parallels to the bill battle era

#1
Low Country Vol

Low Country Vol

Old School Vol
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#1
Bill battle and the Fulmer each took over teams that had outstanding talent from predecessors who each revived the football program (Dickey and Majors). Now both have the program in worst shape when they inherited it. They had success during their tenure but a slow decline in wins draws me to compare the two. We all know Battle was a bear boy and fulmer was always part of UT but the results have been very similar.

As you see Bill Battle had some quality teams when he first arrived but took a slow decline as years passed. They both have had issues beating their rivals. Battle against Bama and now Fulmer against Florida and Georgia. Though Fulmer has had a few wins against them, they have clearly dominated the series the last several years.
Fulmer took over a program that was on the incline from Majors coming off SEC championships in 89 and 90. He inherited a strong recruiting class. Fulmer since 99 has declined. Already lost 29 games this decade compared to 14 in the 1990s including a losing season in 05.

Bill Battles record
1970 (Sugar Bowl) 11 1 0
1971 (Liberty Bowl) 10 2 0
1972 (Astro Bluebonnet Bowl) 10 2 0
1973 (Gator Bowl) 8 4 0
1974 (Liberty Bowl) 7 3 2
1975 7 5 0
1976 6 5 0 Fired at the end of the season
 
#3
#3
Several things wrong with this thread:

1) You say Fulmer has had problems with his rivals and cite both Florida and Georgia.....but it's really just Florida - he is 10-5 against Georgia and has a record of 6-2 in Sanford Stadium and quite frankly has the job to begin with because of a win over Georgia on the road.

2) Battle never recruited a lick and only won while he had Dickey's players....Fulmer's best years were from '95 to '98 and those were his completely his players by then.

3) I strongly disagree with the assertion that the program was on the incline in '92....The recruiting class in '92 was average at best....Majors was never able to get in on the athletic defensive front seven types that Fulmer built the program around.

The situation is simply that Fulmer's tenure has run out of steam and it is time for a change but what he accomplished in his first six years needs to be acknowledged too....Those are the golden years of Tennessee football.....We need to make a change, just no moving van this time.
 
#4
#4
JagerVol01 said:
Several things wrong with this thread:
Battle never recruited a lick and only won while he had Dickey's players....Fulmer's best years were from '95 to '98 and those were his completely his players by then.

I strongly disagree with the assertion that the program was on the incline in '92....The recruiting class in '92 was average at best....Majors was never able to get in on the athletic defensive front seven types that Fulmer built the program around.
Click to expand...

Dickey is probably the best post Neyland Era Coach we have had.............. Above average recruiter and Above Average Coach

Battle could Coach but could not recruit.

Majors could not recruit and Coaching was well below average.

Fulmer and Staff Can flat out recruit but have no clue what to do with what they got.



Compare the other coaches in the SEC

Spurrier is an average recruitter that coaches to his system and gets away with it.

Saban average recruitter and a below average coach motivation by fear.

Miles. Average Recruitter above average coach

Ky Coach. Can't recruit because of School KY basketball but must be a good coach

Richt. Average coach and average recrutter

Meyer. Above average in both categories.

Foster. Above average in both categories.

Croom Jury still out but must be a fairly decent coach

Nutt. Below average Recruitter and average coach.

tubby. Below in both categories a true Con.

MS Coach..... Who cares
 
#5
#5
Sudden Impact said:
Dickey is probably the best post Neyland Era Coach we have had.............. Above average recruiter and Above Average Coach

Battle could Coach but could not recruit.

Majors could not recruit and Coaching was well below average.

Fulmer and Staff Can flat out recruit but have no clue what to do with what they got.



Compare the other coaches in the SEC

Spurrier is an average recruitter that coaches to his system and gets away with it.

Saban average recruitter and a below average coach motivation by fear.

Miles. Average Recruitter above average coach

Ky Coach. Can't recruit because of School KY basketball but must be a good coach

Richt. Average coach and average recrutter

Meyer. Above average in both categories.

Foster. Above average in both categories.

Croom Jury still out but must be a fairly decent coach

Nutt. Below average Recruitter and average coach.

tubby. Below in both categories a true Con.

MS Coach..... Who cares
Click to expand...

Who is Foster?
 
#6
#6
Orgeron is the only one left out but I wouldn't say he was an above average coach until he has a winning record.
 
#12
#12
Rasputin_Vol said:
Who is Foster?
Click to expand...

LF for the Cinncinnatti Reds back in the day, that guy can flat-out recruit
george_foster_autograph.jpg
 
#15
#15
My assertion was that Majors and Dickey made the program better from the time they entered UT as coach. Yes they both were on an incline. majors went from a From a losing season a couple times early in his career to 3 champions from 85-90 and 9-2 regular season record is last full season as coach in 91. Not bad especially when he won at ND that season. He went to the Fiesta Bowl during the 91 season against PSU. How is going to the fiesta bowl and winning at ND down 31-7 not a program on the incline?

Yes the program was doing very well at the time and fulmer was very fortunate to have inherited that great talent such as Charlie Garner and Shuler to name a few.

What i am saying is both BB and PF had success but the program got worst since they took it over. Whatever reason it is for the decline, PF has peaked and that was 10 years ago. There is no denying that.
To say one is a better recruiter than the other irrelevant because BB and PF got worst as the years passed. The next coach has their work cut out for them like majors did which took several years.
 
#16
#16
In today's environment, I doubt Majors would have made it past 1980.
 
#17
#17
JagerVol01 said:
Several things wrong with this thread:

1) You say Fulmer has had problems with his rivals and cite both Florida and Georgia.....but it's really just Florida - he is 10-5 against Georgia and has a record of 6-2 in Sanford Stadium and quite frankly has the job to begin with because of a win over Georgia on the road. A great deal of that record versus Georgia was accumulated playing the likes of Ray Goof and Jim Donnan.

2) Battle never recruited a lick and only won while he had Dickey's players....Fulmer's best years were from '95 to '98 and those were his completely his players by then.

3) I strongly disagree with the assertion that the program was on the incline in '92....The recruiting class in '92 was average at best....Majors was never able to get in on the athletic defensive front seven types that Fulmer built the program around. UT was a borderline top ten program with loads of talent when Fulmer took over...many players during Major's last years spent time in the NFL. As far as athletic defensive front, you must not remember Chuck Smith, Chris Mims, and I believe Todd Kelly was recruited in the Majors era.

The situation is simply that Fulmer's tenure has run out of steam and it is time for a change but what he accomplished in his first six years needs to be acknowledged too....Those are the golden years of Tennessee football.....We need to make a change, just no moving van this time.
Click to expand...

Have to disagree somewhat.
 
#18
#18
Sudden Impact said:
Dickey is probably the best post Neyland Era Coach we have had.............. Above average recruiter and Above Average Coach

Battle could Coach but could not recruit.

Majors could not recruit and Coaching was well below average.

Fulmer and Staff Can flat out recruit but have no clue what to do with what they got.



Compare the other coaches in the SEC


Saban average recruitter and a below average coach motivation by fear.
Click to expand...

Are you kidding?
 
#19
#19
Anyone who thinks Nick Saban is an average recruiter obviously hasn't watched a single LSU game in the last five years or looked at what he's done in his short time in Tuscaloosa.
 
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