Tennessee greatest coaches of the modern era

[HooahVol]

Based on four factors — preseason poll, number of voters, number of teams ranked, and final poll coming after bowl games — 1968 could be considered the start of the 'modern' era of college football. So since then who is our dream team? Best Head coach, best OC and best DC.

My humble opinion. Fulmer best head coach. I know he tarnished his legacy a bit at the end but the numbers speak for themselves. 16 seasons, 116–62–8 overall, 57–40–3 SEC, 7-4 in bowls. 3 SEC championships, 1 national championship. For OC I would go with David Cutcliffe. His reputation for QB development is undisputed. He is Peyton's favorite coach and mentor which is enough for me. DC is where things get interesting. I am excluding Monte Kiffin as he was only at UT for a year and was in the twilight of his career. I will say I think Monte was one of the greatest defensive coordinators of all time, just not at Tennessee. I would exclude Sal Sunseri for the same reason. One season, little impact. I still love John Chavis. The Chief had one of the stingiest defenses in the 90s. The game did pass him by as Spurrier's fun and gun exploited the holes in his vaunted 4-3 defense and he never has had the same success in the RPO, spread offense world but in his day he got the best players and got the most out of them. But he would still be my pick.

Obviously, this is just a topic starter for the offseason but what do you guys think?

 

[Savannahbayvol]

Doesn't really matter but I think Dickey would have been if he had only stayed in 69. He came in 64 and didnt even have a QB and went 3-2-1 against some of Bear's best teams.

I would take Clawson over Cutcliffe any day. Funny, he's only had 1 bad offense in his career and that was when he was working for Fulmer. Can't imagine what he would do at a real football school.

Loved Chavis when he was a player and coach for his grit. I would give him an A for having the players fight for him but maybe a B- for Xs and Os.

The best job any DC did was when Larry Marmie came in 83 and took the D from worst to first. The previous year we had Reggie, Mike Cofer and Bill Bates and finished last. Quite a rebuilding job.

 

[Capt Whiskey]

HC: Phil Fulmer
OC: David Cutcliffe
DC: Larry Lacewell

 

[njvols]

Based on four factors — preseason poll, number of voters, number of teams ranked, and final poll coming after bowl games — 1968 could be considered the start of the 'modern' era of college football. So since then who is our dream team? Best Head coach, best OC and best DC.

My humble opinion. Fulmer best head coach. I know he tarnished his legacy a bit at the end but the numbers speak for themselves. 16 seasons, 116–62–8 overall, 57–40–3 SEC, 7-4 in bowls. 3 SEC championships, 1 national championship. For OC I would go with David Cutcliffe. His reputation for QB development is undisputed. He is Peyton's favorite coach and mentor which is enough for me. DC is where things get interesting. I am excluding Monte Kiffin as he was only at UT for a year and was in the twilight of his career. I will say I think Monte was one of the greatest defensive coordinators of all time, just not at Tennessee. I would exclude Sal Sunseri for the same reason. One season, little impact. I still love John Chavis. The Chief had one of the stingiest defenses in the 90s. The game did pass him by as Spurrier's fun and gun exploited the holes in his vaunted 4-3 defense and he never has had the same success in the RPO, spread offense world but in his day he got the best players and got the most out of them. But he would still be my pick.

Obviously, this is just a topic starter for the offseason but what do you guys think?

Agree w/ all, except Sal Sunseri...only list he should be on at UT is who was the worst DC @ UT. Agree on HC/OC. On DC, I'd probably agree w/ Savannah (Marmie). Think if Fulmer wasn't fired, he'd have had some more respectable seasons (though prob not great, as UGA, LSU, UF, Bama, AUB were all getting their legs under them to varying degrees) and may have had a better transition to "post Fulmer" than 3 failed experiments and much gnashing of teeth over a decade. Fulmer would be in trouble today...he tried the same 90's playbook as AD...too unwilling to change, like Saban changed, or our own JH.

 

[BigOrangeMojo]

The order: Fulmer, Majors, Heupel, Battle, Kiffin, Butch, Pruitt, Dooley

 

[SpookyAction]

DC Ken Donahue - 1985 His defense stopped Bo Jackson& Auburn, then smothered Testaverde & Miami at the Sugar Bowl. Defense gave up 140 pts!
The greatest defensive Season I ever watched (on TV or the radio).

 

[sjt18]

Fulmer has to be looked at in two distinct careers- with Cut and without Cut. He was great with Cutcliffe. They seemed to balance each other somehow in ways that neither achieved without the other. Without Cut, Fulmer was mediocre and maybe worse.

