Phillip Fulmer
Phillip Fulmer went 151–52–1 on the field as a head coach, 1992–2008, at Tennessee; 152–52 officially, with 1993 (10–2) after forfeits. His 1998 Tennessee team claims the national title. Share
- Record
- 152–52 official; 151–52–1 on the field
- Seasons
- 17
- Schools
- 1
- National titles
- 1 claimed: 1998
- Hall of Fame
- 2012 inducted
- Best season
- 1998 13–0, No. 1
Season by season
| Season | School | Record | Conference finish | Bowl | AP final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Tennessee | 4–0 | 3rd (Eastern) | Hall of Fame Bowl W | 12 | |
| 1993 | Tennessee | 9–2–1 (10–2 official) | 2nd (Eastern) | Citrus Bowl L | 12 | |
| 1994 | Tennessee | 8–4 | 2nd (Eastern) | Gator Bowl W | 22 | |
| 1995 | Tennessee | 11–1 | Citrus Bowl W | 3 | ||
| 1996 | Tennessee | 10–2 | 2nd (Eastern) | Citrus Bowl W | 9 | |
| 1997 | Tennessee | 11–2 | 1st (Eastern) | SEC Championship Game W; Orange Bowl L | 7 | |
| 1998 | Tennessee | 13–0 | 1st (Eastern) | SEC Championship Game W; Fiesta Bowl W | 1 | |
| 1999 | Tennessee | 9–3 | 2nd (Eastern) | Fiesta Bowl L | 9 | |
| 2000 | Tennessee | 8–4 | 2nd (Eastern) | Cotton Bowl L | 25 | |
| 2001 | Tennessee | 11–2 | 1st (Eastern) | Citrus Bowl W | 4 | |
| 2002 | Tennessee | 8–5 | 3rd (Eastern) | Peach Bowl L | ||
| 2003 | Tennessee | 10–3 | T–1st (Eastern) | Peach Bowl L | 15 | |
| 2004 | Tennessee | 10–3 | 1st (Eastern) | Cotton Bowl W | 13 | |
| 2005 | Tennessee | 5–6 | 4th (Eastern) | |||
| 2006 | Tennessee | 9–4 | 2nd (Eastern) | Outback Bowl L | 25 | |
| 2007 | Tennessee | 10–4 | T–1st (Eastern) | Outback Bowl W | 12 | |
| 2008 | Tennessee | 5–7 | 5th (Eastern) |
Each season links to the team’s season page; bowls and playoff games link to the game. Conference finishes from the Wikipedia article’s record table.
Players he coached
Peyton Manning
Heath Shuler
John Henderson
Al Wilson
Dustin Colquitt
Eric Berry
Deon Grant
Jamal Lewis
Jerod Mayo
Jason Allen
Justin Harrell
Robert Meachem
Cosey ColemanConsensus All‑American, 1999- Robert AyersNo. 18 pick, 2009
- Shaun EllisNo. 12 pick, 2000
- Albert HaynesworthNo. 15 pick, 2002
- Donte’ StallworthNo. 13 pick, 2002
- James StewartNo. 19 pick, 1995
4 more
Terry Fair (No. 20 pick, 1998); Todd Kelly (No. 27 pick, 1993); Marcus Nash (No. 30 pick, 1998); Michael Muñoz (2004 William V. Campbell Trophy).
18 of the 22 players from his seasons with a Heisman top-five finish, a national award, consensus All-America honors or a first-round pick. Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.
How his teams did
| Kind of game | Games | Record | Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Against ranked teams | 80 | 42–37–1 | 53% |
| Against top-10 teams | 42 | 15–26–1 | 37% |
| Against rivals | 89 | 60–28–1 | 68% |
| Conference games | 130 | 95–34–1 | 73% |
| Bowls and playoffs | 17 | 10–7 | 59% |
| Decided by 8 points or fewer | 73 | 49–23–1 | 68% |
| At home | 107 | 88–19 | 82% |
| On the road | 74 | 50–23–1 | 68% |
| At neutral sites | 23 | 13–10 | 57% |
| As our Elo’s favorite | 157 | 133–24 | 85% |
| As our Elo’s underdog | 47 | 18–28–1 | 39% |
His own 204 games on file, 1992–2008, as played (vacated wins counted, ties as half a win). Ranks are the AP poll going into the game; rivals are the ones either program’s Wikipedia article names; favorite and underdog by our own Elo rating, which reads only scores.
