1700]

My favorite Fulmerism of ALL TIME was that during that VERY SAME presser, he was completely tone deaf enough to comment that recruiting had really picked up during his time as AD.

I mean, really?? Really?? The University has just fired the HC, and announced an investigation moments before you spoke into.....RECRUITING VIOLATIONS, and old Phlegmatic Phil has the gall to call out recruiting as a bright spot.

Fulmer was the living embodiment of the Peter Principle. After Cut left, he was MARGINALLY competent as HC, but truly reached his personal level of incompetnece with the AD position.

Please, can Fulmer just go away, count his millions, and be happy?

Sad thing is that I really believe he cares about the school, he just isn't competent anymore.

 

[volbound1700]

Lucky or not he won the only NC many of us will likely ever see. I’m not saying he’s the greatest ever. But likely the greatest some of us may see. The stats revert they are, no matter how you want to break down the talent, etc. Every team winning the NC has had to have a few breaks go their way. It’s also kind of hard to argue he didn’t sustain it given his record. As said he definitely stayed past his prime. You can have your opinions, but the numbers are what they are.

He definitely got complacent but hiring Clawson in 2008 was a major shake up and he was definitely trying to change things up. Had Arian Foster not fumbled against 3-9 UCLA, who knows what would have happened. I think Tennessee football would look very different right now. I feel like the 2001 SEC Championship and 2008 UCLA game where both major pivot points for our program. I also think the 2022 Pittsburgh game or 2022 Alabama games where also game changers in a positive light

 

[LegionnaireOfTheMiserable]

Lol, I'd love to go back in time and had this message board with your inspirational comments following Vol football. Beginning with the firing of Majors through Fulmers career.

"Thank Clint Stoerner for Fulmers NC" ~ LegionnnaireOfTheMiserable

Unlike most of you brain dead pumpers, I actually appreciate and respect those who win championships. Since Fulmer won the only one any of us will ever see, I think you people are way too hard on him.

 

[TNnative]

I agree! The man made a mistake with Pruitt. But I bet all of us on here did too!! Let's not crucify him but celebrate what his accomplishments were. He was no Donnie Tindell

I just hope he is not the next Lyle. Getting hung up on his favorite word.

 

[TNnative]

Hamilton was the bigger idiot with the way Fulmer was handled. Then the Kiffin hire which had no protection whatsoever in the contract for Tennessee. Also basically told Gary Patterson to get F’ed in that hiring when it went down. Then when Kiffin bailed we were stupid enough allow Hamilton to hire another coach. I say we but everything was approved or turned down by Haslam. That was a long period of absolute incompetence from the top down and the top was always Haslam influencing all the major decisions.

Anderson and Fulmer kind of pulled a coup when Fulmer was inserted as AD. And yeah Fulmer sucked as AD but I’m not sure we ever get rid of the Haslam influence if not for Anderson and him. I’m not sure if we ever have people get serious enough to hire White either. Fulmer as AD was the absolute train wreck that caused the university to actually address the problem and install decent leadership at the top. Funny how now that Haslam isn’t as involved with decision making everything has gotten better. And to be fair the Haslam’s have done a lot for the university and the football program through the years.

Some folks blame Fulmer and his friends. Some want to blame Haslam. I blame the feud between those factions. And I often lament where Tennessee could have been had there been one influential adult in the room to get everyone on the same damn page.

 

[DaddyChad]

Some folks blame Fulmer and his friends. Some want to blame Haslam. I blame the feud between those factions. And I often lament where Tennessee could have been had there been one influential adult in the room to get everyone on the same damn page.

One person was mostly responsible to a lot of the hiring decisions that led us down. Of course on the other hand he does a lot for the university.

 

[TNnative]

One person was mostly responsible to a lot of the hiring decisions that led us down. Of course on the other hand he does a lot for the university.

That half of the story. The other half was Fulmer and his friends working against what Haslam and his friends were trying to do. This could go on and on for years. And much of it probably has to do with personal political affiliations.

 

[onevol74]

Take away the Cutcliffe years, and Fulmer’s winning percentage is still better than that of Johnny Majors.

Which was still average.

 

[onevol74]

Pruitt was a horrible hire, but if he had made a Butch type of hire that showed a bit of hope before flaming out, who knows where we would be now? Most likely we’d be worse off.

Would have never happened since we all knew Fulmer was a control freak and would have never hired a coach who was smarter than he was.

 

[onevol74]

I was all on Fulmer but woke up and started to really assess the situation the day that David Cutcliffe walked back into the program and talked about how amazed he was how the program had completely fallen into a total lack of discipline.

That was the day I started looking at Fulmer and how he compared to other SEC coaches who were beating his tail all over the field. Fulmer appeared to be an average coach in comparison.

The AD experience only reinforced my opinion.

 

[LegionnaireOfTheMiserable]

Would have never happened since we all knew Fulmer was a control freak and would have never hired a coach who was smarter than he was.

