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Article published Nov 30, 2008 Misty farewell: UT says goodbye to coach Fulmer
From Staff Reports
KNOXVILLE -- Tennessee bid farewell to Phillip Fulmer on a misty Saturday evening at Neyland Stadium.
Prior to the Volunteers' season finale against Kentucky, Fulmer, who was forced to resign on Nov. 3, was honored for his 34 years of service to the university.
With his family, assistant coaches and players, Fulmer took part in the traditional Vol Walk along a street lined by fans and well-wishers. When he entered the stadium for the final time, he was second only to Robert Neyland as the winningest coach in program history.
After greeting each of UT's 24 seniors who ran through the T, Fulmer and his family made one last quick stroll through the band formation that is synonymous with Tennessee football.
"Coach Fulmer, this being his last game, it's probably the hardest thing for me to believe," UT defensive back Eric Berry said. "He's been here so long. When you see Tennessee, you see Coach Fulmer. It's going to be hard not to see that."
Senior defensive lineman Robert Ayers agreed.
When you mention the name Coach Fulmer, the University of Tennessee comes right after it," Ayers said this week.
"It's going to be kind of weird not seeing him holding those headphones on the sidelines any more. Coach Fulmer's a great guy, and he has a lot of great years ahead of him."'Very grateful'
Following the 28-10 victory over Kentucky, Fulmer reflected on his career at UT, having won 152 games against only 52 losses.
"To end up with 100 more wins than losses is something to be proud of, but I didn't talk about that," he said. "I'm grateful. I'm very, very grateful.
"We've been blessed to have done it as well as we did for as long as we did."
Fulmer, a Blount County resident during his tenure as head coach of the Vols, began his career as a player at UT. He was an offensive guard from 1968-71. Upon entering the coaching profession, he was an assistant for four years at Wichita State and at Vanderbilt for a year before returning to Tennessee in 1980. He succeeded Johnny Majors as head coach in 1992.
Fulmer rapidly established the Volunteers as the team to beat in the Southeastern Conference, reaching wins 50, 75 and 100 faster than any coach in SEC history. He is currently the seventh winningest coach in conference history and is among the top five winningest active coaches in the country.
In 1998, he guided the Volunteers to a national championship, defeating Florida State in the title game. He also won back-to-back SEC crowns in 1997 and '98.
Fulmer's tenure as head coach produced 90 NFL draft picks, including 15 first-rounders, and 15 first-team All-America selections.