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Tennessee Vols five most consequential coaching moves with Phillip Fulmer as AD

By Caleb Calhoun

Jan 18, 2021; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee athletics director Phillip Fulmer speaks during a press conference addressing the leadership changes related to the University of Tennessee football program held at the Neyland-Thompson Sports Center in Knoxville on Monday, January 18, 2021. Mandatory Credit: Brianna Paciorka/Knoxville News Sentinel via USA TODAY NETWORK
Jan 18, 2021; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee athletics director Phillip Fulmer speaks during a press conference addressing the leadership changes related to the University of Tennessee football program held at the Neyland-Thompson Sports Center in Knoxville on Monday, January 18, 2021. Mandatory Credit: Brianna Paciorka/Knoxville News Sentinel via USA TODAY NETWORK /
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Tennessee Head Coach Kellie Harper calls during a game between Tennessee and Alabama at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee on Monday, January 20, 2020.Kns Lady Vols Alabama
Tennessee Head Coach Kellie Harper calls during a game between Tennessee and Alabama at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee on Monday, January 20, 2020.Kns Lady Vols Alabama /

2. Firing Holly Warlick and hiring Kellie Harper

It’s one thing to have to make hires or extend contracts to keep coaches. The real test of leadership for an athletic director, though, is making the uncomfortable decision to fire a beloved figure not for any personal desire to establish a puppet leader but because it truly is in the best interest of the program. Phillip Fulmer did that with Holly Warlick.

After winning three SEC Championships her first three years with the Tennessee Lady Vols, Warlick began to oversee a slow drop. In 2019, her team went 19-13 and 7-9 in the SEC and only got into the tournament due to brand name. A year after giving her a three-year extension, Fulmer made the decision to fire Warlick, the first time a UT women’s basketball coach was fired.

Knowing the legacy of Pat Summitt, whom Warlick directly replaced, Fulmer would not be able to hire a man to coach the program or pay more than what Warlick, who was at least super-qualified when she took over, made. In the process, Fulmer hired former Lady Vol Kellie Harper, who was part of the three-peat of the 1990s while Fulmer was rolling as the football head coach.

Harper had been fired by the N.C. State Wolfpack in 2013 but rebounded with two conference titles and a Sweet 16 appearance while coaching the Missouri State Lady Bears. We don’t know how she’ll work out long-term yet on Rocky Top, but a high-profile hire in a sport like women’s basketball is always consequential, so it’s near the top of this list.

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