How did I spend my Saturday night? Honoring a living legend in the state of Tennessee:

Stuffed into a stadium built to hold over 100,000 Orange clad maniacs in the freezing rain to say goodbye to the big fella, and what an emotional, tear filled event it turned out to be as we said goodbye to the Tennessee icon as he was carried off the field by his players one final time. Though many left early from the weather, there were a good 10,000 or so who waited until the clock ran out to say our final farewells:

Over the years, Fulmer has been known by many different names. Some were flattering, while others were not so much. However, there will always be a soft spot in our orange bleeding hearts for the big guy. 152 wins to 51 losses over seventeen years. For most of his tenure in the capital of college football, Fulmer was the winningest coach in the history of college football, his winning percentage, at one point, eclipsing 80%, a number unheard of for a coach with more than eighty games on his resume. Of course, the later years were not as kind, as he ends with one around 75%, which is still an unbelievably successful run, and one that any coach would have a tough time of topping after eclipsing the 200 game mark. Not even Phil’s perennial thorn in his large hide, that old ball coach who currently resides in Columbia, SC (hint: His last name is Spurrier), will end his career with a win/loss ratio as successful as Fulmer.

Fulmer- over 35 years at the University of Tennessee (a pictoral tribute):

Team Captain 1971:

Offensive Coordinator 1989-1992:

Coach Fulmer: National Champion 1998

11-5 Vs. The Tide, becoming the first modern UT coach to post a winning record against our nemesis (Hint: That’s a certain former TN Senator narrating the video):

Fulmer’s tenure built one of the true dynasties in college football, and the list of players who played under Coach Fulmer during this era as either the offensive coordinator, and head coach after 1992, reads like a who’s who among college football elites:

Cast as seen in video:
#1 Leonard Little- All American Defensive End 1996, #7 Deon Grant- All American Free Safety 1999, #8 Andy Kelly- All SEC Quarterback 1991, #11 Joey Kent- All American Wide Reciever 1996, #12 Marcus Nash- All American Wide Reciever 1997, #15 Carl Pickens- All American Wide Reciever 1991, #16 Peyton Manning- All American Quarterback 1997, #17 Tee Martin- All SEC Quarterback 1999, #20 Travis Henry- All SEC Tailback 2000, #21 Heath Shuler- All SEC Quarterback 1993, #23 Dwayne Goodrich- All SEC Cornerback 1999, #24 Shawn Bryson- NFL Fullback, #25 Jay Graham- All SEC Tailback 1995, #27 Al Wilson- All American Linebacker 1998, #30 Charlie Garner- All SEC Tailback 1993, #34 James Stewart- All SEC Tailback 1994, #34 Travis Stephens- All American Tailback 2001, #37- Peerless Price- All American Wide Reciever 1998, #44 Chuck Webb- All American Tailback 1990, #58 Darwin Walker- All American Defensive Tackle 1999, #92- Albert Haynesworth- All SEC Defensive Tackle 2001, #98 John Henderson- All American Defensive Tackle 2001

Coach Fulmer was the most successful coach in college football during the 1990’s, and he precided during an era that gave us the three most successful quarterbacks in school history. What made it even more impressive was that their tenure’s came in succession:

Heath Shuler #21- Starting quarterback 1992-93

Peyton Manning #16- Starting Quarterback 1994-1997

Tee Martin #17- Starting Quarterback 1998-99

Tennessee’s All Time Winningest Quarterback

Finally, Opposing teams always loved to take shots at Coach Fulmer, and some were quite creative. If anyone is familiar with SEC football, they will understand the passion and anger that follows it, and one has to learn to take the shots in stride, and with Fulmer, they never seemed to have a lack of ammo:

Whether one loved him or hated him, Southeastern Conference football has lost one of it’s great ambassadors, and a good man. Maybe the time had come to say farwell, but the Big Orange Nation will never forget Coach Fulmer, and we are grateful for a man who dedicated his life to the university.

Famous Tennesseans sure do look alike: