Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton said he hopes to personally congratulate former football coach Phillip Fulmer on winning the Robert R. Neyland Award this Saturday.
The two have an understandably estranged relationship since Fulmer was fired during a 5-7 season in 2008.
“I look forward to the time when I can sit down and visit with him,” Hamilton said.
There’s a better-than-average chance the two could meet up this weekend. Fulmer will be taking part in the festivities surrounding his acceptance of the Neyland Award.
Hamilton will be on campus for several events including the Orange and White Game where Fulmer will be honored during pre-game ceremonies.
“I understand completely that he may not be comfortable with that,” Hamilton said of such a meeting. “We want him to feel comfortable with his legacy.”
UT and the Knoxville Quarterback Club have received some negative feedback from fans over their decision to select Fulmer as the Neyland Award recipient just months after he was fired.
“Phillip has accomplished a great deal for our institution and is very deserving of the award,” Hamilton said. “Whether it is this year or in the coming years, it was going to happen.
“We need to recognize, honor and respect his accomplishments. Despite the fact that there was a change, there is a lot of respect for what he accomplished here.”
Fulmer compiled a 152-52 record 1992-2008 as head coach. Neyland's record at UT was 173-31-12.
UT offered a statement from head coach Lane Kiffin about Fulmer.
"Coach Fulmer has had a tremendous impact on Tennessee," Kiffin said. "He's the second- winningest coach in Tennessee history behind General Neyland. It's only fitting that he receives this prestigious award. I hope all Tennessee fans will show up early Saturday to show their appreciation for all he has done for our program, our university and our state."
Fulmer will be presented the award Saturday at The Foundry and will be honored on the field during pregame ceremonies for the Orange and White Game. The game begins at 3 p.m. at Neyland Stadium.
The Neyland Award is given annually to one of the top coaches in college football.
It’s not unusual for a coach to receive the award shortly after being fired. Former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr received the award after being fired the previous season. Former Ohio State coach John Cooper received the award two years after being fired.
On the other end of the spectrum, Johnny Majors didn’t receive the Neyland Award until 12 years after UT fired him.
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Comments » 85
TotalPackage1 writes:
Great Post! Are you moving up to K-5 next year? You'll learn your colors then.
beatlecakes writes:
I could care less about the effects on Hamilton but it will give fans a chance to show appreciation to the man that brought us a national championship. Maybe a lesson was learned by waiting 12 years to honor Johnny Majors,another fired coach. This should accelerate the healing for everyone...
Pullingguard writes:
Time to smooth the wrinkles and hopefully Fulmer will be receptive as Hamilton is to let by-gones be by-gone. It would also be great if Fulmer and Kiffin could develope a respectful relationship where both felt comfortable and understanding of each other.. Fulmer did a good job for UT and some bad decisions cost him his job, but he made he decisions, so he should not be blaming others for the outcome. Glad he is getting the award and being recognized for his coaching accompolishments,.
eduardo writes:
Whats he gonna do offer F$$lmer another lifetime achievement award??? Six mil. for this!!! Embarrasing!!
tnbigg writes:
Kudos to Hamilton. If you want to know the true story behind that one it will take you much further than the road off Chapaman Highway...I'm not sayin' I could be talked into tellin' it...I'm just sayin'...
bluetick writes:
I'm sure not everybody who shows up will take so kindly to seeing Fulmer and giving him the reception he deserves. Some will probably BOO him. My only regret is that I can't be there sitting next to one of those losers. :)
Vol_alumni08 writes:
Ok here’s how I see this going down.
Mike Hamilton- Hey coach sorry for firing you, how’s life?
Coach Fulmer- Mike…Where is my six million buyout check?
dvols writes:
coach fulmer is a vol!
from day one til today!
everything was done with class!
and will be a great asset for coach kiffin!
i'm just sayin
jsnewman writes:
He deserves it! Majors deserved it! I don't see a problem unless Kiffin goes bust then Hamilton has got a big one!
Laydbakvol writes:
"UT and the Knoxville Quarterback Club has received some negative feedback from fans over their decision to select Fulmer as the Neyland Award recipient just months after he was fired."
