Ranking the Top 10 Tennessee Vols Coaches in the Adidas Era
Jan 31, 2015; Knoxville, TN, USA; Former Tennessee Volunteers head football coach Phillip Fulmer during the game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Auburn Tigers at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
When you talk about superstars from Peyton Manning to Jason Witten to John Henderson to Al Wilson to even Albert Haynesworth, you are dealing with a collection of great players who consistently came through the program. There is not a position on the field where Fulmer did not put out an NFL star except for place-kicker.
You know you were great when you have Fulmer’s numbers and we look at your career as what could have been. Were it not for a couple of bad breaks and mistakes in coaching, mabe just five games, Fulmer could have two more SEC titles and another national title, which would nearly put him on the Mount Rushmore of SEC coaches.
He is still in that second-tier just behind the elite of the elite in the SEC, though.
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Phillip Fulmer
Football, 1992-2008
Phillip Fulmer’s success speaks for itself, and even if letting him go was the right decision to make in 2008, the heights he achieved at Tennessee in football are only surpassed by one person, Gen. Robert Neyland. A 152-52 record is remarkable.
Winning two SEC titles, a national title, five division titles, and reeling off nine 10-win seasons along with seven Top 10 finishes is a great run. Perhaps Fulmer’s greatest achievement is the NFL productivity the school had under him. After all, a college coach is supposed to develop talent, and nobody did that better than Tennessee during this time.
When you talk about superstars from Peyton Manning to Jason Witten to John Henderson to Al Wilson to even Albert Haynesworth, you are dealing with a collection of great players who consistently came through the program. There is not a position on the field where Fulmer did not put out an NFL star except for place-kicker.
You know you were great when you have Fulmer’s numbers and we look at your career as what could have been. Were it not for a couple of bad breaks and mistakes in coaching, mabe just five games, Fulmer could have two more SEC titles and another national title, which would nearly put him on the Mount Rushmore of SEC coaches.
He is still in that second-tier just behind the elite of the elite in the SEC, though.
Next: #1: Pat Summitt