I have been waiting for this day for MANY years!!! This man is not worth the $2.05 million a year salary they are paying him!!
Phillip Fulmer Resigns - November 03, 2008
Phillip Fulmer wore Tennessee orange for more than 30 years of his life as a player, assistant coach and head coach. Monday night he officially shelves his wardrobe as news arrived from Knoxville that Fulmer will step down at season’s end as head coach of the Tennessee Vols.
As head coach of the Vols, Fulmer notched an impressive 150-51 record, the third best among active coaches. However, it was not enough to hold onto the position he started 16 years ago, the longest tenure in the SEC.
Effective at the end of this season, Fulmer, who began his career as a player in 1969, will resign as head coach of the team which is currently in the midst of having their worst season in school history.
The Vols (3-6, 1-5 SEC) have sunk so far that their offense is ranked 114 our of 119 teams.
In a reported meeting with Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton, Fulmer agreed to step aside at the end of the year and go home with a buyout of his contract estimated at around $6 million.
Fulmer was well liked by his players and staff, but a serious decline over the last 7 years helped end his stay. Two SEC Championships and a National Championship mixed with a 45-5 record from 1995 to ‘98 brought Tennessee to a new level of prominence in the NCAA.
Fulmer then saw his pristine program drop to mortal levels after establishing themselves as the team to beat in the '90s.
The Vols never won the SEC after that ‘98 Championship year and began an inconsistent run that mixed 10-3 seasons with 5-6 clunkers. After coordinator David Cutcliffe left the team in ‘98, the team never seemed to have that punch on offense.
Outsiders look at Fulmer’s overall record of 150-51 and wonder why this current losing season has fans in such a frenzy. Simply that Tennessee cannot beat quality teams anymore.
The big rivals, Alabama, Florida and Georgia, are at the peak of their programs while the Vols have gradually worsened. From 2000 to ‘08, Fulmer has a combined 11-16 record against those rival teams and an embarrassing 17-26 record against all nationally ranked teams.
Football in the SEC is getting bigger as the conference gains acceptance as one of the best in the NCAA. Four teams in the SEC are ranked in the Top 15 and only Tennessee has an overall losing record in the SEC East.
The game which Fulmer used to dominate in the '90s with fast defenses and a pounding run game complimented with speedy receivers has finally caught up with him.
The offense is so poor that Georgia players, after their 26-14 win over the Vols, were rumored to have said they could predict where the running backs would go 80% of the time.
The Glory of Rocky Top is not what is used to be.
With the retirement of Phillip Fulmer the most popular question in Knoxville is who will replace him. Fulmer kept a clean program that gained him tremendous respect from players and coaches (outside of Alabama) which will be hard to match
Now they just need to get rid of their pr!ck of a coach and we might actually get somewhere! 
I can't always find the games I want to watch on TV here in New Orleans... This will help me keep track of them 
I have a bet going with someone on Saturday's Florida Gators VS Tennessee Volunteers game...
I just wanted to show my support to my team! 
I might live in the land of the Purple, Green, and Gold, but my blood runs pure orange!!
In Tennessee we take our football team, The Vols, seriously! It's not a football team, it's a religon... and for some that is SO true!
GO BIG ORANGE!!