If the media would ignore these idiots maybe they would go away.
balloonman writes:
what a pathetic crowd !
trueorange writes:
Phil doesn't need any help from Hamilton to be happy with his legacy. And just why do you think he would want to sit down and talk with you, Mike? Get real. No need to try to gloss over the axe job you did on him. It's done. Move on, Mike.
teampenny#658108 writes:
Bush and PK have this in common anyone who followed them would be loved. Firing up the fans, having a ton of energy and keeping the university in the news is well and good. All big time coaching jobs are about wins. Lack of recent wins got PK fired. Not winning will get LK fired. I know for a fact there where fans who wished the VOLS to lose so PK would be fired. I wonder if there are any Vols fans that are hoping this fate on the VOLS so LK will just go away. Just wondering. Go Vols
TommyJack writes:
PK?
rocky_topper writes:
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Apparently, the Neyland Award I am guessing is comparable to the Heistman Trophy!
rocky_topper writes:
True post. I totally agree. Why would Fulmer want to sit down and talk with anyone? He would rather sit on his rear end and pout like a little child and throw barbs towards the program with every opportunity he gets! I do have a problem with Mike though; he should've taken care of Fulmer's lackadaisical coaching performance a few years ago before sinking the program!
Oh well, there will be brighter days ahead.
Dupree69 writes:
Really? I haven't learned my colors yet.
Dupree69 writes:
Well, I haven't learned how to count either, but I can say FIRST.
Dupree69 writes:
Dear Phil - when you meet with Mike, please ask him if it is OK for me to come back to Stokely. I promise I will not throw urine on your secretary or make asbestos snow cones for you anymore.
GreerVol22 writes:
Yes , Fulmer deserves the award, yes its OK to present it to him at the foundry. No, its not right to "honor" him at the O&W game. Bad move Hamilton but maybe he will go fishing like he promised and diappear for a while and let Kiffin succeed or fail without being in his shadow. If Hamilton wants to honor him properly, then bring him back during homecoming or something. At least by then, like some have said, any sore spots will be healed by then.
saveoursaints writes:
I see this as a sign of weak leadership on Hamilton's part. Hamilton needs to be the one to take the heat if there is any animosity on Fulmer's part, which there would be if I was in Fulmer's shoes. If Fulmer is to continue any part of his legacy by fostering a relationship with the new regime (which I think could benefit the program in many ways), Hamilton has to be the bad/fall guy here. Give it time Mike, the wounds are still fresh.
TommyJack writes:
If FHCPF has animosity, it should be directed inwardly.
murrayvol writes:
But could you be talked into a private disclosure? :)
saveoursaints writes:
You're probably right, as the end result was the consequence of his own decisions, but like I said, the wounds are still fresh. Fulmer is human, and we all will project those types of emotions outwardly from time to time, at least initially. All the more reason for Mike to keep his distance.
bigtimevol writes:
This conversation will go better than Majors meeting Fulmer in the hallway after he's had a couple!
GREATVOLSAFIRE writes:
Better to do it at the O&W game than a real game!
BigOrangeJeff writes:
Those idiots don't have the stones to show up and boo him.
rocky_topper writes:
wanna bet?
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Mirrors have a way of showing reality.
BigOrangeJeff writes:
Yep. I guarantee that you will not show up and boo anywhere nearly as loudly as those cheering for CPF.
Oh, you'll probably show up and boo under your breath then come back and post about how your big, brave self stood up and shouted down your entire section at the stadium. But it won't happen. You're the typical "hide behind your mommy's keyboard" tough guy, who suddenly clams up when in public.
Either that, or you really aren't a Vol fan. Either way, get lost, loser.
rocky_topper writes:
Big Jeff, you sound mighty big on the other side of that keyboard buddy. I am guessing you still deny the fact that Fulmer was bood all of last year too. Of course, I'm sure you weren't even at any of the games to witness it first-hand!
You're the one who needs to get lost you big fool.
deakinbi writes:
I agree. Hamilton remains the silliest AD in the NCAA. Sounds like he's having trouble sleeping at night.
rocky_topper writes:
Why you say that? Hamilton did what he needed to do to protect the football program and get the rebuilding of it restarted. The 60K fans who were showing up to the games weren't quite cutting it. It was his job to do so!
al2476 writes:
Those that are negative about Coach Fulmer need to remember that he brought a national to Tn. This has only happened twice in school history and Coach Fulmer was one of the coaches that acomplished it. So if you are so down on the football program at UT start following Vandy and follow what you are a loser.
BigOrangeJeff writes:
These are the same idiots that would have been screaming for Gen. Neyland's head after his down years.
