Fulmer’s legacy?

How do you view CPF’s legacy as a coach and AD?

  • Good

    Votes: 227 63.8%

  • Neutral

    Votes: 89 25.0%

  • Poor

    Votes: 48 13.5%
  • Total voters
    356
  • Poll closed .
#102
#102
As a coach anyone saying anything outside of legend is foolish IMO. I get that emotions were high towards the end of his career. But the man hired Cut and every other coach they say made him who he is. He also won a natty.

I get it that some people just need something to complain about. But complaining about the guy who assembled some of the best TN teams ever and brought home a national championship this many years later is just so foolish. Without him we might be somewhere between USC and Arkansas in terms of how the outside world views our program.
 
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#103
#103
Fulmer would get boatraced in the modern game, a fact that became apparent after 1998. His decline against top opponents after the Championship was rapid and severe. He got right against the Jerry DiNardo’s, Brad Scott’s, and Mike Shula’s of the SEC…but when facing a good X & O’s coach it was a toss-up. Like I said, great recruiter, good motivator. The coaching talent laid elsewhere on the staff, and you could tell once Cutcliffe wasn’t here. I thought that fact would have made him a better AD. I was mistaken.

It’s amazing how different the 90’s look 25+ years removed. The ESPN money that came along later caused a coaching arms race in the conference that exposed and doomed Fulmer in the early 2000’s.
 
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#105
#105
The_Big_Orange said:
As a coach anyone saying anything outside of legend is foolish IMO. I get that emotions were high towards the end of his career. But the man hired Cut and every other coach they say made him who he is. He also won a natty.

I get it that some people just need something to complain about. But complaining about the guy who assembled some of the best TN teams ever and brought home a national championship this many years later is just so foolish. Without him we might be somewhere between USC and Arkansas in terms of how the outside world views our program.
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As to your last comment, General Neyland, Dickey and Majors apply as well too. Plus, those head coaches had to build and rebuild, which as a head coach, Fulmer never did. Granted he was instrumental in helping Johnny rebuild, it's much different when you're having to do it as CEO of the program. Fulmer was one of the best recruiters ever, both as an assistant and head coach, at least for the first 10 years of his tenure as HC.
 
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#106
#106
'Boro-vol said:
Fulmer would get boatraced in the modern game, a fact that became apparent after 1998. His decline against top opponents after the Championship was rapid and severe. He got right against the Jerry DiNardo’s, Brad Scott’s, and Mike Shula’s of the SEC…but when facing a good X & O’s coach it was a toss-up. Like I said, great recruiter, good motivator. The coaching talent laid elsewhere on the staff, and you could tell once Cutcliffe wasn’t here. I thought that fact would have made him a better AD. I was mistaken.

It’s amazing how different the 90’s look 25+ years removed. The ESPN money that came along later caused a coaching arms race in the conference that exposed and doomed Fulmer in the early 2000’s.
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That’s no worse than Saban getting fat on Dooleys, Jones, Pruitts, Morris’, Luke’s, etc.
 
#107
#107
Like him, don't like him, either way, the man spent his entire life in service to UT. Won the first BCS National Championship. Had Coach Cut stayed he may have added more. Coach Cut seemed to push CFP.
As for the AD tenure he inherited a bad situation with the football did not improve it, made good baseball and basketball hires though.
 
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#109
#109
wmcovol said:
That’s no worse than Saban getting fat on Dooleys, Jones, Pruitts, Morris’, Luke’s, etc.
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I don’t disagree…except that Saban beat the Smarts, Spurriers, Miles etc as well. Honestly, the SEC prior to the ESPN money, was a different conference. The dominance really came about as a result of that initial contract, and the hiring spree that it started.
 
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#110
#110
'Boro-vol said:
I don’t disagree…except that Saban beat the Smarts, Spurriers, Miles etc as well. Honestly, the SEC prior to the ESPN money, was a different conference. The dominance really came about as a result of that initial contract, and the hiring spree that it started.
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Fulmer beat the Spurriers, Miles, Stallings, BBowdens, also. My point is every good coach beats bad coaches. The money did change & Alabama got their share. They also got far more of their share of publicity.
 