Against other head coaches
| Coach | Record | Their schools | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Spurrier 1992–2008 | 5–9 | Florida, South Carolina | 14 | |
| Mark Richt 2001–2008 | 3–5 | Georgia | 8 | |
| Bobby Johnson 2002–2008 | 6–1 | Vanderbilt | 7 | |
| Houston Nutt 1998–2007 | 5–2 | Arkansas | 7 | |
| Tommy Tuberville 1996–2008 | 3–4 | Ole Miss, Auburn | 7 | |
| Lou Holtz 1999–2004 | 6–0 | South Carolina | 6 | |
| Rich Brooks 2003–2008 | 6–0 | Kentucky | 6 | |
| Danny Ford 1993–1997 | 5–0 | Arkansas | 5 | |
| Brad Scott 1994–1998 | 5–0 | South Carolina | 5 | |
| Woody Widenhofer 1997–2001 | 5–0 | Vanderbilt | 5 |
Phillip Fulmer’s record against the head coaches he met three or more times, from the games on file, as played.
Most-faced opponents
| Opponent | Games | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Georgiaseries | 17 | 11–6 |
| Floridaseries | 17 | 5–12 |
| Kentuckyseries | 16 | 16–0 |
| Vanderbiltseries | 16 | 15–1 |
| South Carolinaseries | 16 | 14–2 |
| Alabamaseries | 16 | 10–5–1 |
| Arkansasseries | 12 | 10–2 |
| Memphisseries | 7 | 6–1 |
National coaching awards
The awards- 1998 Tennessee: Eddie Robinson
National title staffs
Every title staff- Won a national title on Tennessee’s 1998 staff (head coach) · the staff · source
The champions’ staffs from 1990 on, as the schools listed them that season: Staff lists: Drew Hoover’s how-many-rings (MIT), from the schools’ media guides and staff pages. Roles as the source words them.
Career
| Years | Team | Job | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972–73 | Tennessee | Student coach | |
| 1974–78 | Wichita State | Offensive line and linebackers coach | |
| 1979 | Vanderbilt | Offensive coordinator and offensive line coach | |
| 1980–88 | Tennessee | Offensive line coach | |
| 1989–92 | Tennessee | Offensive coordinator and offensive line coach | |
| 1992–2008 | Tennessee | Head coach |
Every job as the infobox of his Wikipedia article lists it (CC BY-SA), assistant jobs included.
Coaching tree
Worked under
- Bill BattleTennessee
- Jim WrightWichita State
- George MacIntyreVanderbilt
- Johnny MajorsTennessee
Assistants who became head coaches
- David CutcliffeOle Miss, Duke
- Larry MarmieArizona State
- Randy SandersEast Tennessee State
- Lovie SmithIllinois, Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Houston Texans
- Kevin RamseyClark Atlanta
- Kurt RoperColorado
- Ryan HeldPeru State, Oklahoma Panhandle State, Southwestern Oklahoma State, Highland, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, Nebraska Kearney
- Shawn QuinnSavannah State
- Doug MarroneSyracuse, Buffalo Bills
- Shane BeamerSouth Carolina
- Marcus SatterfieldTennessee Tech
- Trooper TaylorDuke
- and 4 more
Worked under (4)
| Head coach | Team | Years | His job | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Battle | Tennessee | 1972–73 | Student coach | |
| Jim Wright | Wichita State | 1974–78 | Offensive line and linebackers coach | |
| George MacIntyre | Vanderbilt | 1979 | Offensive coordinator and offensive line coach | |
| Johnny Majors | Tennessee | 1980–92 | 1980–88: offensive line coach; 1989–92: offensive coordinator and offensive line coach |
Coached under him, later head coaches (16)
| Coach | With him | Head coach at | |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Cutcliffe | Tennessee, 1992: passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach; 1993–94: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach; 1995–98, 2006–07: assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | Ole Miss, Duke | |
| Larry Marmie | Tennessee, 1992–94: defensive coordinator | Arizona State | |
| Randy Sanders | Tennessee, 1992: wide receivers coach; 1993–98: running backs coach and recruiting coordinator; 1998–2005: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | East Tennessee State | |
| Lovie Smith | Tennessee, 1993–94: defensive backs coach | Illinois, Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Houston Texans | |