Also it is difficult to go back that far in regard to the modern era of CFB. I've watched a few games from the 80's lately and today's game is far more complex and better executed. S&C are miles apart as is sports medicine.

IMO, you just about have to say that the "modern" era began around 1990.

 

[RDU VOL#14]

Fulmer has to be looked at in two distinct careers- with Cut and without Cut. He was great with Cutcliffe. They seemed to balance each other somehow in ways that neither achieved without the other. Without Cut, Fulmer was mediocre and maybe worse.

Also it is difficult to go back that far in regard to the modern era of CFB. I've watched a few games from the 80's lately and today's game is far more complex and better executed. S&C are miles apart as is sports medicine.

IMO, you just about have to say that the "modern" era began around 1990.

I mostly agree, but I could also argue that Fulmer’s best coaching job was in 2004. However, possibly followed by his worst in 2005.

 

[VFL-82-JP]

I find myself more excited these days to anticipate the future than rehash the past.

And that's saying something. I love history, Tennessee football history especially.

But I'm more interested in this: when does Josh Heupel surpsass Johnny Majors? When does he leapfrog Phillip Fulmer?

Because indications are, he could overtake both, right in front of our eyes.

We are living in a blessed time, as far as college football goes.

Go Vols

 

[stevenrich2003]

Fulmer has to be looked at in two distinct careers- with Cut and without Cut. He was great with Cutcliffe. They seemed to balance each other somehow in ways that neither achieved without the other. Without Cut, Fulmer was mediocre and maybe worse.

Also it is difficult to go back that far in regard to the modern era of CFB. I've watched a few games from the 80's lately and today's game is far more complex and better executed. S&C are miles apart as is sports medicine.

IMO, you just about have to say that the "modern" era began around 1990.

Great post. I completely agree with you. Cut seemed to have a way to balance out whatever Fulmer was doing or not doing. Fulmer probably owes a ton of his success to Cut. I find it kind of funny that Cut never had much success as the head coach.

 

[VOLfrombama]

Cut needed Fulmer and Fulmer needed Cut. They were both mediocre without the other, but they were still the Dynamic Duo at UT in the 90s and early 2000s. That's why they're the greatest.

If Ken Donahue had been the DC instead of 3rd and Chavis, things could have been insane.

 

[posivol]

fulmer was a average coach at best but in his prime he was the best recruiter in the nation.he helped get us a natty.so i can live w/ the warts.

 

[HooahVol]

I find it kind of funny that Cut never had much success as the head coach.

I think he was successful. He definitely had a ceiling at Duke but he kept them in the conversation. He got them bowl eligible after 20 years of missing out on the postseason. Most would argue that Spurrier was probably the best Duke coach but I think a case could be made for Cutcliffe.

 

[Boston Vol]

Great post. I completely agree with you. Cut seemed to have a way to balance out whatever Fulmer was doing or not doing. Fulmer probably owes a ton of his success to Cut. I find it kind of funny that Cut never had much success as the head coach.

He did about as good a job as one could expect at Duke. Over a seven year stretch he won 51 games, took them to six bowl games, played in the ACC title game, and produced the first 10-win season in program history.

 

[MontyPython]

DC Sal Sunseri.

$$$

 

[butchna]

Doesn't really matter but I think Dickey would have been if he had only stayed in 69. He came in 64 and didnt even have a QB and went 3-2-1 against some of Bear's best teams.

I would take Clawson over Cutcliffe any day. Funny, he's only had 1 bad offense in his career and that was when he was working for Fulmer. Can't imagine what he would do at a real football school.

Loved Chavis when he was a player and coach for his grit. I would give him an A for having the players fight for him but maybe a B- for Xs and Os.

The best job any DC did was when Larry Marmie came in 83 and took the D from worst to first. The previous year we had Reggie, Mike Cofer and Bill Bates and finished last. Quite a rebuilding job.

With AT TENNESSEE being a determining factor, no way does Clawson make any list…much less the best.

HC: Fulmer. Record, recruiting and results. He knew what he wanted on the field and ingrained it into his players when he was at his peak…less so in his later seasons. He lets his coaches/teachers do their jobs and kept them happy. Gives him the nod over Majors, who was a more proficient HC imo, but grew weary of his assistants in a short period of time and that fostered turnover.

