Fulmer is proud of the University

[#1fulmerite]

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!!!

A lot of people forget they had something like six turnovers. That helped us immensely!

 

[Craig54]

No doubt! Turnovers can completely swing a game—definitely a huge factor in that win.

 

[adam.vol]

I’m proud of Fulmer. He was far from perfect, but he is a very important part of TN.

 

[Teeman]

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.

The thing that reinforced my opinion of Fulmer was that no one else was interested in hiring him as head coach after his dismissal.

 

[onevol74]

The thing that reinforced my opinion of Fulmer was that no one else was interested in hiring him as head coach after his dismissal.

Programs that hire new coaches need someone who knows how to build or rebuild a program. And that was totally lacking on Fulmer’s resume. And The Fulmer Cup was indicative of how he was mismanaging the program.

 

[Carl Pickens]

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.

Mike Hamilton

 

[GUNTERSVOL]

The thing that reinforced my opinion of Fulmer was that no one else was interested in hiring him as head coach after his dismissal.

Was that before or after he was elected head guy of the coach’s association and HOF? Fooled a bunch of people I guess.

 

[BernardKingGOAT]

Was that before or after he was elected head guy of the coach’s association and HOF? Fooled a bunch of people I guess.

Fulmer is a good guy. That has absolutely nothing to do with the fact he wasn't courted as a HC after he was fired. Both can be true. There's a lot of nuance with people's feelings on the matter. You are trying to pigeon people in a binary manner of one extreme or the other.

 

[Section N Row 5]

Programs that hire new coaches need someone who knows how to build or rebuild a program. And that was totally lacking on Fulmer’s resume. And The Fulmer Cup was indicative of how he was mismanaging the program.

Yeah, Kinda funny that Fulmer never won the Fulmer Cup. Guess that is what happens when someone from a rival fan base tries to point out how bad you are and finds out there are many worse.

 

[volbound1700]

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

1998 Florida
1998 Florida State
2001 Florida
1995 and 1996 Alabama
2003 Miami
2004 Georgia
2007 Georgia

I think those were Fulmer's best victories. His worse defeats:

1997 Florida
1999 Arkansas
2001 LSU (SEC CG)
2002 Florida (entire 2002 season was a major let down)
2005 Season (Just listing entire season here)
2008 UCLA (the UCLA loss started the spiral of Tennessee Football IMO)

I don't cite to 2008 Wyoming due to circumstances around that game being a causation for the loss.

By the way, UCLA has a reputation for handed defeats on teams in their stadium that sink their program. They did it with Alabama, Michigan, and Texas (and us). These programs all lost at UCLA and started a major collapse after it.

 

[BernardKingGOAT]

1998 Florida
1998 Florida State
2001 Florida
1995 and 1996 Alabama
2003 Miami
2004 Georgia
2007 Georgia

I think those were Fulmer's best victories. His worse defeats:

1997 Florida
1999 Arkansas
2001 LSU (SEC CG)
2002 Florida (entire 2002 season was a major let down)
2005 Season (Just listing entire season here)
2008 UCLA (the UCLA loss started the spiral of Tennessee Football IMO)

I don't cite to 2008 Wyoming due to circumstances around that game being a causation for the loss.

By the way, UCLA has a reputation for handed defeats on teams in their stadium that sink their program. They did it with Alabama, Michigan, and Texas (and us). These programs all lost at UCLA and started a major collapse after it.

You left off the 1995 loss at Florida and the 2003 drubbing at home to Georgia. The losses in 2007 at Florida and at Alabama were terrible too

 

[volbound1700]

You left off the 1995 loss at Florida and the 2003 drubbing at home to Georgia. The losses in 2007 at Florida and at Alabama were terrible too

1995 Florida was legitimately a better team, that is why i didn't count that. Same with 2003 Georgia.

2007 Alabama was bad. Florida was just a better team. Cal would be a worse loss than Florida.

 

[BernardKingGOAT]

1995 Florida was legitimately a better team, that is why i didn't count that. Same with 2003 Georgia.

2007 Alabama was bad. Florida was just a better team. Cal would be a worse loss than Florida.

We lost 63-37 at Florida that year and no they weren't legitimately better or at least not that much better. Neither was Georgia in 2003. That loss was 41-14. Florida wasn't 59-20 better in 2007. We actually won the East that year. The California loss wasn't nearly as bad as either of them

 

[volbound1700]

We lost 63-37 at Florida that year and no they weren't legitimately better or at least not that much better. Neither was Georgia in 2003. That loss was 41-14. Florida wasn't 59-20 better in 2007. We actually won the East that year. The California loss wasn't nearly as bad as either of them

1995 Florida was undefeated until they ran into the Nebraska steamroller. Manning was only a sophomore that year while Wuerffel was a Senior and at the height of his game.