| Kevin Ramsey | Tennessee, 1995–98: defensive backs coach | Clark Atlanta | |
| Kurt Roper | Tennessee, 1996–98: graduate assistant; 2006–07: running backs coach | Colorado | |
| Ryan Held | Tennessee, 1998–99: graduate assistant | Peru State, Oklahoma Panhandle State, Southwestern Oklahoma State, Highland, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, Nebraska Kearney | |
| Shawn Quinn | Tennessee, 1999–2001: graduate assistant | Savannah State | |
| Doug Marrone | Tennessee, 2001: tight ends coach and offensive tackles coach | Syracuse, Buffalo Bills | |
| Shane Beamer | Tennessee, 2001–03: graduate assistant | South Carolina | |
| Marcus Satterfield | Tennessee, 2002–03: graduate assistant | Tennessee Tech | |
| Trooper Taylor | Tennessee, 2004–07: assistant head coach and running backs and wide receivers coach | Duke | |
| Matt Luke | Tennessee, 2006–07: offensive line and tight ends coach | Ole Miss | |
| Casey Woods | Tennessee, 2008: graduate assistant | Missouri State | |
| Dave Clawson | Tennessee, 2008: offensive coordinator | Bowling Green, Wake Forest, Fordham, Richmond | |
| Stan Drayton | Tennessee, 2008: running backs coach | Temple |
Other assistants under him (4)
| Coach | With him | |
|---|---|---|
| John Chavis | Tennessee, 1992–94: defensive line and linebackers coach; 1995–2008: defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | |
| Marion Hobby | Tennessee, 1998: assistant strength and conditioning coach | |
| Woody McCorvey | Tennessee, 1999–2003: running backs coach | |
| Greg Adkins | Tennessee, 2003–05: tight ends coach, asst offensive line and recruiting coordinator; 2006–08: offensive line coach |
From coaches’ Wikipedia infoboxes (CC BY-SA) and each season’s article for its coordinators: an assistant’s seasons at a school count under its head coach in our records; jobs in the NFL and elsewhere, under the head coach whose own article lists the job that year. Names without a page here link to their Wikipedia articles.
Pay
| Year | School | Job | Contract pay | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Tennessee | head coach | $2,400,000 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2007 | Tennessee | head coachbonuses up to $250,000 | $2,050,000 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2006 | Tennessee | head coachbonuses up to $250,000 | $2,050,000 USA Today via Leeds |
The same USA Today database for 2006–16, from Michael Leeds’ replication data on Harvard Dataverse (CC0): the season’s contract pay.
Pay of public employees in their public job only: head coaches, and assistants in the seasons our records name them a coordinator, at public universities.
How he coached
Fulmer’s teams went for it on 15% of fourth downs and on 29% of those where the model said go for it, passed on 50% of plays and took 25.6 seconds a play, 2004–2008.
| Season | Went for it on fourth | When the model said go | Pass rate | Seconds a play | EPA a play | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 12 g | 12 of 82 15% | 32% | 44% | 24.0 | +0.02 | |
| 2005 11 g | 17 of 92 18% | 31% | 50% | 26.3 | −0.15 | |
| 2006 13 g | 12 of 81 15% | 26% | 55% | 26.3 | +0.04 | |
| 2007 13 g | 15 of 103 15% | 29% | 55% | 23.8 | −0.02 | |
| 2008 12 g | 14 of 98 14% | 25% | 46% | 27.7 | −0.23 | |
| All 61 g | 70 of 456 15% | 29% | 50% | 25.6 | −0.06 |
His seasons as a head coach from 2004 on, from ESPN’s play by play: fourth downs where he went for it out of every fourth-down decision; how often he went when SportsDataverse’s fourth-down model said going for it was the better call; the share of his offense’s plays that were passes; seconds of game clock per offensive play (lower is faster); and expected points added per offensive play (EPA, a measure of how much each play moved the offense toward points). The season in progress counts its games so far. SportsDataverse’s coach tendencies, from ESPN’s play by play; the EPA and the fourth-down model are SportsDataverse’s.