Which one is it, did Fulmer only benefit because Cutcliffe was a smarter coach than him, or was Fulmer too much of a control freak to hire a smarter coach than he was?

 

[onevol74]

Which one is it, did Fulmer only benefit because Cutcliffe was a smarter coach than him, or was Fulmer too much of a control freak to hire a smarter coach than he was?

Fulmer was desperate in 2006 after losing to an inferior Vanderbilt team in Neyland in 2005. He should have fired on Sunday morning after that game.

 

[LegionnaireOfTheMiserable]

Fulmer was desperate in 2006 after losing to an inferior Vanderbilt team in Neyland in 2005. He should have fired on Sunday morning after that game.

Was he desperate when he hired Cutcliffe the first time?

 

[onevol74]

Was he desperate when he hired Cutcliffe the first time?

He did not call Cut the first time. Cut was already on the staff when Fulmer took over in 1992.

 

[BernardKingGOAT]

Was he desperate when he hired Cutcliffe the first time?

He did not call Cut the first time. Cut was already on the staff when Fulmer took over in 1992.

Didn't Cut get hired in the late 1980s? Seems like he was assigned as "passing game" coach when Fulmer took over OC duties

 

[LegionnaireOfTheMiserable]

He did not call Cut the first time. Cut was already on the staff when Fulmer took over in 1992.

He had to decide to keep Cut and promote Cut to be the OC. Fulmer easily could have left him as QB coach or outright fired him if he was so scared to have someone smarter than him on staff, but he hired him to be OC.

Fulmer was not scared to have people smarter than him on staff, and he was very loyal to his staff. Promoted some people who shouldn’t have been, held on to some longer than he should have. Sounds like another UT coach I know of.

 

[BernardKingGOAT]

He had to decide to keep Cut and promote Cut to be the OC. Fulmer easily could have left him as QB coach or outright fired him if he was so scared to have someone smarter than him on staff, but he hired him to be OC.

Fulmer was not scared to have people smarter than him on staff, and he was very loyal to his staff. Promoted some people who shouldn’t have been, held on to some longer than he should have. Sounds like another UT coach I know of.

Spare us the suspense.

This will be the fifth year for Heupel. He inherited a dumpster fire, with all year years to current rosters hindered by scholarship reductions. We've won 37 games since Heupel took over

Oh yeah, he has established that Tennessee can run it right down their opponents' throats!

 

[ETV]

Even simpler, 152 wins, and that is not Coach speak. 100 games over .500 in the SEC. HOF. Street in his name. His body of work is what it is, regardless of both endings. Damn few have given more to this program, even with two horrible tenure ending hires. No matter how many times folks repackage their hate.

His ability to recruit and out talent most of the other teams was second to none. His inability to adapt reared it's head during close games against teams with equal talent and against a superior coach.

As for those 152 wins, do you remember the state of the conference when his career began in '92? It was primarily a 3 team conference (Bama, UF and UT), everyone else was less than .500 and most were still playing with the 3 yards and a cloud of dust offense mindset. He was lucky enough to catch lightning in a bottle during the '98 campaign. After Spurrier departed UF in '01, the conference was there for the taking and he failed.

 

[BernardKingGOAT]

His ability to recruit and out talent most of the other teams was second to none. His inability to adapt reared it's head during close games against teams with equal talent and against a superior coach.

As for those 152 wins, do you remember the state of the conference when his career began in '92? It was primarily a 3 team conference (Bama, UF and UT), everyone else was less than .500 and most were still playing with the 3 yards and a cloud of dust offense mindset. He was lucky enough to catch lightning in a bottle during the '98 campaign. After Spurrier departed UF in '01, the conference was there for the taking and he failed.

The win at Florida in 2001, I believe, was his greatest coaching victory. We were ranked 4/5 and they were ranked 2. They had annihilated teams all year with their offense and were 17 pt favorites. While we did what we wanted on offense and kicked their ass with it, they were a 2 pt conversion away from a tie in the last seconds. That was likely the most talent we ever had as combination of offensive and defensive talent who thrived in the NFL

 

[Volizona]

The win at Florida in 2001, I believe, was his greatest coaching victory. We were ranked 4/5 and they were ranked 2. They had annihilated teams all year with their offense and were 17 pt favorites. While we did what we wanted on offense and kicked their ass with it, they were a 2 pt conversion away from a tie in the last seconds. That was likely the most talent we ever had as combination of offensive and defensive talent who thrived in the NFL

I remember thinking that we dominated the game and wondering how on earth we ended up wining after a failed two point conversion. Like HOW does this always happen with Florida. Similar to the 2022 game. It should have never come down to the last series. Before my time in this earth is over, just once would I like to see us absolutely destroy them without taking our foot off the gas. So frustrating. May every game from heat on out be the 1990 game!!!