1. Phillip Fulmer
1995: 11-1 (7-1)
No. 2 AP W Citrus Bowl
While Robert Neyland was ushering in an era of national prominence for Tennessee football in the late 1920s, Phillip Fulmer was ushering in the most successful run of the modern era for the Vols in 1995. The year before, his 1994 recruiting class set the stage with an 8-4 record.
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Now, Peyton Manning was fully settled in as the starting quarterback entering his sophomore season, and weapons everywhere else were ready to take over. A 2-0 start included a last-second field goal to beat the Georgia Bulldogs 30-27. UT was up 30-14 on the Florida Gators in The Swamp, but they allowed 48 unanswered points to lose 62-36.
That was an embarrassment that Steve Spurrier regularly inflicted on Fulmer in the 1990s. However, after that game, the Vols never lost again. Manning put on a show in a win at the No. 18 Arkansas Razorbacks. Then he ended a 10-year winless streak to the Alabama Crimson Tide with a 41-14 win.
The Vols finished 10-1, and then they got to play the 11-1 Ohio State Buckeyes, who were led by Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George. In a defensive struggle, Manning, Jay Graham and a defensive that stuffed George on a goal-line fourth down resulted in a huge 20-14 win. As a result, UT ended the season 11-1 and ranked in the top three of both polls.
This was just the start of what would become an amazing run for Tennessee football. Starting with 1995, the Vols went 45-5 over a four-year period with two SEC Championships and a national championship. It all started with this season, and the freshman class in this group is the most successful in the modern era of the school.