Fulmer Is Leaving
Well as most of the world that cares about UT football knows by now, long time UT head football coach Phillip Fulmer is leaving at the end of the year. The official announcement will be at 5PM today, but the news is already out and the chatter has begun. UT is buying Fulmer’s contract out for 5.8 million dollars and the search for a new coach is said to already have begun.
I want to say a few things on this matter.
#1 - I want to thank Coach Fulmer for his 35+ years with UT as a player and coach
#2 - I want to thank Coach Fulmer for helping UT take a step to being a upper division team in the 90’s.
#3 - I want to thank Coach Fulmer for bringing us a National Championship in 1998
#4 - I want to congradulate Coach Fulmer in having over 150 wins at UT
#5 - I want to thank Coach Fulmer for leaving now and doing so with some class.
It was simply time for him to go as I am convenced that the coaching and game being played currently in the SEC has passed Coach Fulmer by. UT has not been steller in this millinuem. Regardless of who you talk too, the SEC has always been one of the top 2 college football leagues in the US and in the last five years UT has moved from a upper division SEC team to a mid pack SEC team. Some of this is due to more recruiting competition from improved Pac 10, ACC, and Big 10 schools, some of this is due to improved SEC competition (FL, GA, LSU, and Alabama are all forces now), but a lot has to do with good talent not being coached to good play. Yes, I know we fell backwards into a SEC east champsionship last year, but that has been the exception not the rule the last few years and victories like that have not resulted from superior UT play but by mistakes by other teams.
With Fulmers time at UT ending, I feel the most sorry for 1st year Offensive Cordinater Dave Clawson as I do not feel he was ever given the chance to run his offense and do not think that his time at UT will be judged fairly. I hope he finds another job where he is given a better chance to succeed in the near future.
I want to conclude by thanking the UT Men’s Athletic Department for making what had to be a hard call, but making the right call for the good of the football program and for the future. I would also encourage them to look outside of the UT family for Coach Fulmers replacement - i.e. No David Cutcliff talk please.
