Former University of Tennessee football coach Phillip Fulmer will be presented the Robert R. Neyland Award on Saturday.
The presentation will take place at The Foundry.
The event starts at 10 a.m.
The award, which is named after the legendary UT coach, is given annually to one of the top coaches in college football by the Knoxville Quarterback Club.
"Phillip Fulmer has a very distinguished record as Tennessee's football coach," said Jimmy Hyams, who is the chairman of the Neyland Award committee. "He finished 100 games over .500 in his career.
"I know that this award is meaningful for him considering the respect that he has for what General Neyland did at Tennessee."
Fulmer finished his UT tenure 21 games shy of Neyland's school-record 173 wins.
Fulmer complied a 152-52 record 1992-2008 as head coach at UT.
Neyland's record was 173-31-12.
Previous winners include former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, former Ohio State coach John Cooper, former UT coach Johnny Majors, Florida State coach Bobby Bowden, former Alabama coach Bear Bryant, former Auburn coach Pat Dye and former Arkansas coach Frank Broyles.
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Comments » 109
VAvolfanRON writes:
ok guys...this is an award well deserved.....a true vol fan would congratulate a man that's done so much.....we all know what he did the last few years....
I'm just saying keep your immature comments to yourself
good job, fulmer.....you deserve it!!!
VAvolfanRON writes:
and the grammar police will leave me alone!!!!
cleVOLand writes:
Congrats, Phil!
stillavolsfan27 writes:
Good job phil well deserved. You also coached the best player on the face of the earth although im not a colts fan
1982_35_28 writes:
Too bad...a few more years and this could have been the Fulmer award. Oh well, nice consolation prize though.
n2thecheckerboards2 writes:
Congrats Phil.....alot of great memories and some not so great, but all in all u deserve this award. My hats off to u sir.
WereInTrouble writes:
There is a Fulmer award......its named after the coach that single handedly turned a particular institution into Outlaw University.
Thank Vandy and Kentucky for 25% of his wins.
old_number1 writes:
I always thought he carried himself with dignity and class. Well done!
WereInTrouble writes:
Keeping drunks/druggies on the team, no discipline whatsoever, four strikes and you're in trouble, outlaws, coverups.....the worst example of a coach to ever walk the sidelines at Neyland stadium......where is the dignity in that????? Foolmer Fools here I see.
VAvolfanRON writes:
Thanks Phil....for the National Championship...i truly didn't think I'd see one in my life time...now, i'm hoping for more from this new staff....
It's ashame that these young farts didn't enjoy a hard earned NC....they just don't realize how hard it is.....
sad thing is.......as these immature semi fans grow up.......twice as many move into their place.....
VAvolfanRON writes:
some people just want to complain!.....
texasvol73 writes:
Interesting that Jimmy Hyams spent weeks on the radio helping stir the flames for his ouster, and now is presenting him an award for one of the top coaches...ha... congratulations Coach - you deserve the award.
VAvolfanRON writes:
lol....ok...ok....i wasn;t talking about you!!!!....damn ya...lol
ONUV writes:
will he just go away already?
shadab writes:
All I have to say is thanks for the memories, and I'm glad they didn't turn into a few years of nightmares trying to get those 22 wins. Phillip did his best, but the competition in the SEC just got better and like Microsoft word, he just became antiquated.
I went and watched practice today and there was Monte and Eddie O running strong D drills with Lane-K snapping the whip (actually shaking his head) at his QBs' underthrown balls.
No more bobble-headed miscues next year I would hope.
Here's what I'm seeing: we win a bunch of SEC games and scare the bajeez out of the elite SEC teams. That's what I'm convinced Kiffin brings to UT.
Good luck to Fulmer but all the king's horses and all the kings men couldn't put King Phillip back together again.
graphpro#231211 writes:
Get lost Phil.