I think you are focusing too heavily on margin of victory.

 

[BernardKingGOAT]

1995 Florida was undefeated until they ran into the Nebraska steamroller. Manning was only a sophomore that year while Wuerffel was a Senior and at the height of his game.

I think you are focusing too heavily on margin of victory.

We were up 30-14 in that game. Our star studded defense fell apart in the second half. That was the only game we lost that year and it had nothing to do with Manning being a sophomore

 

[GUNTERSVOL]

Programs that hire new coaches need someone who knows how to build or rebuild a program. And that was totally lacking on Fulmer’s resume. And The Fulmer Cup was indicative of how he was mismanaging the program.

Does anybody know if he ever greenlighted his agent to put his name on the street? Not sure he could ever see coaching elsewhere. Not a snarky ego driven Spurrier type. He was locked in with that investment type job with a happy wife here.

 

[BernardKingGOAT]

Does anybody know if he ever greenlighted his agent to put his name on the street? Not sure he could ever see coaching elsewhere. Not a snarky ego driven Spurrier type. He was locked in with that investment type job with a happy wife here.

If that's true, then why did he often proclaim, for most of the year following his firing, that he was still hungry to coach? There were a couple of big time P5 schools looking for a coach at that time and didn't even consider him. There's absolutely no doubt he thought his phone was going to ring and it didn't. It wasn't until a couple of years later Arkansas was in the dumps and offered him their job. By that time he wasn't interested.

 

[VolInNW]

The thing that reinforced my opinion of Fulmer was that no one else was interested in hiring him as head coach after his dismissal.

Yes, so VERY much yes. I remember not being very surprised.

Was that before or after he was elected head guy of the coach’s association and HOF? Fooled a bunch of people I guess.

Ah, yes. The "HOF coach" defense. Any criticism of Fulmer invariably brings the "HOF coach" comment. Fulmer was a solid recruiter and decent coach, who had the good fortune to be at Tennessee with Cutcliffe at a time that everyone else except for Florida was in a down cycle. He won a lot of games, a NC, and deserves his HOF status. But, that does not erase his overall shortcomings, nor his enormous ego that got us into the Slingblade McGump fiasco.

Does anybody know if he ever greenlighted his agent to put his name on the street? Not sure he could ever see coaching elsewhere. Not a snarky ego driven Spurrier type. He was locked in with that investment type job with a happy wife here.

LMAO. Sure. He just couldn't see himself coaching anywhere else but his beloved Tennessee. I'm sure he told his agent to turn down COUNTLESS P5 program offers.....rotflmao.

Fulmer has a very solid ego.

 

[#1fulmerite]

Does anybody know if he ever greenlighted his agent to put his name on the street? Not sure he could ever see coaching elsewhere. Not a snarky ego driven Spurrier type. He was locked in with that investment type job with a happy wife here.

I do remember being so disappointed in him after the NC when he was interviewed about his interest in being an NFL coach and he stated something along the lines that he would “listen”.

 

[GordonC]

That 95 UF game: in the first half jay graham dominated them about as much as you can. nobody saw that second half comin

 

[Teeman]

1998 Florida
1998 Florida State
2001 Florida
1995 and 1996 Alabama
2003 Miami
2004 Georgia
2007 Georgia

I think those were Fulmer's best victories. His worse defeats:

1997 Florida
1999 Arkansas
2001 LSU (SEC CG)
2002 Florida (entire 2002 season was a major let down)
2005 Season (Just listing entire season here)
2008 UCLA (the UCLA loss started the spiral of Tennessee Football IMO)

I don't cite to 2008 Wyoming due to circumstances around that game being a causation for the loss.

By the way, UCLA has a reputation for handed defeats on teams in their stadium that sink their program. They did it with Alabama, Michigan, and Texas (and us). These programs all lost at UCLA and started a major collapse after it.

1996 Memphis should be on the worst defeats list. Number 6 UT lost to a 3-6 team.