1. Phillip Fulmer is best known for coaching the Volunteers in the first BCS National Championship Game in 1998, defeating the Florida State Seminoles.
34 Facts About Phillip Fulmer
1. 2.
Phillip Fulmer was the third coach in Tennessee history to win a claimed national championship.
3.
In recognition of his accomplishments at Tennessee, Phillip Fulmer was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2012.
4.
Phillip Fulmer served as a special assistant to the athletic director at East Tennessee State University.
5.
On June 20,2017, Phillip Fulmer was named as a special advisor to the University of Tennessee president.
6.
On December 1,2017, Phillip Fulmer became the athletic director at the University of Tennessee, a position he held until his retirement in 2021.
7.
Phillip Fulmer was born in Winchester, Tennessee, where he attended Franklin County High School.
8.
Phillip Fulmer enrolled at the University of Tennessee as a student in 1968.
9.
Phillip Fulmer promptly joined the football team as an offensive guard and would later be named as a co-captain.
10.
Phillip Fulmer served as linebacker coach and defensive coordinator for the Vols freshman team in 1973 before moving to Wichita State University the following season.
11.
Phillip Fulmer followed those years with a one-season stint at Vanderbilt, serving as an assistant to Commodores head coach George MacIntyre.
12.
Phillip Fulmer took over the role as interim head coach with Heath Shuler as his quarterback.
13.
However, despite the loss, Phillip Fulmer had a young Peyton Manning as his quarterback due to injuries of previous starters Jerry Colquitt and Todd Helton.
14.
Phillip Fulmer led the team to two victories over UNLV and UCLA to start the season.
15.
However, Phillip Fulmer had a new quarterback ready to go in Tee Martin.
16.
Phillip Fulmer was honored with the State Farm Eddie Robinson Coach of Distinction Award in December 1999.
17.
In 2001, Phillip Fulmer has named to the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.
18.
However, for the first time in his tenure, Phillip Fulmer's Volunteers struggled mightily by the standards that were established.
19.
Phillip Fulmer had a reputation as an ace recruiter, leading many analysts to praise him as one of the game's top head coach recruiters.
20.
Phillip Fulmer never lost to the Kentucky Wildcats, winning 17 straight games.
21.
Phillip Fulmer was a sports analyst on CBS's SEC Postgame Show, as well as various programming on the CBS College Sports Network.
22.
Phillip Fulmer was a strong candidate for the University of Louisville head coaching job.
23.
Phillip Fulmer stated in many interviews that he was interested in the job and had a phone interview with Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich.
24.
Phillip Fulmer appeared as himself in the 2009 biographical sports drama film The Blind Side.
25.
On May 15,2012, Phillip Fulmer was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
26.
Phillip Fulmer served as a consultant and special assistant to athletic director Richard Sander at East Tennessee State University, which relaunched a football program it had shut down for financial reasons in 2003.
27.
Phillip Fulmer became a founding partner at BPV Capital Management in Knoxville.
28.
Phillip Fulmer serves as part of the business development team.
29.
On June 20,2017, it was announced that Phillip Fulmer will serve as a special advisor to the University of Tennessee president.
30.
On December 1,2017, following the suspension of John Currie, the previous athletic director at the University of Tennessee, Phillip Fulmer was named the new athletic director for the university.
31.
In 2018, Phillip Fulmer was named to the 2018 SEC Legends Class, honored at that year's SEC Championship game.
32.
In 2019, Phillip Fulmer was named East Tennessean of the Year by the East Tennessee Historical Society.
33.
In December 2019, Phillip Fulmer was named to ESPN's list of their top 150 college football coaches to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the sport.
34.
Phillip Fulmer was named full-time coach after the 1992 season, and led the team in the 1993 Hall of Fame Bowl.