OC: Walt Harris. Love Cut and he had a bigger run of success, but Harris was more innovative and installed the offense that Cut mostly adopted and tinker with very moderately. Don’t know how happy he was at UT with his HC ambitions, but with a Fulmer as his boss, I think it would have been more stable.

DC: John Chavis. Once again, results oriented. Took what was available and coached em up. Lacewell and Marmie both better strategists in limited trials.

 

[RDU VOL#14]

Great post. I completely agree with you. Cut seemed to have a way to balance out whatever Fulmer was doing or not doing. Fulmer probably owes a ton of his success to Cut. I find it kind of funny that Cut never had much success as the head coach.[/QUOTE]

From where he found Duke in 2008 to where he took it to its highest level was pretty amazing . Cut did an outstanding job at Duke, but Duke has a ceiling . If Mike Elmo continues to do what he’s doing I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get a head job offer in the SEC or Big 10 one day soon.

 

[jessiej86]

]I thought Justin Wilcox did a good job considering what he had to work with. For me though it's Chavis. Mostly because I can only compare him and the ones that followed him.

 

[SpookyAction]

]I thought Justin Wilcox did a good job considering what he had to work with. For me though it's Chavis. Mostly because I can only compare him and the ones that followed him.

Wilcox was great here. His defenses were stingy. 2011 was a great coaching job on defense, 36th scoring. Really good with that lineup.
Our 2011 offense just wasn't good, 106th ranked scoring. Justin Hunter going down was devastating.
Not a great Head Coach, though.
He saw Dooley was never going to get it done, and bolted.

 

[jessiej86]

Wilcox was great here. His defenses were stingy. 2011 was a great coaching job on defense, 36th scoring. Really good with that lineup.
Our 2011 offense just wasn't good, 106th ranked scoring. Justin Hunter going down was devastating.
Not a great Head Coach, though.
He saw Dooley was never going to get it done, and bolted.

I thought I'd liked to have had his defense with Chaney's offense, but then again, Dooley would've lasted longer. Lol

 

[BigOrangeTrain]

Head coach: Fulmer. As much as I hate him now I can’t argue with results.

OC: Heupel/Golesh. I get why some say Cut. But I don’t think he is on Heupel/Goleshs level. Some will say well Peyton loves him. So what? I don’t think Cut is as good as some Vol fans want to believe.

DC: I really like Chavis. I think he was really good. But Justin Wilcox did just as good of a job considering the people he had to work with.

 

[NEO]

Huepel is the best HC we have had and it’s not even close. Fulmer took over an already good team when Majors was sick and ran with it. Bama was also down as it was post Stallings and the one real threat in the conference beat us year in and year out. We barely beat Miami with their back up in and Nebraska killed us.

Huepel took a dead program full of rag tag left overs and filled in the gaps with some transfers and turned us around in two years.

If we end up doing the same thing we did last year, with the players we lost, and technically a rebuild year, then he is in an elite class at that point.

Recruits can sense he is going to win it here and want on the train.

I mean we beat the stuffing out of Clemson with the back up QB and our two main wrs out. Fulmer couldn’t beat Fl with Peyton Manning. THE man many consider the greatest QB of all time.

 

[VFL-82-JP]

Huepel is the best HC we have had and it’s not even close. Fulmer took over an already good team when Majors was sick and ran with it. Bama was also down as it was post Stallings and the one real threat in the conference beat us year in and year out. We barely beat Miami with their back up in and Nebraska killed us.

Huepel took a dead program full of rag tag left overs and filled in the gaps with some transfers and turned us around in two years.

If we end up doing the same thing we did last year, with the players we lost, and technically a rebuild year, then he is in an elite class at that point.

Recruits can sense he is going to win it here and want on the train.

I mean we beat the stuffing out of Clemson with the back up QB and our two main wrs out. Fulmer couldn’t beat Fl with Peyton Manning. THE man many consider the greatest QB of all time.

I'm excited to see where Josh Heupel takes us, but I think you're getting way out over the tips of your skis with this take.

Let Josh win the SEC once, at least, before we say he has surpassed Johnny Majors. Let him win a national title before we leapfrog him over Phillip Fulmer.

Accomplishments matter.

Sure, the conditions in which someone works, the disadvantages they start off with, those should be acknowledged. But we are still, at the end of the day, what we have actually accomplished.

Go Vols!

 

[ru4real-really?]

if you don't put Heup at the head of that line, you must have been away for the last couple years! (And the head coach is responsible for the coordinators)

 

[HooahVol]

I think Heup has the potential to be at the top. He has a great start.