Fulmer Talks about Playing Tide
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Fadeproof
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Sorry here is the story.
Associated Press
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Beating Alabama is so important to Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer he has mentioned the annual game in his spiel to recruits.
"When you talk to him during recruiting, that comes out - the teams he likes to beat. You hear Florida and Georgia, but more times than not you're going to hear Alabama," tailback Gerald Riggs said. "He says, 'Hey, I want you to come here so we can beat teams like Alabama. That's the first one that comes out of his mouth."
Fulmer will face Alabama for the 30th time as either a player or coach when No. 11 Tennessee hosts the Tide on Saturday afternoon.
Alabama (5-2, 2-2 SEC) mostly dominated the rivalry until Fulmer became head coach permanently in 1993. The Vols ended a nine-game winless streak in 1995 and won the next seven before losing again in 2002.
Tennessee (5-1, 3-1) won last year's five-overtime game in Tuscaloosa, hoping that is the start to a new streak.
The rivalry has been important for Tennessee and Alabama fans for decades. The Vols' victory in 1928 is widely considered the game that put Tennessee's program on the national map. The Tide has played Tennessee more times than in-state rival Auburn.
The Alabama-Tennessee game was simply called "The Third Saturday in October" for the date it was traditionally played although recent schedule changes have moved earlier or later in the month.
The game is more personal than most for Fulmer, a Tennessee native who verbally committed to Alabama's Bear Bryant in the late '60s before choosing the Vols instead.
"I have such great fond memories of the rivalry going back to the playing days. Back then it was always our biggest rivalry. It still is even though our Eastern Division schedule has great significance," Fulmer said.
The rivalry has a new twist since the NCAA sanctioned Alabama for recruiting violations in 2002. Attorneys outside the university who represent two former assistant coaches allege Fulmer fed the NCAA information about Alabama in exchange for the NCAA overlooking violations in his program.
Players and coaches on both sides say those off-field issues have nothing to do with the game itself.
"I haven't really been following too much about the lawsuit stuff," offensive lineman Danny Martz said. "Hopefully they'll get caught up in that. But Phillip Fulmer hasn't, and he's done a great job."
There's already plenty at stake in the game without the off-field influences.
Tennessee took control of the East division standings with a win over Georgia and will need to win the rest of its SEC games to stay on top.
Published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Friday, October 22, 2004
Associated Press
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Beating Alabama is so important to Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer he has mentioned the annual game in his spiel to recruits.
"When you talk to him during recruiting, that comes out - the teams he likes to beat. You hear Florida and Georgia, but more times than not you're going to hear Alabama," tailback Gerald Riggs said. "He says, 'Hey, I want you to come here so we can beat teams like Alabama. That's the first one that comes out of his mouth."
Fulmer will face Alabama for the 30th time as either a player or coach when No. 11 Tennessee hosts the Tide on Saturday afternoon.
Alabama (5-2, 2-2 SEC) mostly dominated the rivalry until Fulmer became head coach permanently in 1993. The Vols ended a nine-game winless streak in 1995 and won the next seven before losing again in 2002.
Tennessee (5-1, 3-1) won last year's five-overtime game in Tuscaloosa, hoping that is the start to a new streak.
The rivalry has been important for Tennessee and Alabama fans for decades. The Vols' victory in 1928 is widely considered the game that put Tennessee's program on the national map. The Tide has played Tennessee more times than in-state rival Auburn.
The Alabama-Tennessee game was simply called "The Third Saturday in October" for the date it was traditionally played although recent schedule changes have moved earlier or later in the month.
The game is more personal than most for Fulmer, a Tennessee native who verbally committed to Alabama's Bear Bryant in the late '60s before choosing the Vols instead.
"I have such great fond memories of the rivalry going back to the playing days. Back then it was always our biggest rivalry. It still is even though our Eastern Division schedule has great significance," Fulmer said.
The rivalry has a new twist since the NCAA sanctioned Alabama for recruiting violations in 2002. Attorneys outside the university who represent two former assistant coaches allege Fulmer fed the NCAA information about Alabama in exchange for the NCAA overlooking violations in his program.
Players and coaches on both sides say those off-field issues have nothing to do with the game itself.
"I haven't really been following too much about the lawsuit stuff," offensive lineman Danny Martz said. "Hopefully they'll get caught up in that. But Phillip Fulmer hasn't, and he's done a great job."
There's already plenty at stake in the game without the off-field influences.
Tennessee took control of the East division standings with a win over Georgia and will need to win the rest of its SEC games to stay on top.
Published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Friday, October 22, 2004
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Thanks for the story. Wish we could get this thing back on the "Third Saturday in October." It was always a sacred weekend in Tennessee -- you know, we used to come down out of the stills, get our yearly bath, and put on shoes for the matchup.
Good luck in the Cocktail Party. Oh, and in the game too :naughty:
Good luck in the Cocktail Party. Oh, and in the game too :naughty:
GIVEHIM-6
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