He gets extra credit in my book for ‘98. But when you analyze his career here in the stark daylight, he left a lot on the table, and oversaw a precipitous decline of the program….not once, but twice. That leaves his legacy, to me at least, in question.
The 90’s should have seen several more conference championships, based upon the Keystone Cops that were coaching in the SEC. Outside of Spurrier (and that’s a whole other kettle of fish), it wasn’t exactly a who’s who of coaching talent. Our talent was as good as anyone’s, yet we came away with very little hardware for such a dominant decade. To me, he was a great recruiter, and an average coach. He won big when he had the superior talent. When things were more even (Florida) he struggled.
Then there was the decline that can be charted after wining the Natty. This is highlighted by the terrible record against ranked teams post-98. He damaged his own legacy by staying too long, and by failing to adapt as the game changed.
The ill-advised play by the old guard at our lowest point (or so we thought) to push him into the AD seat seals it for me. That seemed to be an ego driven decision by Fulmer. He knew he wasn’t an AD, but in my opinion, took the job to rehab his reputation rather than the health of the program(s). The contrast between his administration and that of Danny Whites could not be more stark…which doesn’t help Phil any.
He was a player, and when he had the pieces he needed, a very successful coach. I appreciate his positive contributions. I hold no ill will, but to me his legacy falls far short of where it should have been, both at Tennesse and in the history of college football.