VAvolfanRON writes:
you are right..it was getting by this offensive lineman.....times are changing and i think he was getting soft.......but, he is ALL Vol...unlike alot fans on this board!!
allvol9 writes:
Congratulations Coach Fulmer. Very deserving and proud to see him awarded it. Go Vols!
old_number1 writes:
I feel the same way. Thanks for the back-up.
jphilli5#240013 writes:
I love you Phil. You have given all and as much orange blood as anyone else, and more than most. I praise and honor you. You brought us back once when down, but could not quite do it again. Life's poor choices sometimes bite. Not your fault, just despiration, frustration and happenstance. I am, as a double grad and lifelong VOLS Fan at 55, very proud of you. Specifically for your stress, blood sweat and tears, not to mention your paternal/leadership role of some fime teams. I applaud your success, and at the same time sorry for the recent abrubt departure. I am sorry you are gone based on how your removal was administered, especially after all you have given (how clasless) At the sqme time, I must admit, Iam just as excited with new hire Kiffen & comany as I was when you took over from Johnnie. This is not meant as any ffense to either of you. It is just an expression of love and admiration to each and both collectively. So,...Go Kiff "givem hell" and as always, GO BIG ORANGE.
"Aburn, Auburn, How'd you lie to bite m "Donkey... "Right in the middle"...
1973 UT 21 Auburn 0 In the pouring Rain...Drenched to my underwear abnd beyond but thankfully present for the whole game.
Class of 1975 and 1979
Bobby Phillips
VAvolfanRON writes:
wow.....i wish i had your penmanship.....good post..
Above is how a TRUE vol fan should see things...
leave the whining to the gators!!!
CalPoly_Vol_Fan writes:
Phil-bashing idiots!!! ...Phil deserves respect. I am sure most of you Phil-haters never set foot in a UT classroom.
golfballs03 writes:
Boo. He needs to go away
gnm53108 writes:
What jphilli said.
Congrats Phil.
rocky_topper writes:
Thank the Lord at least he isn't going to be presented the award at Neyland stadium on Saturday. I just don't think I could handle seeing him!
I hope they don't read his record against top 10 or even top 25 ranked teams when they present that award to him. Oh, I'm sure they know not to do that!
rocky_topper writes:
He was NOT a great coach! He was a mediocre coach who managed to lure lots of great talent which compensated for his inept coaching abilities!
firefulmer (Inactive) writes:
Why is this man still hanging around? Get his sorry arse out of Knoxville. Fulmer is a clueless, gutless, spineless, greedy, sorry, pathetic excuse for a coach/man. If the sorry SOB had not been so self absorbed in his own pride, the Vols football program would not have hit rock bottom. HE DESERVES NOTHING!
rocky_topper writes:
Amen to that man!
gnm53108 writes:
Not startin nothin but I'm curious...In Tennessee's storied history spanning over a hundred years...which coach/coaches would you consider great?
hdhurst writes:
Yeah...right...if kiffin is lucky enough to win a NC at UT, then can't wait to see you haters blasting him after he doesn't do it again. So, good luck with that.
MidTennVol writes:
Man, some of you loudmouth punks make me ashamed to be a Tennessee fan.
Congrats, Coach Fulmer.
VolinUtah writes:
Congrats Coach Fulmer,
A well deserved honor. You will always be 100% VOL. I am truly excited about the future of our beloved Vols, but also very aware of the great things Coach Fulmer and his staff did as well. Of course I was frustrated about the losses over the past few years, but the overall body of work was very good and more importantly accomplished with class and dignity.
Best wishes to you Mr Fulmer and and family.
GO VOLS!!!!!
gnm53108 writes:
Me too Denmark....me too.
rocky_topper writes:
Every game where the final minutes came down to coaching, we lost! How many times have you heard Fulmer even say "it was inadequate coaching that cost us the game"?
Fulmer was an average coach at best! He was an above average recruiter which is a good thing or we would've lost many more games than we did.
rocky_topper writes:
Quite honestly man, that was the major problem with our football program for the past 5-8 years....Fulmer along with some of you fans never moved past 1998. Check out the stats from 1998 to Fulmer's firing and see if the pride is still intact.
