Did anyone ever try to hire Fulmer away?

#102
#102
BanditVol said:
Yes, but coaching changes are always a roll of the dice. Even highly regarded coaches sometimes flame out. A good example is Rich Rodriguez at Michigan. Heck, bammer wanted Rod before they hired Saban...DOT!

The Michigan situation is similar to UT in many ways...Nebraska was another 90s powerhouse still struggling to get back. Heck, prior to this year, even FSU struggled.

If you compare those four programs, the FSU approach worked out best. They let their legend stay and be mediocre for about a decade, then eased him out the door with a "coach in waiting". It worked I guess.

But I think Tennessee can finally put the last 5 years to rest. We have a great recruiting class and Butch, whatever his eventual legacy at UT, is and will be much better than Dooley. (And yeah, that's a pretty low standard lol...).
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Well, honestly if Fulmer had been willing to surround himself with top notch assistants instead of being paranoid about someone trying to take his job, he could have been a Bowden.
 
#106
#106
TennesseeThumper said:
Actually yes, and what does it tell one that Dooley had an NFL job shortly after he was fired, yet Fulmer .................

:detective:
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You are talking about two coaches at VASTLY different places in their careers. This doesn't make sense. Fulmer was at a place in his life/career that retirement made more sense than taking a "less than" job. If Hamilton had allowed him to leave in a dignified way, no one ever would have considered that he might coach again.

He hasn't gotten another job because he hasn't really cared to have one. You wouldn't either if you had been making that kind of money.

On the other hand, Dooley is still young with fairly young kids. He hasn't made enough money to retire. And if he took time off, then he would lose any legitimacy that he had aquired over the years.
 
#107
#107
there is way to much hate on this board for Coach Fulmer,he is the 2nd greatest coach that was here,he played for and coached the team that he loved more than any else,why would he leave ? he is Tennessee football,try and be as classy as he was,this board would be better for it

if he could have stayed,i think he would have beaten coach Neylands record by now
 
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#108
#108
We have had 5 head coaches at U.T. who have coached more than one season at Tenn in the last 50 years.
1) Doug Dickey started (4-5-1) ended (9-2)
2) Bill Battle started (11-1) ended (6-5)
3) Johnny Majors started (4-7) ended (9-3)
4) Phil Fulmer started (10-2) ended (5-7)
5) Derek Dooley started (6-7) ended (4-7) did not coach Ky. game

Call me stupid, but it looks like Doug Dickey and Johnny Majors are the only 2 who left a better team than they started with.
 
#109
#109
1972 Grad said:
I remember reading once that Cutcliffe was surprised at the lack of discipline, effort, and attention to detail that the team showed, from his previous time here. I honestly believe that Cutcliffe was the brains and the glue that held it together, and kept the team from slacking.

I think that it was time for Fulmer to go, and 2 bad hires definitely set us back a bunch. It is unfortunate. I wish that he could have stayed, but to think that he could be competitive now??? I don't think so. We started our slide a long time before 2008.
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Does Fulmer get any credit for promoting Cutt and Chavis to coordinators?
 
#110
#110
TennesseeThumper said:
Actually yes, and what does it tell one that Dooley had an NFL job shortly after he was fired, yet Fulmer .................

:detective:
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Something tells me that if Fulmer had wanted to be a position coach after 17 years as a HC and winning 2 SEC titles and a NC, that maybe... Just maybe.... He would have been able to.
 
#112
#112
1972 Grad said:
My post wasn't about co-ordinators or promotions. It was about the coaches who left the program in better shape than they found it.
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Fair enough. I often see Fulmer's ability to coach discredited with "if it wasn't for Cutt amd Chavis". Those guys weren't coordinators before Fulmer promoted them. Sometimes a coach is only as good as his assistants but the HC should get credit for hiring/promoting them.
 
#113
#113
TennesseeThumper said:
Given that 2 of his last 4 were losing seasons, including his last, what makes you believe that UT would go back to 8-4/9-3 rather than continue the downward slide he was on?

Rationalize it all one wants, but that argument just doesn't hold water.
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Tahj Boyd and a great recruiting class was coming in. Unlike what some thought or still think, Lane has been exposed as not HC material (hell, I don't think he's OC material either, but we'll see).

Fulmer could have done just as well with the 2009 team as Kiffin...probably better.
 
#114
#114
TennesseeThumper said:
If you really need examples provided to you then you've been in a cave since 2008 and beyond. Nothing was ever his fault. Perfect storm. Couldn't find time to go by Alcoa High to see Randall Cobb. Got to watch the film. I've built equity.

Please. You really don't have a clue.
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152-52, NC, HOF. The only one that does not have a clue is you. Enjoy the cave or, more likely, your basement.
 
