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Tennessee Vols 13 most unlucky breaks between firing, bringing back Phillip Fulmer

By Caleb Calhoun

NASHVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 22: Head coach Phillip Fulmer of the Tennessee Volunteers waves to the fans as he celebrates their 20-10 win over the Vanderbilt Commodores at Vanderbilt Stadium on November 22, 2008 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 22: Head coach Phillip Fulmer of the Tennessee Volunteers waves to the fans as he celebrates their 20-10 win over the Vanderbilt Commodores at Vanderbilt Stadium on November 22, 2008 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images
Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images /

7. Sal Sunseri stumbles into Knoxville as defensive coordinator.

Back to lighter things, we return to the gridiron. Derek Dooley had suffered two bad breaks his first year, and the NCAA investigation set him back even more in recruiting. As a result, the 2011 roster was as thin as the 2010 roster. Combine that with a couple of injuries to Tyler Bray and Justin Hunter, and Tennessee football stumbled to 5-7 in 2011 with a loss to the Kentucky Wildcats.

That wasn’t bad luck at all, though. Injuries like that happen. The problem was everything that led to it and, as Dooley admitted, not setting the standard for his young players. That created a lack of quality depth and discipline to overcome the injuries.

Nonetheless, the roster was about to be stacked again for 2012. With everything behind them, Tennessee football was ready to return to prominence and good enough to compete with the best of the best in the SEC.

But, thanks to Dave Hart’s lack of support, the football staff lost seven assistants that offseason. So while trying to get the roster set for the most important year of his career, Dooley had to retool the staff. And this is how he stumbled onto Sal Sunseri.

Sunseri was a linebackers’ coach for the Alabama Crimson Tide. But he wasn’t Dooley’s first choice. Other guys in mind wouldn’t come to Knoxville because of the drama. And then there was the Kevin Steele scenario.

Let’s be fair. Steele is a great defensive coordinator. He’s also a Tennessee Vols graduate. So he seemed like the perfect hire. But just as Dooley was set to bring him in, he has a mental lapse coaching the Orange Bowl for the Clemson Tigers and allows 70 points.

If that doesn’t happen, he’s in Knoxville. Tennessee football has a proven defensive coordinator and doesn’t have to transition to a 3-4, which they did in 2012. As a result, they likely go at least 9-3 in 2012 and probably better.

As it was, Dooley couldn’t sell Steele to the fans after that game and settled on Sunseri. It was a disaster. The bad hire came from bad timing, and that could only be a result of bad luck for the program. It’s why Dooley got fired. And it’s another thing that set Tennessee football back.

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