And Finally, The Most Hated SEC Football Coach is...
1 Philip Fulmer (Tennessee) – Did anybody else see this one coming?
Is it any surprise that the longest tenured coach in the SEC is the most hated? For nearly 14 seasons the coach affectionately known to his enemies as “Fat Phil” has walked the sidelines in Knoxville. So what have we learned about Fulmer over the years, other than his obvious weakness for extra-long cheese conies? First, we know - although some don't like to admit it - he’s a winner:
6 Division titles, 2 SEC Championships and 1 BCS Championship
Winning + Time = Hate - You don’t remain a head football coach for 14 years in the wild and crazy SEC without putting up some serious numbers (just ask Zook). When you play in the biggest stadium in the conference that was literally built upon past successes, your fans’ expectations are always sky high. More on that later.
Back to the subject. Who hates Fulmer and why?
Fulmer, You Don't Want None of This !Alabama – As if the beatings weren’t enough (UT has won 8 of the last 10), Fulmer played the “deep throat” of an investigation that got more press in The South than Clinton’s Impeachment. The details of the fiasco are not worth repeating. All you need to know is that Fulmer ratted out Bama, they went on probation and played “bowl games” in Hawaii. Oh, and they worked their way though roughly half a dozen coaches, many lives were ruined and one young Bama fan was nearly shot.
After the probation laden Bama team lost a double overtime heartbreaker to The Hawgs in ’03 one of the more proactive Tiders tried to take his son’s life with a 9 mm. Such passion! Imagine what some in The Bama Nation would do with the instigator of this whole mess, Fat Phil. He’s not even kin!
As you might expect, Phil doesn’t get to play the R.T.J. trail as much as he would like. He wouldn't even man up and come to Birmingham for the 2004 SEC Media days for fear of crazed Bama lawyers serving subpoenas among other things! Some might say he was overreacting, but those people have never been to a game in T-town. He decided to give the whole state a one year cooling off period.
Everybody Else - Fulmer has also earned the dubious reputation as the Teflon Don of College Football. Usually, where there is smoke, there’s fire. Not at Tennessee. I don’t know that The Vols have ever been on probation for a major football related offense, but I'm sure somebody will prove me wrong. For a supposedly clean program they produce some of the biggest thugs this side of Coral Gables. From cocaine trafficking to sexual harassment to you name it; Tennessee players and alum are guilty as sin.
I even had a UT fan chime in about his ultimate hate for Fulmer. Fulmer may have earned one stay of execution with years of good behavior (winning), but another season like 2005 and Phillip will be history on Rocky Top. A 5-6 record may get you a raise in Starkville but Volunteers scoff at anything less than double digit wins. If things aren’t looking up this season in Knoxville, P.F. could be off the list and out of our hearts forever. Enjoy it while you can Phil.
Wow,
ReplyDeleteCan words really express how low of a human being Fat Assed Phillip Foolmer is? From the knife he shoved squarely into Johnny Majors' back, to the cloak and dagger tactics he used to try and get THE best football program in SEC history shut down. Is there anyone who likes this guy besides the inbreds who show up en masse on fall Saturdays wearing orange? I can't find any.
Did you know that for the longest time (i.e. before the 2005 season) the only way to truely tell if the Vols were going to win a close game was if Fat Phil was sweating through his shirt and/or sweatshirt? If he had a half circle of fat covering the top of his gut (i.e. between the gut and the manboobs), UT would win the game.
ReplyDeleteThis came straight from the mouth of Vol fans.
My aunt (by marriage) is a UT grad and eventually converted to being a Bama fan because of all the trash going on in Knoxville.
ReplyDeleteTo the person up above that posted first, I just had to mention - anyone from Tuscaloser and/or Alabama in general really has no leg to stand on when talking about inbred SEC fans. 2/3rds of the people entering Bryant-Denny stadium on Saturdays have family trees that don't fork.
