The 1986 team

#51
#51
BACKDOC said:
The eighties were weird; we were good in the odd numbered yrs. and bad in evens.
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Yes. Although there was a very slow upward progression in the program during the first half of Majors' tenure, there was also a maddening consistency in their inconsistent play during that period.
 
#52
#52
madbamahater said:
So maybe Fulmer raised the bar too high for himself and became a victim of his own success. Totally agree

He went from winning 82% of his games to 67%.

You are right, 67% with a potential 14 games season is around winning 8 games. An 82% winning record would be around winning 11-12 games a year with a potential 14 game season (12 reg season, SEC champ game + bowl game). You need to check your math. The first 8 years we played an average of 12.25 games, winning 80 games. That's 10 games per year. Last 8 seasons we played an average of 12.75 games winning 68 games. That's 8.5 games per year. Using only 2001-2007 and its 12.9 games for 63 wins or 9 wins per year. I'm using the same math as you.


In this day in age winning 8 games isn't going to cut it with UT fans and a program that expects winning 11-12 games a year. That's just the reality. Does that make it right? No! But, that's the reality. Really? In 6 years we haven't sniffed 8 games but that isn't gonna cut it. :crazy:

Has UT done that since firing Fulmer? No! But Fulmer was never going to get back to where he once was. You don't know that. Just 10 months before we were in Atl. We might have won the NC the next year, we might have lost 12. Neither of us know. Its fun to guess when you don't know the future. :crazy:


The other top SEC schools just simply got better. UT went from beating them to losing to them and losing the recruiting battles as well. Yes, they stepped up to the plate but again doesn't mean we were dead in the water. As mentioned Taj Boyd, etc...

It was time for Fulmer to go disagree - I would have preferred one additional season just to see if 08 was anomaly or a trend and I agree it went down badly. Agree But, I know how he is, he is very stubborn and bullheaded. It actually could have gotten worse key words - could have. Could have gotten better too. We don't know. He would have NEVER bowed out on his own without being threatened of a firing. Purely a guess on your part.

Hamilton REALLY screwed things up worse and it snowballed with his beyond foolish hiring decisions. understatement of the post

NOW, UT has a guy who has gotten them back on the recruiting trail. Can he win upwards of 10-12 games a year at least somewhat regularly?

That's the age old question around here. But, Fulmer wouldn't have done that. You don't know that. A guess at best. How do I know? The math doesn't lie in the second half of his career well, we see how your math skills are so that can be tossed. All I can tell you is that after he was canned the way it was we mustered a loudmouth skank who was James Franklin before James Franklin except scummier. Then no coach would touch or program and we had to settle for a mid major coach with small successes. .........
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#53
#53
Backwards K said:
Yeah, that old "retired on duty" approach from 99-08 led UT to an 85-41 record (.675), 8 bowl games, 6 NYD bowl games, 3 SECCG appearances. 4 times the Vols finished 1st in the East, 3 times they finished 2nd and one time they finished 3rd.

Sure wish, UT had a coach that would "retire on duty" again if that's what it led to. Never have figured out why there are still knuckleheads who take every opportunity to bash a first ballot Hall of Fame coach who loved Tennessee and took the Vols to the greatest heights since Neyland.

As for the 86 Miss State game, after Smith's long TD run for MSU, the Vols drove back down the field and Sanders missed a wide open tight end in the end zone with less than a minute left in the game.
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Because it's simple, Fulmer inherited a 10 win a year football program, and he worked his ass of from 1993-1998 to make the program even better. After he won the SEC Title for a second time, and the BCS title in 1998, he let the program decline until finally cost him his job in 2008. He simply retired on duty after the 1998 season, but the program was a monster and feed itself regardless of how little effort Fulmer put into after 1998. He rode that title for 10 years, and probably should have been allowed a few more, but the insane fanbase demanded his termination, and they got it. As a result UT fans have suffered the worst 5 years of football in the history of the program.
 
