The firing of coach Fulmer

It was announced yesterday that Phil Fulmer would be stepping down at the end of the season. The real story is that Phil was fired and will be getting one of the biggest buyouts in college football history. Last year Fulmer signed a new seven-year contract worth $2.4 million, and he's owed a $6 million buyout payable over 48 months as part of that contract. His staff is owed an additional $3.55 million, however that figure could decrease depending on how many of them get jobs next year.

I don't really know how to take the news. The past four seasons has been soul draining but Fulmer means a lot to the team, institution, and the fans. He's been at Tennessee for more than 30 years as a player, assistant coach and head coach. He guided Tennessee to a 45-5 record from 1995-98 and back-to-back SEC championships (3 total), and he also led the team to a national title in 1998 with an unbeaten 13-0 record. The man is UT.

Recently the program hasn't been able to match the magic of the 1998 season. The Vols have lost 31 games since the end of the 2001 season, 19 of those have been by double digits. They haven't been in a BCS game or won an SEC championship since 1998. Along with the mounting losses, the program has had numerous arrests. So many in fact, that it spurned the Fulmer Cup on Every Day Should Be Saturday (EDSBS).

Although it worries me to see the only coach I have known for the Vols headed out the door, it was time for Phil to go. Now the Fulmer Farewell tour begins, hopefully giving the team enough incentive to take Phil to a bowl one last time as the leader of Tennessee.

AD Mike Hamilton wrote an open letter to Vol fans letting us know that the national coaching search will begin immediately. He also included that the Kentucky game on Nov. 29 is when we celebrate "Phillip Fulmer Day" in Neyland Stadium. It will be a sad day on Rocky Top and the mixed emotions will get more convoluted as time moves on. I just hope that Hamilton hires someone with half the heart and dedication for the Vols as Fulmer. Good luck Phil and thanks for the ride, it wasn't always smooth but it was fun.

I leave you with this photo made by the wife of Hooper from Rocky Top Talk. Edited from the original painting of Death of Julius Caesar by Vincenzo Camuccini. The picture is a good representation of Phil's firing, as the angry mob finally caught up to him.