Great coaches usually bounce back

Aberration or trend?

Fluke or the beginning of the end?

Until last November, Phillip Fulmer had never turned in a losing season on his watch as head coach of the Vols. He'd never come close.

However, the history of college football suggests that bad seasons do, in fact, happen to good coaches.

It happened to Bear Bryant, to Joe Paterno, even Knute Rockne.

Thus, the watch begins to see whether or not Fulmer can rebound.

"Right now,'' Fulmer said, "I've never been more excited about starting a football season since maybe when I was a freshman or sophomore about to get a chance to play.''

After a 10-3 season and SEC East title in 2004, no one saw last year's 5-6 disaster coming. But it did and it was humbling.

"Personally, professionally, it was miserable in December,'' Fulmer said.

"Now once we got back recruiting and once I got back around our players and got my staff like I wanted it to be, we started building it back.''

And it can be built back - if you make the right moves.

Paterno is the freshest example.

At 79, Paterno is embarking on his 41st season at Penn State. His record was spectacular for the first 35 years.

Then Paterno lost it. From 2000 to 2004, the Nittany Lions went 26-33. Surely, the game had passed him by.

Wrong. Penn State went 11-1 in 2005, won the Big Ten Conference and Paterno was named national coach of the year.

Bryant's career dip is especially poignant to Fulmer. He can relate to it personally.

From 1960 to 1968, Bryant never won fewer than eight games at Alabama and claimed three national championships.

Then he went 6-5 in 1969 and 6-5-1 in 1970.

"He was considered washed up,'' said Fulmer, who was recruited by Bryant. "I was part of that. I saw that. I was a prospect, and then a player.

"And then he wins a national championship.''

Far from washed up, Bryant retooled. He recruited black players and switched to a wishbone offense.

Beginning in 1970, Alabama went 107-13 over the next 10 years and won two more consensus national championships.

"In no way am I trying to compare myself with coach Paterno or coach Bryant,'' said Fulmer, "but anybody that's had some longevity, they'll tell you you're going to have them (tough times).''

The great coaches usually bounce back.

Frank Broyles slipped to 5-5 at Arkansas in 1963. He went 11-0 and won a share of the national title in 1964.

Vince Dooley fell off to 6-5 at Georgia in 1979, two years after going 5-6. Then Herschel Walker suited up in 1980 and the Bulldogs won the national title and the first of three consecutive SEC crowns.

Here's a case that hits closer to home. Another UT coach followed up a 10-win season (1987) with a 5-6 (1988).

Johnny Majors roared back in 1989, going 11-1 and winning the first of two consecutive SEC titles.

But recovery isn't a lock. Ask Pat Dye.

Dye had Auburn rolling along to 10-win seasons when the wheels fell off. After going 5-6 in 1991 and 5-5-1 in 1992, Dye was out. There were, however, the extenuating circumstances of messy NCAA violations.

Those who believe Fulmer has irretrievably lost his golden touch might point a cautionary finger to the Charlie McClendon era at LSU.

McClendon lined up five consecutive nine-win seasons from 1969-73. Then came a 5-5-1, followed by a 5-6 in 1975.

The administration hung with McClendon four more years. He won again, but not like he had before, and was ousted after going 7-5 in 1979.

No one expects Tennessee to have another losing season in 2006. Still, Fulmer needs to win big enough to establish that last year was a fluke.

"We don't talk about mediocrity around here,'' he said. "We're going to hold that trophy up again.''

Mike Strange may be reached at 865-342-6276.