#54
#54
Low Country Vol said:
William Howard still holds the NCAA record for 16 consecutive rushes from line of scrimmage by the same player against Ole Miss.
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Not only did they feed him the rock that many consecutive plays, many were the same play over and over again. Ole Miss could stop it or him and Majors knew it and used that to salt away a victory. Brilliant coaching in my opinion, run it until they prove they can stop it!
 
#55
#55
gunner said:
Because it's simple, Fulmer inherited a 10 win a year football program, and he worked his ass of from 1993-1998 to make the program even better. After he won the SEC Title for a second time, and the BCS title in 1998, he let the program decline until finally cost him his job in 2008. He simply retired on duty after the 1998 season, but the program was a monster and feed itself regardless of how little effort Fulmer put into after 1998. He rode that title for 10 years, and probably should have been allowed a few more, but the insane fanbase demanded his termination, and they got it. As a result UT fans have suffered the worst 5 years of football in the history of the program.
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TWO HIRINGS sent our program reeling:
1) Clawson and his "clawfense by Fulmer; and
2) Kiffin and his crew of clowns by Hamilton.

Evidently--we probably could have had Gary Patterson if it weren't for the idiot Hamilton. Hiring him or someone of his caliber would have prevented this argument.

Fulmer will ALWAYS deserve our respect--winning 152 games in the SEC demands it....

:hi:
 
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#56
#56
BACKDOC said:
The eighties were weird; we were good in the odd numbered yrs. and bad in evens.
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Majors went through assistant coaches like no HC I've ever seen.

Had to hurt recruiting in the years we changed coordinators.
 
#58
#58
MikeVol44 said:
TWO HIRINGS sent our program reeling:
1) Clawson and his "clawfense by Fulmer; and
2) Kiffin and his crew of clowns by Hamilton.

Evidently--we probably could have had Gary Patterson if it weren't for the idiot Hamilton. Hiring him or someone of his caliber would have prevented this argument.

Fulmer will ALWAYS deserve our respect--winning 152 games in the SEC demands it....

:hi:
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Agreed. Fulmer was the man during his first six years as HC on the Hill.

1995-1998, he was 45-5 with back to back SEC Titles and a BCS Title, not even Saban has won consecutive SEC Titles.

But, it's his last 10 seasons that his program declined to the point where it was much much worse than where he found it.

Hamilton should have never fired Fulmer the way that he did, and he is to blame for the last 5 years of misery. But, Fulmer wasn't Blameless either.
 
#60
#60
Lived through both eras. For those of you who didn't:

Majors went 116-62-8 (.645) and 57-40-3 (.595) during his tenure and finished tied for one SEC Championship w/Alabama and Auburn in 89, won one in 90 only because Florida was on probation (UF had a better record) and won one outright in 1985. He is not in the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach.

Fulmer's teams went 152-52 (.745) and 97-37 (.724) in SEC play during his tenure. The Vols won two outright SEC Championships (98,99) and played in 5 SEC Championship Games and tied for first in the SEC East another time. Fulmer is a first ballot member of the College Football Hall of Fame.

Appreciated them both but enjoyed Fulmer's tenure much more than Johnny's. Program was not "much worse" than when he found it. Vols winning pct was higher in Fulmer's "retired on the job" era (99-08) than it was during Majors' entire time at UT.

Those of you who wanted Fulmer fired for the 05-08 era would have been screaming for Neyland to be fired in 47-49 when he went 5-5, 4-4-2, and 7-2-1. Would have missed the National title runs in 50 and 51.
 
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#61
#61
ajvol01 said:
Army loss was ridiculous. Had it won late in the 4th qtr.
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I was at that game. True story - I decided to go to West Point after that game.

ajvol01 said:
Bama also beat us like a drum in Neyland.

First time I can remember my dad leaving a game early. Maybe 28-0 when we left. Final score was 56-28 if I remember correctly.
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I was at this game, too. Alabama QB Mike Shula threw only six (6) passes during the game, and two of them were for touchdowns.