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#115
#115
Smokie_is_my_dude said:
I cant remember back that far, but did any big programs try and talk to Fulmer and hire him away from Tennessee? I would tend to think not because he was such a Tennessee guy. but his resume was outstanding in the 90's and into the early 2000's. I know the coaching carousel was not nearly the same as it is now, but i was wondering if anyone could remember any other schools that came calling? I figured i would ask since everyone is paranoid about other schools poaching our current staff.
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Maybe.... Fulton High School :)
 
#116
#116
volfanecs said:
152-52, NC, HOF. The only one that does not have a clue is you. Enjoy the cave or, more likely, your basement.
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Standard University of Fulmer fan response.

HOF coach first 10 years.

Mediocre coach last 6.

Losing record 2 of last 4.

If anybody lives in a cave it's guys like you who want to live in your fantasy world that Fulmer was the same coach his last 6 years that he was his first 10 at UT.
 
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#118
#118
TennesseeThumper said:
Standard University of Fulmer fan response.

HOF coach first 10 years.

Mediocre coach last 6.

Losing record 2 of last 4.

If anybody lives in a cave it's guys like you who want to live in your fantasy world that Fulmer was the same coach his last 6 years that he was his first 10 at UT.
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Hopefully, the years since the firing of Coach Fulmer will allow for a much more realistic assessment of the state of the program by the AD and fanbase BEFORE the program is thrown over the cliff the next time such a situation arises.
 
#119
#119
MedicT said:
Hopefully, the years since the firing of Coach Fulmer will allow for a much more realistic assessment of the state of the program by the AD and fanbase BEFORE the program is thrown over the cliff the next time such a situation arises.
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Depends on who the AD is. I think Hamilton got a little full of himself after witnessing the success and excitement that Pearl brought to the bball program. He thought he could rock the boat and strike lightning twice. All he did was make a bad situation worse.

FTR I don't think Fulmer would have gotten us back to the NCG but I don't think we would have slid to 4 consecutive losing seasons either.
 
#120
#120
burntorangeVOLffle said:
Depends on who the AD is. I think Hamilton got a little full of himself after witnessing the success and excitement that Pearl brought to the bball program. He thought he could rock the boat and strike lightning twice. All he did was make a bad situation worse.

FTR I don't think Fulmer would have gotten us back to the NCG but I don't think we would have slid to 4 consecutive losing seasons either.
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I agree, the chances of going to a NCG are tenuous at best for any team over even a decade. Look at Bama this year. As much as it pains me to admit it, they had one of the most well balanced and dominating teams to take the collegiate field in recent years, in my opinion, and they had a 2 loss season and now have hired the Kiff. LOL Good to see someone else can self destruct a program, even the mighty Saban.:)
 
#121
#121
TennesseeThumper said:
Standard University of Fulmer fan response.

HOF coach first 10 years.

Mediocre coach last 6.

Losing record 2 of last 4.

If anybody lives in a cave it's guys like you who want to live in your fantasy world that Fulmer was the same coach his last 6 years that he was his first 10 at UT.
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Standard Fulmer-Hater response. Yawn.
 
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#122
#122
burntorangeVOLffle said:
Fair enough. I often see Fulmer's ability to coach discredited with "if it wasn't for Cutt amd Chavis". Those guys weren't coordinators before Fulmer promoted them. Sometimes a coach is only as good as his assistants but the HC should get credit for hiring/promoting them.
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I think that you have to give credit to Fulmer for taking over a solid program, and actually reaching new heights. With that, he has to shoulder the blame for taking it to lows not seen in several years.

He was like a cute, petite, sweet sexy wife who turned into a fat, ugly, nagging b..ch.
 
#124
#124
1972 Grad said:
I think that you have to give credit to Fulmer for taking over a solid program, and actually reaching new heights. With that, he has to shoulder the blame for taking it to lows not seen in several years.

He was like a cute, petite, sweet sexy wife who turned into a fat, ugly, nagging b..ch.
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He can also take credit for recruiting the solid program that he "inherited".
 
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#125
#125
Smokie_is_my_dude said:
Do you remember any of the colleges?
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Y'all are a bunch of idiots. Fulmer loved his University, loved his job and didn't want to go anywhere else. He was happy and SUCCESSFUL at Tennessee. Even in his worst stretch (2000s as defined by you experts) he went to the SECCG three times.

If you are glad UT fired him, I hope you have enjoyed the past 5 years. But, I don't understand the hate piled on a man who played at UT, coached at UT and brought the program to its most successful run since the early 1950s.

The majority of the folks who spend so much time piling on Fulmer are the same ones who loved Lane Kiffin and Tyler Bray.
 
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