There is a SportsCenter commercial with Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt where Kenny Mayne fires off puns that use the coach's name and team, only for Summitt to respond that she's got "this coaching thing down pat."
I concur.
Thursday night, Summitt became the first Division I coach, men's or women's, to reach 1,000 wins as her Volunteers beat up on Georgia 73-43.
After a bit of a thumping at the hands of rival Alabama, reports are now starting to surface from "sources" that Tennessee has decided to let the long-time Volunteer coach Phillip Fulmer go at the close of this season.
Very reliable sources have informed 3SIB that Vols head coach Phillip Fulmer WILL NOT be retained at the end of the season. Likely, an announcement won't be made until after the Kentucky game.
Also, the source has confirmed to me that several assistants from the old guard will not be retained, though the names were not divulged. The remaining coaches' futures will be determined at a later date. The source would not go further into detail.
As with any report of this type, care must be taken before jumping to any conclusions, but in the world of rumors, this one is not that far out there.
While Tennessee Head Coach Phil Fulmer probably likes being being served certain things, like a whole roast turkey and a bucket of mashed potatoes for example, he probably didn't appreciate being served a subpeona to testify in a defamation suit against the NCAA.
In 2002, following a fairly lengthy and secretive investigation, the NCAA's Committee on Infractions handed down some of the most severe penalties in decades. To say that a certain sect of Alabama fans were displeased with Fulmer's involvement in that investigation would be a bit of an understatement. After the dust settled, a number of Alabama boosters had been named and subject to public humiliation at the hands of the Committee on Infractions.
This produced a number of law suits in Alabama, all of which posed the threat that Fulmer would have to take the stand and be forced to answer for his dealings with the NCAA. To avoid that, he skipped SEC Media Days in 2004 and was fined for it.
We don't know whether he's actually ready to face the questions that will be posed or just didn't see it coming this year, but either way, it'll be interesting to see what comes of the deposition. In fact, it'll be as interesting to hear what questions get asked as what answers Fulmer provides.
Want to know just how toasty the hot seat has gotten for Phillip Fulmer in Knoxville? Several former Tennessee lettermen came together to run an ad in Friday's edition of the Knoxville News-Sentinel. A full reproduction is available on the GoVolsXtra.com website, but the meat of the letter says:
We are proud that Coach Fulmer is the head football coach of our [sic] team.
We're glad that he leads and teaches the young men in our program. For some of us, those young men include our sons and other family members. He is what we want our children to be, and what we work to be more like every day of our lives.
The skills necessary to be successful aren't industry-specific. They include qualities like honesty, clarity of purpose, a daily commitment to improvement, discipline, attention to detail, focus, an incredible work ethic, the ability to work with others and a willingness to learn from adversity.
These skills do not become dated; time does not pass them by.
Coach Fulmer not only possesses these in abundance, he teaches them to young people. He represents the best of what a university can and should be. He prepares young men for life.
The letter is signed by 191 former Vols, ranging from players of the 1970s to this decade and including current NFL players like Peyton Manning, Jason Witten, and Gibril Wilson as well as old-school names like Bill Bates and Dale Jones. Of note is that few recent players' names were attached to the letter; Jonathan Wade ('06) and Jesse Mahelona ('05) were the lone representatives from the last couple of years. Also intriguing (and a little funny): Casey Clausen signed, but not Rick.
That's not to say that other players don't support Fulmer, just that their names weren't attached. There was no mention of who was asked to sign or how the letter was put together.
When Ryan Ferguson singled out Phillip Fulmer and Les Miles as the coaches most likely to be Croomed back in June, he probably didn't know LSU was quite the chainsaw-endowed werewolf it has turned out to be, or that Fulmer would have one of the rockiest starts to a season in his long career. He also had no way of knowing that Mississippi State would be a respectable football team, one that is very physical on the line of scrimmage and capable of winning some games (does everybody, or anybody, realize that State is two wins away from bowl eligibility... and it's only October 12?).
Still, even if State is improved, and even if they make it to a bowl game this year, losing to the Bulldogs carries a stigma with it. So even though the Vols' beatdown of Georgia last week gave some hope to the Big Orange faithful, a loss in Starkville this weekend would erase all that. The things Vol fans really want to know are: was that the real UT against Georgia last weekend, or are the Vols really that team that got smoked in Gainesville? And did the run defense get that much better in the bye week, or was UGA just overrated? Was the bye week the key, or can the Vols get that prepared every time out? Answers, or possibly just more questions, after the jump...
(BTW: Totally ignoring firecoachnicksaban.com because... well because you people are just nuts)
Back in August, Fanhouse tabbed three SEC coaches in danger of losing their jobs during or after this season. And with the season nearly 1/3 of the way over(!), some have cooled off, while others are squarely in the frying pan. So, it's time to check those coaches' status thus far. I see three levels of heat on the seat of these guys:
1. Hog-roasting, doughnut-glaze-melting heat of a million angry fans: Houston Nutt and Phil Fulmer. Nutt is kind of obvious: he was in trouble before the season (trouble that was completely avoidable), and that was coming off an SEC West title. Dropping games to Alabama and Ken-freakin'-tucky hasn't cooled anything. Plus, he's bat-crap crazy. As for Fulmer, in August I wrote "barring complete and total disaster, Fulmer will be the head coach at Tennessee for awhile, probably as long as he wants it." Yeah, well... the 39-point loss to Florida might not qualify as complete and total disaster, but it's as close to it as Fulmer's been outside of the Season of Which We Do Not Speak. For the first time in his career, Fulmer has lost a significant portion of the fan base and needs some quality wins this year to re-cement his spot on Rocky Top.