For all you younger people -- if you hear a fan say, "NO MORE ORANGE SHOES!" they are talking about this game. Tennessee wore orange cleats for this game, and got clobbered.

This game ended a four-game winning streak over Alabama that we had enjoyed ever since the 1982 World's Fair season.
 
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#62
#62
Majors was lucky not to coach in the era of the internet and chat boards or he'd been crucified
 
#65
#65
GreveHaller said:
Majors was lucky not to coach in the era of the internet and chat boards or he'd been crucified
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You got that right, I recall the bumper stickers that said "Go Johnny Go, and take DeVoe"!

That still makes me chuckle even to this day. Neither coach was that bad compared to what UT has been through recently.
 
#66
#66
gunner said:
You got that right, I recall the bumper stickers that said "Go Johnny Go, and take DeVoe"!

That still makes me chuckle even to this day. Neither coach was that bad compared to what UT has been through recently.
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I remember that too!.... You're not that only old guy on here. Funny thing is at the time, DeVoe was actually doing pretty well...Johnny, however, really was saved by being a Vol legend. If it hadn't been for the big upset of Alabama in '82, I think that could have been the end. He had a way of winning when he absolutely had to. If we hadn't kicked butt in '89, that could have been curtains as well.
 
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#67
#67
1986 I think was when I saw Majors starting to look pretty weathered on the Post Game Johnny Majors Show they had every Sunday morning on the prior day's games. Looked more and more like Majors was hitting the bourbobn hard and often and it carried on till Fulmer eventually replaced him. As mentioned previously, he never sustained good teams but they came and went throughout his tenure. I think it was the biggest reason the school finally made a change. He took us to a level but could not sustain it. Fulmer then pushed us over the top althought Fulmer's tenure at the top was pretty short too.
 
#68
#68
Johnny went from the sweatshirt/sweater look to wearing a coat and tie at the beginning of the 86 season. This change in attire really highlighted just how little fashion sense Majors possessed.

Johnny's TV show on Sunday mornings was pure gold during the late 80s. John Ward did a great job of keeping him on topic and from cussing on the air.
 
#69
#69
1982Alum said:
1986 I think was when I saw Majors starting to look pretty weathered on the Post Game Johnny Majors Show they had every Sunday morning on the prior day's games. Looked more and more like Majors was hitting the bourbobn hard and often and it carried on till Fulmer eventually replaced him. As mentioned previously, he never sustained good teams but they came and went throughout his tenure. I think it was the biggest reason the school finally made a change. He took us to a level but could not sustain it. Fulmer then pushed us over the top althought Fulmer's tenure at the top was pretty short too.
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If Majors doesn't panic and rush back (after fool-hardedly turning down an extension) in his final season, after the team balled out under Phil, then most likely Fulmer takes over at Arkansas...I'm sure they would've sucked. :)
 
#70
#70
Backwards K said:
Johnny went from the sweatshirt/sweater look to wearing a coat and tie at the beginning of the 86 season. This change in attire really highlighted just how little fashion sense Majors possessed.

Johnny's TV show on Sunday mornings was pure gold during the late 80s. John Ward did a great job of keeping him on topic and from cussing on the air.
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...and always either a corduroy or tweed jacket too. Very retro mid-70s. It was like he was trying to look like James Garner from The Rockford Files. Very strange look for the mid to late 80s.
 
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#71
#71
BowlBrother85 said:
...and always either a corduroy or tweed jacket too. Very retro mid-70s. It was like he was trying to look like James Garner from The Rockford Files. Very strange look for the mid to late 80s.
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Johnny was born a year before my dad. I recognized most of the stuff he wore on the sideline (post-85) and on his show because the same/similar attire was in my dad's closet.

:)
 
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#72
#72
Good thread, I've enjoyed reading this one.

Was born on the day of the opener against New Mexico.
 
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