Philip Fulmer is back

Phillip was NOT RESPONSIBLE for building the team in the late eighties and early nineties.That's a common misstatement made by the delusional faction of the fanbase that can't face the facts or simply don't understand the process. And I can promise you I know Phillip the person and coach, at least as well as you

Get off the booze, Johnny.

If Johnny was such a great recruiter, then you'd have to admit he was one of the worst coaches in Tennessee football history given how mediocre a program we were from 1977-1988, as we failed to even be ranked much at all in 10 of those 12 years.
 
SEC East titles matter how? It is an absolute embarrassment that your hero didn't do more with what he had to work with.
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I'd rather play in the SEC title game than not; you'd rather be a 6-7 win team, and consider both seasons "the same." That's where we disagree.
 
It's a fact that through the 80's and 90's Fulmer was one of the best recruiters in the country. Why is that so hard for you to believe? By the way, when's the last time you talked with Coach Fulmer, if ever?

2004 was Phillip's best coaching job in the 2000s, no doubt about it. We backed into it in 2007. You can't call it anything but mediocre when you lose to Florida 59-20 and a rebuilding Alabama 41-17. Forget the opening day embarrassment at Cal. We got lucky in winning the East. When is the last time we went to BCS bowl game? That's right. That's how you measure national relevance. Not divisional titles that don't mean anything if you aren't competing for a national championship

Phillip was NOT RESPONSIBLE for building the team in the late eighties and early nineties.That's a common misstatement made by the delusional faction of the fanbase that can't face the facts or simply don't understand the process. And I can promise you I know Phillip the person and coach, at least as well as you

Kiffin aided the attrition, but make no mistake, the reason we are in a rebuilding mode is mostly because of Phillip. The interior lines are the most revealing of that FACT.

He got a loaded team and left it bare. Heck, the horrid QB play alone from 2004 on is a testament to the fact he was losing it
 
When Fulmer started making ridiculous sounding excuses in 2005 and then, in the same year, came out with arrogant statements like "I've built up some equity here" , "we've won a bunch of games here" and "we know what we're doing here", I began to lose respect. He embarrassed himself and the university.

Those sentiments even permeated into his resignation presser. Remember towards the end of the statement he names the cities individually where he won big games (Baton Rouge, Athens, Birmingham/Tuscaloosa, Gainesville, Miami, Atlanta, etc.)? I took that as "Are you sure you want to fire somebody who's won all these big games over the years?"

I was especially surprised at the inclusion in Atlanta, because there have been more disappointments for Tennessee under Fulmer in that city than high points.
 
fyp

The drop-off of the 2000's, while certainly his fault to an extent, was awful natural evolution of college football... there was an article on espn a few years ago that discussed this. college football powerhouses rarely extend beyond a decade, just how it is.

Another good point. Everything is cyclical. The same principle applies when people get too down on a program (I was on here in 2008 when some here claimed that Tennessee was in irrevocable, yes, irrevocable, decline).

When Fulmer was at his peak, LSU was mediocre, Alabama was down/on probation, Georgia was down, South Carolina was awful. Florida and Tennessee ran the show, and Florida ran it more often than Tennessee did.

Think about it this way - if the power dynamic of today's SEC was how it was under Fulmer's peak years, do Peyton Manning, Jamal Lewis, Peerless Price, Tee Martin, Al Wilson, John Henderson, Albert Haynesworth, etc., come to Tennessee? I bet some of those guys still do, but nowhere near all of them. There are some who will claim that even Fulmer's reputation as a great recruiter was undeserved or at the very least overrated because of the power structure of the SEC at that time.
 
Its truly embarrassing and sometimes disturbing to see some of you talk about one of our most distinguished former coaches. Appreciate his time with us or not, I just don't understand the need to get so personal and nasty with some of your comments.

GV
 
Its truly embarrassing and sometimes disturbing to see some of you talk about one of our most distinguished former coaches. Appreciate his time with us or not, I just don't understand the need to get so personal and nasty with some of your comments.

