Packer: UT 'family' has lost its father figure : govolsxtra.com

It's funny how things can change so quickly. For weeks all you heard around town was, "it's time for a change." At the water cooler, "when will they get rid of Phillip Fulmer and bring in a younger coach?"

You know you heard it, you know you thought it and very likely at some point in the season you said it.

But, when Monday's announcement of Fulmer's forced resignation came, all of that talk subsided and frustration set in. I saw firsthand the emotion of former UT player Reggie Coleman as his eyes welled up watching the press conference. I saw the frustration of Fuad Reveiz, a former Vol and father of UT player, as Fulmer broke down.

For all of the talk, the reality of change is difficult for many Vol fans to take. After the dust settled, I called a number of Fulmer's former players to get their reactions and thoughts about the change. I heard many of the same things from each of them about seeing their "father figure" pushed out the door.

"He was my coach," former linebacker Al Wilson said. "He was my national championship winning coach. He will always be my coach. Seeing him break down was tough for me."

"I wish they would have done it in a different way," former defensive back Fred White said. "They should have waited until the end of the season. He deserved to go out on his term. I didn't think it was time for him to be gone. I felt like he could have gotten it turned around if he had been given the chance. I knew there would be some changes. I just didn't think it would be him. If you win the coach gets all the credit. If you lose he gets all the blame."

"It was handled the wrong way," former defensive end Will Overstreet said. "I was not happy about it and I'm still not. They should have waited til the end of the season. It angered a lot of former players who have a special connection with him. Unless you've played for him and been in the program, you don't understand what the phrase, 'Family,' means. It's like if your father lost his job. You know how much your father put into that job. But, the economy changes and change happens.

"When he gets fired, you see his disappointment as well as all the people who worked for him. Look, it's not just Coach Fulmer in this deal, it's Chavis, Brooks, Caldwell and the other assistant coaches. It's their wives and their families."

"When I heard about it, it broke my heart," former wide receiver Peerless Price said. "When coach broke down in that press conference, I broke down with him. I cried watching my coach treated like that. That man is a true Tennessee Volunteer. He helped me become a man and I'll never forget that."

"I was up there a week ago and he was working as hard as ever," former quarterback Tee Martin said. "They were game planning South Carolina and he was working to get the program turned around. They were No. 5 in the country in recruiting and the future looked good for a turn around. The problem is when you see other schools like Florida and LSU that (new coaches) helped them win national championships very quickly. You look at Alabama and what they're doing now with Nick Saban. Whether we like it or not, it is a 'what-have-you-done-for-me-lately," society. The key phrase in the press conference was when coach said, 'We are united in our goal, but divided in the way to get there.'"

Former offensive lineman Bruce Wilkerson thought he had the solution figured out before the forced resignation.

"You have to look at (offensive coordinator) Dave Clawson's history in this deal. If you look back at his career, the first year was never very successful for him. It was always the second year when the players figured out what he was trying to teach them."

For Coleman, days haven't healed his frustration with the situation.

"It was flat wrong the way they treated him," Coleman said. "Imagine if they did that at Florida State to Bobby Bowden. What about at Penn State with Joe Paterno. Coach Fulmer is in the same class as those guys and he deserved the same respect. I'm ticked off and I don't know when I'll get over it or if I will."

Reality will really set in next season when the Vols run through the "T" with someone else leading the way. It will be a dose of reality that these ex-players aren't ready for.

"That will be strange," Price said. "What if it's a guy who is not a UT Volunteer? It won't be Robert Neyland, Johnny Majors or Phillip Fulmer. If it's not Coach Chavis leading them through then it won't be a Tennessee man. I guess they could go get Kippy Brown from the Lions. I'd vote for that. If they're going to hire a defensive guy they need to give the job to Chavis because he's the best defensive coordinator in the country."

"If Coach Chavis is not on the list of finalists I'll be disappointed," former offensive lineman Jarvis Reado said. "I'd be surprised if he's not because he could do that job without a doubt."

Overstreet said he understands where Reado is coming from, but just doesn't think it will happen.

"There's no question Chavis should be considered, but I don't see them giving him the job. I think they want somebody totally brand new. I think their attitude is that if you're going to make a change then you're going to start over."

Wilson was a little more business-like in his approach to the next coach.

"I don't think it matters if it's a Tennessee guy or not. We need a guy who can recruit and get players and coaches to want to play for him. Don't get me wrong, I'd love for it to be a UT guy. But, the most important thing is that he respect the tradition of Tennessee."

Martin doesn't think it's important to the university that the next coach be a Tennessee guy.

"You have to look at the demographic of the administration," said Martin. "It's not Tennessee at all. Mike Hamilton is a Clemson guy. The President is from Cal State. You hate to say that the culture has changed but it has. The only person over there you can say is a "Tennessee person" is Pat Summitt. Since 1829 we've done it with Tennessee people. If David Cutcliffe doesn't come back, if Kippy doesn't come back, it will be a new era at UT."

White said he'd at least like to see someone on the UT staff next season.

"If Chavis doesn't get the opportunity, I'd like to see somebody like Jay Graham, Spencer Riley, Terry Fair or Dale Jones at least on the staff," said White. "I think a lot of us would feel better if there was somebody on that staff that understood what 'family' means over there."

"Look, we all realize what this means," Overstreet said. "It's a coaching change. It's not a tragedy, nobody died. But, to the former players it's a big deal and there's pain that goes with it. That pain will go away. Time heals all wounds. For some people it will be a longer time than for others. But, we're all Tennessee Volunteers and I know coach will want us to support our program, so that's what we'll do."

Mark Packer hosts the Locker Room, presented by Parkwest Medical Center, on Sunday at 10 p.m. on MyVLT2.