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Former Tennessee football head coach and College Football Hall of Famer Phillip Fulmer celebrated his 64th birthday today. Fulmer spent 33 years in Tennessee’s football program as both a player and coach.
Fulmer led Tennessee to a BCS National Championship in 1998, the first season under BCS rules. He also won two SEC championships (1997, 1998) and six SEC East titles (1997, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007). During the Vols’ championship season, Fulmer received several coaching awards: Home Depot Coach of the Year, SEC Coach of the Year, AFCA Coach of the Year, Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, George Munger Award and Sporting News College Football Coach of the Year.
Fulmer holds a career coaching record of 152-52 and is 8-7 in bowl games. He was enshrined into the College Football Hall of Fame on May 15, 2012.
Fulmer replaced Johnny Majors as Tennessee’s head coach in 1992 and held the position until 2008. The former offensive guard began his coaching career as a student coach with the Vols in 1972. Following a four-year run as both the offensive line and linebackers coach at Wichita State (1974-78) and a season as an assistant with Vanderbilt (1979), Fulmer returned to his alma matter as an offensive line coach in 1980. In 1989, he was promoted to offensive coordinator, while still serving his previous position.
Fulmer currently serves as a consultant and special assistant to athletic director Richard Sander at East Tennessee State University, which is expected football program in 2015 after shutting down for financial reasons in 2003.
A former freelance journalist from Nashville, Jason covers Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Kentucky