GV

The whole thing with the Fulmer bashers is that they all wanted him gone so things would be better. He compiled a record of 152-52, since then we are 13-13. The only thing the bashers can hang their hat on is him being overweight and the loss to Wyoming. Thats all they have. As far as embarassing statements, Lane Kiffin wrote the book. There are times when it is time for changes to be made, and they were. I dont disagree with the change, but I did not like the way it was handled. CPF, yes, made a ton of money coaching the Vols. Still, firing a guy during the regular season, well, IMO, he deserved better.

So, its a new era, and it's 3 days away. I want to get back to the glory years, and the glory years to this 40 something season ticket holder were under the watch of Coach Phillip Fulmer, sorry.

GBO
 
you guys are idiots. fulmer did some good stuff for the university. he's not going to be named the AD. don't worry. If he is named, just don't support the university if you disagree.
 
The haters on this site will NEVER admit they were wrong about Kiffin and that fuels their hate against Phil. You people really are lame. (Lame Kiten, get it?) If not for Phil, the nation would think we are the same as Ole Miss. We were lucky to have such a great coach in our system and dedicated to TENNESSEE. Get over it and get off his back.
 
Get off the booze, Johnny.

If Johnny was such a great recruiter, then you'd have to admit he was one of the worst coaches in Tennessee football history given how mediocre a program we were from 1977-1988, as we failed to even be ranked much at all in 10 of those 12 years.

Never said anything about Johnny. You need to stay on point, which is difficult when you're so delusional about Phillip.

If Phillip was responsible for Johnny's success late in his tenure, then you would have to say Cutcliffe and Rodney Garner were responsible for Phillip's success as a head coach. You can't have it both ways.

It also seems everone else in the country would agree with my assessment since no other high profile university with a head coach opening considered Fulmer for the job.

What is it? GAME, SET, MATCH

:birgits_giggle:
 
It's a fact that through the 80's and 90's Fulmer was one of the best recruiters in the country. Why is that so hard for you to believe? By the way, when's the last time you talked with Coach Fulmer, if ever?

July 1998. Before that, December 1995 and June 1994.

Never said he wasn't a great recruiter because he was, but it's silly simpleton speak to claim he built the team in the late 80s. An assistant coach doesn't build the team. Only the most uninformed would think so or make such an absurd claim

My posts aren't bashing him. They're stating facts. Your emotions and loyalty to the man are clouding your judgement.
 
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The haters on this site will NEVER admit they were wrong about Kiffin and that fuels their hate against Phil. You people really are lame. (Lame Kiten, get it?) If not for Phil, the nation would think we are the same as Ole Miss. We were lucky to have such a great coach in our system and dedicated to TENNESSEE. Get over it and get off his back.

Well I am not one that hates Fulmer. He just couldn't get it done post 2001. It was mediocre at best. I think Kiffin is a punk. Just because people don't fall down on their knees at Phillip doesn't mean they liked Kiffin.

Absurd claim about Phil making us something better than Ole Miss. Sorry, but you have no idea what you are talking about.
 
Its truly embarrassing and sometimes disturbing to see some of you talk about one of our most distinguished former coaches. Appreciate his time with us or not, I just don't understand the need to get so personal and nasty with some of your comments.

GV

Stating facts about his coaching isn't embarrassing. What is embarrassing is seeing some of our delusional fans make crazy, embellished claims about our fomer coach's supposed greatness. I would be embarrassed if I were you. You concoct total fabrications in an effort to support your delusions about him. He was a good coach for several years and then it began to unravel. You can't spin it any other way. You look extremely foolish.

Answer this without telling a big one: Why hasn't anyone of any significance with a job opening courted Phillip for the position? If he were as "great" as you say, he would have been on a number of short lists. He wasn't on ANY OF THEM. Even jobs he said he might be interested in, the school came back and said they had no interest

GAME, SET, MATCH :birgits_giggle:
 
I'd rather play in the SEC title game than not; you'd rather be a 6-7 win team, and consider both seasons "the same." That's where we disagree.

I'd rather win the SEC title. If you can't close the deal, get out. I would've said the same for Kiffin... I'll say the same for Dooley.
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The whole thing with the Fulmer bashers is that they all wanted him gone so things would be better. He compiled a record of 152-52, since then we are 13-13. The only thing the bashers can hang their hat on is him being overweight and the loss to Wyoming. Thats all they have. As far as embarassing statements, Lane Kiffin wrote the book. There are times when it is time for changes to be made, and they were. I dont disagree with the change, but I did not like the way it was handled. CPF, yes, made a ton of money coaching the Vols. Still, firing a guy during the regular season, well, IMO, he deserved better.