ReplyDeleteUT - the King Rat of the SEC. It's not just Phat Phil who is a rat, it's that whole rotten bunch up there. UT still carries a grudge about losing Spurrier to UF. It at least goes back as far as when Doug Dickey jumped the UT ship to come to UF when Gator Ray retired. This boob was the most hated coach ever at UF (and he's a UF alum & former UF Qb!), whose main claim to fame is the infamous "fourth & dumb call" in the '77 Florida Georgia game. I used to think UT was upset about Dickey taking the HC job at UF, but it was part of the bigger overall plot to keep UF down, & what better way than with Dum Dickey! So, where did Dickey go when Charlie Pell replaced him? Right back to UT! Then in 1984, when UF was the outright SEC champion, guess who was championing the fight to make sure that UF was stripped of the title, no bowl game and no shot at the MNC? Why, good ol' UT, of course. Now comes 1990, and who becomes the HC at UF? Why none other than Steven Orr Spurrier, the one and same that those hicks still had the grudge for. True to form, UT starts lobbying again for UF to go on probation for minor infractions that did not even happen under SOS or had anything to do with. UT's ultimate motive? Again, strip UF of the SEC Crown, and oh, my! guess who the SEC Champ is in 1990? Why, none other than those sleazy vermin from Knoxville! What they cannot win on the field, they will stab you in the back for. The one saving grace in all these years, was that UT could NOT win in Gainesville in all those years - until Zook, that is. I used to really hate Vince Dooley, but at least you had to respect the guy and his abilities. Any hatred for Vince, came from the fact that we had so much trouble beating UGA. But the UT thing runs so much deeper. I dispise the entire school & administration up there in Knoxville. They have not changed one bit over the years, and Phat Phil is only their poster boy! The annual UT beatdown is the one true game that I live for every year. And, if it's a bad call that wins the game for us, so much the better!
ReplyDeletehey gator: TL;DR
ReplyDeleteNothing better than cheaters whining about getting caught!
Good list though. Funny how Vandy didn't make the cut.
Tennessee had nothing to do with Florida not winning the SEC title in 1990. Florida was already on probation when that season started, and as such, went into the season knowing they were ineligible. Tennessee just happened to be the non-probation team that posted the best SEC record (5-1-1, including a 45-3 beatdown of UF), and therefore won the SEC title. Furthermore, Tennessee also tied for the 1989 SEC title, so your assertion that Tennessee "couldn't win it on the field" in that era is doubly bogus.
ReplyDeleteThe 1984 SEC "title" was taken away because Florida cheated. LSU had as much to do with that as anyone, because they were the team that stood to benefit the most. They got to go to the Sugar Bowl.
Last but not least, I guess Dickey losing the 1969 Gator Bowl to Florida on purpose was all part of the grand plan to keep the mighty Gators down, too. One year later, the same teams played again and our coach (Bill Battle) was dumber than Dickey, but UT won 38-7. You're as bad as a Bama fan when it comes to conspiracy theories.
He's too fat to be a head coach, looks like an assistant o-line coach. Spurrier owns him, I love that.
ReplyDeleteDon't want to be on probation? Don't break the rules. Bama fans complaining about Fulmer (who wasn't alone btw) turning them in are like a murderer complaining because a witness called the police.
ReplyDeleteI know that in your delusional minds you think you have a RIGHT to cheat if you just happen to want to... but the rest of the world just doesn't respect that claim.
Again, Don't want to pay the price? Don't cheat.
As for the claims of thugs through UT? You basically have had all of those problems at Bama THIS YEAR ALONE...
mikestone, Spurrier owns Fulmer?
ReplyDeleteReally? Since moving to USC... which still has a better home recruiting base than UT... Spurrier has beaten Fulmer only once. He was also 2-2 against CPF in his last 4 years at UF... that isn't quite what you call "ownership". In fact, when the playing field is relatively level, it is more accurate to say that Fulmer owns Spurrier.
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ReplyDeleteWell everyone is entitled to their opinion. However, if you think Phil Fulmer is a better coach than Steve Spurrier then you need psychiatric help
ReplyDeleteFulmer may have ratted out Bama....but unfortunately for Bama fans, this probably cleaned up UT's program more than anything. If UT had done anything remotely worth reporting, Bama would have had witnesses lined up to return the favor.
ReplyDeleteOn an unrelated note, since UT's off-the-field issues have declined, so has its record haha.