Phillip Fulmer has given a gift of $1 million dollars to the University of Tennessee to help support an ongoing fund-raising program at the school, according to the Knoxville News-Sentinel'sgovolsxtra.com:
The money will go in equal parts to academics and athletics and be used to support scholarships, athletic facilities and programs.
It represents one of the largest gifts by a coach and his family to the university.
That's at least twice recently that Fulmer has done something good, which is hard for some people to accept. Now I happen to think this is a classy move by a guy who is deeply devoted to his alma mater. But I also happen to be a tremendous homer, so I will put on my cynic cap for two seconds for a glimpse of what the less-Fulmer-devoted segments of the Tennessee fan base might be thinking:
Cynic A: "'Bout dern time that good-for-nothin' Fulmer gave somethin' back! He's been getting fat and rich off our money for years now and for what? A national title ten years ago! What has he done for me this year?"
Cynic B: "Fulmer's actions are merely a way of keeping himself off the hot seat, as he is surely feeling pressure going into this season."
By the way, Cynic A should be read with a wad of Red Man in the cheek, while Cynic B is better understood if wearing a blue sweater vest and sipping red wine on the banks of the Tennessee River. I'm glad to see that, at least judging by the comments on the GVX site, my thinking is aligned with many Vol fans. But it takes all kinds. And I'm sure the cynics' argument will pick up steam if UT gets off to a rocky start.
Being a coach in the SEC can be lucrative (just ask any coach at Alabama). But because of the insanely high expectations each fan base has for its team, it can also be a pressure cooker (just ask any former coach at Alabama). Coaching in the SEC is kind of like being a salesman in Glengarry Glen Ross: first place, an SEC championship; second place, a set of steak knives; third place, you're fired.
Alright, so maybe third place isn't grounds for immediate dismissal, but it makes the barbecue circuit in the spring a little more uncomfortable. More than half the coaches in the league have been with their teams for less than five years, so turnover isn't unusual. Before we take a look at coaches who need to impress this fall to remain on their respective sidelines, let's be clear about who most likely isn't worried about losing his job anytime soon.
1. Urban Meyer -- current king of college football 2. Nick Saban -- even if he's not Bear Reincarnate, Bama's got a lot of money tied up in him. 3. Steve Spurrier -- If you can charge $100/year for access to your website, you've got job security. Click clack. 4. Tommy Tuberville -- Steadily maintains one of the best programs in the SEC this decade. 5. Mark Richt -- see also Tommy Tuberville 6. Les Miles -- Goofy hat, goofier comments, but wins.
Surprisingly, Bobby Johnson still isn't on the hot seat. He's managed to do something that nobody else has done since George McIntyre in the early 80s: hold the Vandy job for more than five years. And whether or not he also becomes the first coach to lead the 'Dores to a bowl since McIntyre, he's well-liked in Nashville and should be around for awhile. Also, Rich Brooks has gone from fans wearing "Rich Brooks Farewell Tour" t-shirts to writing songs about him, and could take the 'Cats to back-to-back bowl games for only the third time in 25 years.
So which of the four remaining coaches are on the hot seat? After the jump...
to cause (a person) a painful loss of pride, self-respect, or dignity; mortify the fans and administration of an opposing SEC football team, resulting in the removal or firing of their head coach
[Origin: 2004–05; < LL humili?tus (ptp. of humili?re to humble), equiv. to L humili(s) humble+ -?tus-ate1, see Mississippi State vs. Florida, Ron Zook; Mississippi State vs. Alabama, Mike Shula]
-Synonyms dishonor, disgrace, shame; degrade, abase, debase. See humble.
-Antonyms exalt, honor, contract extension.
Sylvester Croom's three years at Mississippi State have been remarkable similar: in each of his football campaigns, he's managed a total of three wins with a major upset thrown in two out of three times.
The upsets have been so massive that by winning, the opposing coach ends up Croomed. Evidence: Ron Zook was canned after the Gators lost to Croom's Dogs in 2004, and Mike Shula didn't survive 2006 at Bama after losing to Mississippi State in Tuscaloosa.
There is a SportsCenter commercial with Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt where Kenny Mayne fires off puns that use the coach's name and team, only for Summitt to respond that she's got "this coaching thing down pat."
After a bit of a thumping at the hands of rival Alabama, reports are now starting to surface from "sources" that Tennessee has decided to let the long-time Volunteer coach Phillip Fulmer go at the close of this season. 
While Tennessee Head Coach Phil Fulmer probably likes being being served certain things, like a whole roast turkey and a bucket of mashed potatoes for example, he probably didn't appreciate being served a subpeona to testify in a defamation suit against the NCAA.
Is that a death-knell you hear, or just the dulcet tones of Sly Croom? You be the judge...
(BTW: Totally ignoring firecoachnicksaban.com because... well because you people are just nuts)
What a country!
[kr-oom] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
