Which UT coach would you keep?

The phone lines were open for public opinion and debate on the News Sentinel's Sports Page radio show as listeners were asked to call in on Wednesday and cast their vote for one of Tennessee's “Big Three.''

If you could only pick one coach to remain on the Vols' staff, which would he or she be, Pat Summitt, Phillip Fulmer or Bruce Pearl?

It's the third time the semi-annual poll has been conducted, and Pearl has won it each time.

Pearl, entering his fourth year as the men's basketball coach, finished the two-hour program on WNML-99.1 FM, 990 AM, receiving 23 of the 50 votes.

Fulmer had the second-most votes (16), while Summitt had 11 votes, six of which came from women who called into the daily show (Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-noon).

The platform for each coach became clearer as the Sports Page program unfolded.

Pearl, who is 48 years old, was viewed by many as the choice for the future, as he's younger than Fulmer (57) and Summitt (56) and appears to have more years left on his coaching clock.

Another reason some voted for Pearl is the UT women's basketball program and football programs are more established, thus making it easier for Fulmer or Summitt to be replaced without as much risk for drop off as men's basketball could have if Pearl were to leave.

Pearl has found a winning formula for men's basketball where others have not, giving UT a national presence with his charisma off the court and his winning ways on it.

The Vols won a school-record 31 games last season, captured an outright SEC title for the first time in 41 years, attained the No. 1 ranking for the first time in school history and have won more league games than any other SEC program over the three seasons Pearl has been head coach.

The Fulmer supporters, nearly half of whom chose to cast their vote off-air without want or need to explain or defend their position, cited Fulmer's ability to produce a consistent winner (147-45, winning or sharing the SEC East Division title seven of the past 15 years).

Fulmer, the only coach of the three to attend the University of Tennessee, has the best overall winning percentage of any active coach in the nation with more than 10 years of head coaching experience (.755) while also keeping the Vols free of any major violations over the past 16 years.

Fulmer's job was, for the most part, viewed as the most difficult of the three, as the state of Tennessee does not have a strong football recruiting base relative to other SEC schools.

No doubt, the SEC is a football jungle of sorts, with four other national championship coaches to compete with, and other programs pushing the limits and falling victim to NCAA sanctions during Fulmer's tenure.

Those who supported Summitt cited her championships and loyalty.

Summitt has built the Lady Vols into a dynasty over the past 33 years, winning eight national championships and getting Tennessee global exposure with its unparalleled women's basketball tradition.

Knoxville probably wouldn't have made ESPN's recent list of top 20 “Title Towns'' without the trophies Summitt has brought home and the record number of collegiate basketball wins she has attained (983).

Many of the voters who didn't vote for Summitt took a moment to pay tribute, explaining the limited stature of women's basketball, from a fiscal and exposure standpoint, was taken into consideration in their voting.

Regardless of who the callers picked, most all agreed Tennessee is fortunate to have such successful coaches representing collegiate athletics' three most watched sports.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
Want to use this article? Click here for options!