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#111
#111
As a coach - undecided, definitely had highs and lows….

As an AD: poor… the only positive thing I can recall was allowing Jennings back on the football team
 
#112
#112
Hands down the best coach Tennessee has had in the modern era.
 
#113
#113
wmcovol said:
Fulmer beat the Spurriers, Miles, Stallings, BBowdens, also. My point is every good coach beats bad coaches. The money did change & Alabama got their share. They also got far more of their share of publicity.
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How many times did he beat Spurrier exactly? And that was when Spurrier was the cream of the crop.

We’re not likely to agree, but the facts remain….when SEC coaching got better Phil was no longer at the top of the conference heap.
 
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#115
#115
'Boro-vol said:
How many times did he beat Spurrier exactly? And that was when Spurrier was the cream of the crop.

We’re not likely to agree, but the facts remain….when SEC coaching got better Phil was no longer at the top of the conference heap.
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He beat SOS in ‘92, ‘ 98& ‘01. And yes, that was when SOS was at his best. SOS beat Saban when he was at SC.

I’m not arguing PF vs NS. I’m just saying Saban mopped up on a lot of bad coaches also.
 
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#116
#116
wmcovol said:
He beat SOS in ‘92, ‘ 98& ‘01. And yes, that was when SOS was at his best. SOS beat Saban when he was at SC.

I’m not arguing PF vs NS. I’m just saying Saban mopped up on a lot of bad coaches also.
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Respectfully, the SEC landscape of coaches has been much more difficult over the last 10-15 years than it was in Fulmers heyday. The rest we can agree to disagree on. Much of this is subjective.
 
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#117
#117
'Boro-vol said:
Respectfully, the SEC landscape of coaches has been much more difficult over the last 10-15 years than it was in Fulmers heyday. The rest we can agree to disagree on. Much of this is subjective.
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I think the level of coaches today in the SEC is it’s best in a long time but Ark, SC, Fla, Tenn, OM even A&M have had terrible coaching hires before their current hires.
 
#121
#121
05_never_again said:
That's quite a stretch. Not only does Fulmer have a title that Dickey does not, Fulmer also had a better winning percentage than Dickey in a much larger number of games.

You definitely can make a case that Dickey was a better coach at UT than Majors and is the 3rd best coach in school history, even though Johnny was around much longer.
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As much of a Fulmer fan as I am, one has to give Johnny credit for building the program up.

Also, Dickey came into an unfavorable situation and turned the program around.
 
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#122
#122
Iravolfan said:
I’m gonna smoked for saying this , but here it goes. Firing Fulmer in 2008, was probably the worst mistake Tennessee has ever made. It took almost 15 yrs to get a coach. I like Josh Heupel. People don’t want to hear this, but I think Johnny Majors was a good coach, but I don’t think he has the teams he did, without Fulmers Recruiting. Fulmer averaged over 40 points a game as OC under Majors! Fire away
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Some very valid points.

I remember everyone complaining that Majors was “three and a cloud of dust”.

Ironically, as much as I hate to admit, by the end, Fulmer was way more ultra conservative than when he was OC or even the new HC. Seems towards the end of his tenure as coach, he was looking for and waiting for luck to win games. I first started seeing this with Miami in ‘03 (I believe). We were drilled at home the year before and won a low scoring game the next year due to a fumble recovery on a punt.

Also, seems Johnny’s teams were more about finesse than hard nose.
 
#124
#124
GleasonVol said:
Like him, don't like him, either way, the man spent his entire life in service to UT. Won the first BCS National Championship. Had Coach Cut stayed he may have added more. Coach Cut seemed to push CFP.
As for the AD tenure he inherited a bad situation with the football did not improve it, made good baseball and basketball hires though.
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He didn't hire Vitello or Barnes! He hired Kelly Harper 😂
 
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#125
#125
Must be nice to take money from Tennessee for that crap job he did as AD! He should be ashamed, but he's not! He was really fired for that too, they just let him off easy
 
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