If it were left up to some of you fans who dwell on 1998, we would still have Fulmer and be shooting for a 5-7 record this season while continuing to blame it on a young, injury-laden team!
gnm53108 writes:
Cant agree that Tennessee lost every game that came down to coaching while Phillip Fulmer was head coach.Won alot of close ones.Won alot of overtime games.
Above average recruiter?Mabye on his down years.
Still curious...In your oppion,how many great coaches has the University of Tennessee had?
tnbigg writes:
In orer to better understand this you would have to go back about 25 years. I think it was around 25...but anyway. One of the things that served as the foundation for this was an event that happened off Chapman Highway. If you go there today you can still find evidence of it. You go out Chapman Highway about 12 miles and there's a little road on your left. I forget the name of it right now, but you take a left there. Once you've made that left you continue for about 6 or 7 miles and you'll see a dirt road on the right with a big sign that says, "No Trespassing". It is wise to heed that warning. I've never been wise. As you go down that dirt road things begin to get a wee bit strange. I guess its about 5 miles or so but you come to a fork in that road. Take it. After about 2 miles it will all become clear to you and no doubt will remain as to how come this is what it is. PROOF that it is what it is. If the proof wasn't still there folks would try to say that it isn't what it isn't...but it truly is what it is...no doubt! The problem has been and always will be that people don't know what they don't know until they know. Ya' know? Anyway...that will say alot about how this came to be...
rocky_topper writes:
One! Robert Neyland! How many do you think?
Do you realize that Fulmer ended his tenure with a losing record against Top 25 teams (15-32), and that stat-line only worsens when you begin talking the Top 10 and Top 5 powerhouse teams. That is a huge deal being that ON AVERAGE he collectively had an average of a Top 10 recruiting class while here. Also, since the SEC is a football conference with an average of 5+ teams generally ranked in the Top 25 year in and year out, this stat is really horrendous. With that in addition to 2 losing seasons in four years where you would have to go back to 1964 to find a worse record (4-5 that year), 4 season losses in 2006 and 2007, I would say his past decade isn't really too phenominal. He was lucky he had the talent to over-correct what he lacked in his coaching.
Don't get me wrong, I was and AM proud of the 1998 NC, but when 1999 rolled around, I moved forward.
gnm53108 writes:
ONE!,Damn...you have a very high standard for "great" coaches.Probably 4 or 5 in the history of college football.
Thanks.
That does explain your posts.
My standards arent quite that high.
suPEARLman writes:
Grats Phil!
gnm53108 writes:
If you sent that to Congress you would shut down the government for years.
kennedymj1#206091 writes:
Maybe he got the award for not only being a great coach, but NOT playing rap music at practices?????
rocky_topper writes:
I agree with you that most fans' standards aren't quite that high which is why the program plummetted into a state of mediocrity for most of the past decade.
Hopefully, there will be brighter days ahead for our football program that we all love!
Go BIG Orange
gnm53108 writes:
"Hopefully, there will be brighter days ahead for our football program that we all love!"
Now that I could drink a cold one with ya to.
Go Vols!
Vol_Fan_N_NC writes:
Congrats Phil. Thank you for all that you have done for the University as a player and, more importantly, a coach. Thank you for the National Championship and the many, many years of dominant football in the SEC. You will not be forgotten.
tnbigg writes:
I was wondering if I could "political speak" them with this tactic into parting with a trillion or two in bail out funds. By the way...the age old expression, "Thanks a million!" is now antiquated. The neuvo expression is, "Thanks a trillion!" Pass it on. Thanks a trillion!
vol88 writes:
Congrats Coach.
old_number1 writes:
I wish I had that kind of creativity! Seriously, you are going to have to take less drugs, or I'm going to have to take more! LOL
jobrando#216494 writes:
By far the greatest coach Tennessee ever had in terms of generating money for the University. Thanks Coach for generating the money to keep Neyland up and running. Now the fans want titles.
GreerVol22 writes:
You know what, good for coach Fulmer...thank you for your time at UT and the many emotions your stirred up.. good and bad. But...take this award with humility and then just go fishing for a couple of years. Hanging around campus waiting for Kiffin to screw up is not a very graceful way to fade away.
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