Fulmer Out After The Season

Tennessee Football magazine writer John Brice has reported on Volquest.com that Phil Fulmer is stepping down as the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers.

Brice is the senior writer for Volquest.com and covers the Tennessee beat on a daily basis.

Brice and Brent Hubbs reported this morning that multiple sources have told them that Fulmer was ending a 16-year plus tenure as the Tennessee coach.

The decision comes after Tennessee lost to South Carolina 27-6 on Saturday in Columbia, S.C.
It was the Vols’ sixth loss this season and 10th since the start of the 2007 season.

Athletic Director Mike Hamilton renewed Fulmer’s contract for seven years prior to the 2008 season.

The buyout for Fulmer is set at $6 million and is scheduled to be paid in equal installments over 48 months.

About Phil Fulmer ...

Fulmer is the dean of Southeastern Conference coaches. The former Vols lineman won a national championship in 1998, two conference titles and seven divisional crowns while winning better than three-quarters of his games. He entered the season ranked No. 1 on the winning percentage list for coaches with at least 10 years experience in major college football.

The Vols advanced to the 2007 SEC Championship Game and recorded 10 wins for the ninth time in 15 full seasons. It was the Vols fifth championship game appearance in the past 11 years.

Fulmer will now stop short of Gen. Robert R. Neyland 173 coaching victories and leave as No. 2 on the all-time win list.

Nine Fulmer-coached teams eclipsed the 10-win mark and two others just missed with nine victories. The highlight came in 1998 when Tennessee capped a perfect 13-0 season with a Fiesta Bowl victory over Florida State.

His teams entered the season averaging 9 1/2 wins a season for the last decade, with five SEC Eastern Division titles during that span and two overall league crowns.

The Winchester, Tenn. native joined former Nebraska legend Tom Osborne as the only coaches to lead a team to a bowl game in their first 13 years of coaching.

Under Fulmer, the Vols had a streak of 54 consecutive weeks ranked in the top 10.

UT has been in the national polls at game time for 168 of Fulmer's 191 games as head coach.

Six UT players were drafted in the 2007 NFL Draft, including a nation's-best five on the first day.

Standouts Justin Harrell and Robert Meachem were first-round selections of the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints, respectively.

Fulmer is the national spokesperson for the Jason Foundation Inc., and considers such experiences essential to the education process of UT football players. He recently was named the first recipient of the "Grant Teaff Breaking the Silence Award," presented jointly by the AFCA and the Jason Foundation.

He also has served on such boards of directors as Boys and Girls Clubs, American Football Coaches Association, Team Focus and Child and Family Services.

Fulmer is married to the former Vicky Morey and has four children: Phillip Jr., Courtney, Brittany and Allison.

Personal Data
BORN: Sept. 1, 1950 in Winchester, Tenn.
HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION: Franklin County High, Winchester, Tenn.
COLLEGE EDUCATION: University of Tennessee 1972
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Offensive Guard, Tennessee 1968-71
COACHING CAREER: Tennessee 1972-73; Wichita State 1974-78; Vanderbilt 1979; Tennessee 1980-1991; Head Coach 1992-Present
COACH OF THE YEAR HONORS: National Coach of the Year 1998 (FWAA, AFCA, The Sporting News, Maxwell Football Club); Regional Coach of the Year 1993 (AFCA Region 2); Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year 1998 (Coaches, Associated Press); State Farm Eddie Robinson National Coach of Distinction Award 1999; Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame 2001
WIFE: Victoria (Vicky) Morey Fulmer
CHILDREN: Phillip Jr. (3/25/70), Courtney (1/25/83), Brittany (4/22/85), Allison (9/13/86)

www.UTSports.com contributed to this report.