So, its a new era, and it's 3 days away. I want to get back to the glory years, and the glory years to this 40 something season ticket holder were under the watch of Coach Phillip Fulmer, sorry.

GBO

Who do you consider a Fulmer basher? Someone that respects the good coaching that he did in the nineties but recognizes he was losing it early in the last decade? Someone that was tired seeing the same ole thing every year? Someone that didn't like getting waxed in Neyland by our biggest rivals. Yeah those are real bashers.

It isn't the University of Fulmer. It's the University of Tennessee. Some of you haven't figured that out. It's so sad too that you were willing to allow the guy to run the program into the ground because of his success ten years prior. That's blind loyalty, which BTW is one of the traits that got him fired.
 
What's the minimum number of negative posts required that toes the line of stating facts and bashing? 20? Stating an opinion or fact about his career is one thing. Stating it over and over, paragraph after paragraph, post after post, is another. Almost stalkeresque.
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If Phillip was responsible for Johnny's success late in his tenure, then you would have to say Cutcliffe and Rodney Garner were responsible for Phillip's success as a head coach. You can't have it both ways.

It also seems everone else in the country would agree with my assessment since no other high profile university with a head coach opening considered Fulmer for the job.

1. Fulmer's record without Cutcliffe and Garner was a lot better than Majors' record without Fulmer; it was light years better.

2. Since when does "everyone else in the country" make hiring decisions at top universities? Actually, only Athletic Directors do, and if your source of knowledge about college football is a bunch of fund-raising political bureaucrats who've usually never played a game in their life, then that isn't much of a source. Those bozos would collectively tell you Ron Zook is better than Mike Leach.
 
Absurd claim about Phil making us something better than Ole Miss. Sorry, but you have no idea what you are talking about.

Guess again, because we are on our way to Ole Miss-type stature, as we were most of the time pre-Fulmer from 1974-1988. You do realize we're predicted to win 7 games or less for the third year in a row.
 
What's the minimum number of negative posts required that toes the line of stating facts and bashing? 20? Stating an opinion or fact about his career is one thing. Stating it over and over, paragraph after paragraph, post after post, is another. Almost stalkeresque.
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Worry about yourself. I am responding to other posts.

You don't have anything better to do than count my posts? You might want to check on getting a life:birgits_giggle:
 
1. Fulmer's record without Cutcliffe and Garner was a lot better than Majors' record without Fulmer; it was light years better.

2. Since when does "everyone else in the country" make hiring decisions at top universities? Actually, only Athletic Directors do, and if your source of knowledge about college football is a bunch of fund-raising political bureaucrats who've usually never played a game in their life, then that isn't much of a source. Those bozos would collectively tell you Ron Zook is better than Mike Leach.

Why do you keep bringing Majors name into this? No one said the first thing about comparing Johnny to Phillip

Why hasn't anyone of significance with an opening tried to hire him? Easy question. Issue is, you don't want to face the truth about Fulmer
 
Much better than the fake picture with a player in a black facemask that was up there before.
 
Guess again, because we are on our way to Ole Miss-type stature, as we were most of the time pre-Fulmer from 1974-1988. You do realize we're predicted to win 7 games or less for the third year in a row.

So. That is still better than two of the last four years of Fulmer's tenure. Sometimes you have to take two steps back before you take a step forward. I like the direction of our program now. There was no direction from 2002-2008. We were stagnant and not competing for championships. Does it tell you anything that when we won the East in both 2004(which was a good coaching job by Phillip) and 2007, we didn't get a BCS bowl bid. Do you understand that means we weren't relevant on the national scene. We haven't played in a BCS bowl game since 1999. That's how relevance is measured. Not divisional titles that we won because everyone else in the division was weak. You really believe we were better than Florida in 2007? You do remember the beatdown they gave us, right?

Hey, I am a UT fan. Right now our coach is Derek Dooley and I love the direction he has the program going right now. He is building the team the right way. Not the way Phillip was doing it the last decade nor the way Kiffin was doing it. He's getting solid character guys to buy in. Something we haven't had in quite some time.

Go Big Orange
 

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