Couchdummy writes:
Phil Kulmer.
rocky_topper writes:
I'm certainly NOT a vandy fan by any means, but if you compare the two programs the past few years, that is even more upsetting!
Not all VOL fans stay very content with mediocrity or being a SEC bottom-tierd program. I'm glad not all Tennessee fans accept that actually, or you are right, we would become complacent fans just as some of the other universities where a 5-7 season is considered to be a success!
BigOrangeJeff writes:
Hmm... I notice that you did not rebut my guarantee that you would not show up and boo.
Interesting.
vol88 writes:
"Q&W game"
There are just too many wisecracks to choose from.
I have a great idea where you can put your megaphone.
rocky_topper writes:
Actually, I don't boo; I have more class than that. BUT, there will be boos which is what I said. If I chose to boo however, I would NOT be afraid to do so regardless of who was around. That is everyone's right, just as it is everyone's right to applaud if they want.
I will NOT applaud Fulmer though. I think he left the program in MUCH worse shape than it was when he took it over. If he had stepped down about 5 years ago, I would have thought he had the best interest of the program at heart. Being how it ended, I have no respect for him at all. He simply ran out of excuses (young team, injuries, scapegoats, etc.) which finally caught up with him! That is my opinion.
1998 was a great year. Was it because of Fulmer? No way! Cutcliff and the great talent we had on the field who played as a team and with heart were the reasons for 1998. Fulmer could NOT out-coach anyone even in Div II if he had to. That's the Fulmer I know.
FUGators writes:
That is the same lazy-azz of a coach I know too!
These Foolmore supporters on here probably didn't even show up to any of the games last year when people couldn't even give their tickets away on the strip. These are the ones who lounge on their couch watching the tube eating cheese puffs and drinking a case or two! But they just like to bicker at the fans who truly are supporters of the team and who finally had their feel of phil! Do as I do, just laugh at their ignorance, because all they know to go on is that he won in 1998! Too damn bad they are unaware of his real statistics!
BigOrangeJeff writes:
So are you saying that Fulmer had nothing to do with the good years, but the bad years were all his fault?
Wow.
What happened, did Fulmer decline an autograph request from you? Did he not offer you a scholarship to play football, forcing you to live out your fantasy on the intramural fields?
rocky_topper writes:
Exactly! I stand by what I say. Fulmer was the embassador and care-taker of our football program. His stubborness and ego cause the program to plummet to the depths that it did without taking needed action to keep it from doing so. Even on the day he was fired if you remember, he still said "I think next year we could have turned the program around"! HA!
Docrok writes:
Me personally I dont think you honor a man coming off a 5-7 season that got him fired! Yes he had an outstanding record and had a pretty run from 96-01, but this is Kiffins first O/W game and it should be about Kiffin and Kiffin's team! Bad Form! Sorry just my opinion!
Docrok writes:
Dam# I was reading a post on I think it was Tuesday and only caught the RichRollin thing and started reading garbage spewed about FL whippin TN and I was like "OH HE!! NO somebody done hacked your account!! Then I noticed it said 09 and I knew it was one them retarded gator fans trying to be funny!! Anyway MAN AM I EXCITED!!! I cant wait!! Hey I am trying to figure out where to park and tailgate, know any good spots
But I agree he has definitely rubbed it in the faces of TN fans that wanted change! I think he is extremely bitter and its not endearinig him to my kind side which is kind of depleted days!!
rocky_topper writes:
Fear the KIFFIN.....
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc...
Docrok writes:
When He gave his announcement of his resignation at first I felt kinda bad for the guy, but then he started talking about how he felt he could get it turned around and I just felt the attempt at class was just a facade (spelling??) to make people believe how classy he was being about the whole thing! No one likes to get canned but if you arent man enough to see that there was a reason for it and that the product you put out for more than just one year got you canned then you are just fooling yourself!
Bigger_Al writes:
Heck, if Johnny deserved it, Phil definitely deserves it.
rocky_topper writes:
I don't see an end to it actually. I hope I am wrong and this is the end of Fulmer, but I'll be surprised if it is. I think he likes hanging around offering his ever-so-unwelcomed comments. Where else can he go? It's not as though invitations are pouring in for him; well, other than mule day parades!
Go4Two writes:
SO the Bear wasn't a great coach he just had the best players. Vince had Starr and 10 hall of famers.. Chuck Noll just got luckly had a great draft. Tom Landry he could not coach he had Roger, Tony, Your comments are do not hold water 152-52 sums it up.
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