Phillip Fulmer spent decades as a college football coach from the years of 1974-2008. Coach Fulmer is best known by most college football fans for being the head coach for the University of Tennessee (UT) Volunteers from 1992-2008 during which time he compiled a cumulative record of 152-52 as a head coach in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Fulmer was born on September 1, 1950. After playing high school football at Franklin County High School in tiny Winchester, TN (population 7,329) Phillip enrolled as a student at the University of Tennessee in the fall of 1968. Fulmer walked onto the football team and played offensive line in the highly competitive Southeastern Conference (SEC). After completing school in Knoxville Fulmer found employment as an offensive line coach and later a linebackers coach at Wichita State University in Kansas. Fulmer made the city of Wichita his home while coaching there from 1974-1978. Although Fulmer enjoyed the productive time that he spent in the state of Kansas the first position that football coaches take out of college is typically considered a resume builder en route to greater aspirations. When a contact with Vanderbilt head coach George MacIntyre resulted in an assistant coaching position for Fulmer the young coach who at the time was still in his 20s jumped at the opportunity to move back towards home (Vanderbilt is located in Nashville) and rejoin the SEC.
After a year with the Vanderbilt Commodores, Phillip Fulmer worked his way into an assistant coaching spot at his alma mater in Knoxville, TN in 1980. Upon dutifully serving as an assistant at his alma mater for 13 seasons Fulmer was awarded the coveted head coaching position when he replaced ailing head coach Johnny Majors. Majors, an All-American running back for the UT Volunteers in 1956, found employment as the head coach at the University of Pittsburgh after his spot in Knoxville was taken by Phillip Fulmer.
During the 16 seasons that Fulmer was the head coach at the University of Tennessee he won six SEC Eastern Division Titles (1997, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, and 2007), two SEC Championships (1997 and 1998), and one national championship in 1998. During his tenure as head football coach for the University of Tennessee Volunteers Fulmer sent literally dozens of players to the NFL. Within the multitude of talent that came through the doors at UT the player that stands out the most as the greatest player that Fulmer ever coached has to be accomplished quarterback Peyton Manning who has positioned himself to someday be considered arguably the best quarterback of all-time.
After suffering 21 losses in his last four years Fulmer was relieved of his coaching duties after a 28-10 victory over the University of Kentucky on November 28, 2008. The final victory against Kentucky came in a home game held at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee in front of a capacity crowd of over 100,000 loyal fans. Lane Kiffin, formally of USC and the Oakland Raiders replaced Coach Fulmer for the 2009 season.
