Although he still looks younger than he did during his final season coaching at Tennessee in 2008, youth twinkles in Phillip Fulmer’s eyes when he discusses a potential return to the sideline.
“I’ve always said I would coach again if the right opportunity presented itself,” Fulmer said Thursday while in town at the Holiday Inn to speak at a Boys & Girls Club fundraiser. “I would coach again, but it would have to be a real unique situation.”
East Tennessee State would qualify as unique. The Buccaneers football program was discontinued in 2003, clumsily considered for reinstatement in 2007 by the same president who’d killed it, and is now seemingly destined for a return under new energetic president Dr. Brian Noland.
Fulmer smiled when the notion of him coaching in Johnson City was mentioned, though it was something less than dismissive.
“We’ll see,” Fulmer said. “I would certainly be willing to help any way that I can as they look at whatever is out there.”
The Hall of Fame coach seemed up to snuff on the speculative ETSU football chatter.
“I think any time a young person has the opportunity to compete on the collegiate level in sports — I think it’s a good thing,” Fulmer said. “I’m really anxious to watch the progression of this. I was really sad when they dropped football. I think it serves a great purpose in this community ... the scholarships, the interest in the school that is generated — not only just during football season, but also bringing students from different parts of the country into East Tennessee State. Yeah, I look forward to seeing if they are really serious about moving forward.”
Fulmer could’ve gotten ETSU defensive back Gerald Sensabaugh to transfer for his final two seasons. One rumor at the time in 2003 was that Fulmer had too much respect for ETSU coach Paul Hamilton to pluck players from his roster, but Fulmer smiled Thursday while suggesting the Vols’ staff just missed on Sensabaugh, who’s gone on to a lengthy NFL career.
“I would like to think, you know, that we were that classy,” Fulmer said. “But it was a scholarship issue. I don’t remember exactly. …
“We would’ve loved to have had Gerald. Paul and I were friends, too. So it just didn’t work out. I’m glad to see him doing so well. He went to North Carolina, right? We probably should’ve took him.”
Fulmer saw Sensabaugh and his Dallas Cowboys teammate Jason Witten play in Atlanta this season when Witten broke Michael Irvin’s team record for receptions. Witten went on to break the NFL’s single-season receptions record for tight ends.
“I had a chance to go to Atlanta the night he broke the ... Cowboys’ record against Atlanta,” Fulmer said. “He’s had a phenomenal career. Jason was actually really mad at me when I moved him from defensive end to tight end, and he’s not so mad at me anymore.”
Fulmer most certainly has digested the anger he felt after his ouster at Tennessee in 2008. But with three coaches having been hired since, it’s obvious he rates UT dropping him up there with how many regard ETSU dropping football.
“I don’t think we would be in the position that we have been in the last three years, you know, if they hadn’t made the change,” he said.
Fulmer has spoken with new UT coach Butch Jones.
“I’m very hopeful that … Butch can get it turned around,” Fulmer said. “I’ve met with him a couple of hours. A sharp guy, you know, and obviously has great energy.
“The difficulty is internal management of what he has to do, and then also the recruiting. So the proof will be in the pudding. I hope he does great, and any way I can help him I will.”
Fulmer hasn’t spoken lately with Peyton Manning, whose Denver Broncos suffered a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Super Bowl-bound Baltimore Ravens.
“Peyton, after he loses, is not real good to talk,” Fulmer said. “So we’ve texted back and forth a little bit. You know, he’ll get over it.”
Manning threw an interception in overtime that helped lead to the loss, but it wouldn’t have gotten to that point if Denver’s secondary hadn’t choked while allowing a 70-yard touchdown pass from Joe Flacco to Jacoby Jones in the final minute of regulation.
Fulmer cringed while picturing Flacco’s fling flying high and far through the arctic air in Denver.
“Oh, that was the worst play in the history of defense backs, you know,” Fulmer said. “That’s a bad way to lose a game.”
Fulmer also coached Denver’s Britton Colquitt and Robert Ayers at UT.
There was consolation. Baltimore long snapper Morgan Cox also played for Fulmer.
“I communicate with Morgan quite a bit,” Fulmer said. “I’m proud of him. Here’s a guy that walked on to the program – tall and skinny and really was gonna have difficulty playing a position. But he worked so hard from the physical standpoint –and he was always smart and tough – and snapped great for us. And now he’s playing in the Super Bowl. How great a story is that?”
Fulmer, 62, went 152-52 (74 percent) in 17 seasons (1992-2008) at Tennessee. He works in Knoxville as a partner with Northshore Management and BVP Capital Management. And he hopes this visit to Johnson City will inspire many to invest in the Boys & Girls Club.
“The Boys & Girls Club, I’ve been involved with for 30 years in one way or another,” Fulmer said. “I had a lot of players that came through my program that were with the Boys & Girls Club. I know the impact it has on young people – the boys and girls. I’ve seen their faces when they get off the buses or they come into room and they get to go to the lab or they go play basketball. We had a great reading program … through Tennessee athletics that worked with our Boys & Girls Club.”
CDH12 writes:
January 25, 2013
9:16 AM
This would be an ideal hire for a start up program. Would create a huge buzz, attract great players, etc. If they can get this guy, they should.
Areyoukiddingme writes:
January 25, 2013
10:45 AM
Let's do it!!! And put me down for 2 season tickets!
sophie1983 writes:
January 25, 2013
11:14 AM
That would be awesome!!
jambi writes:
January 25, 2013
11:16 AM
The odds would be high that he would come here and coach, but talk about the buzz and excitement that would entail. That would be awesome.
get a clue writes:
January 25, 2013
12:01 PM
Season tickets? Really? Would some of you who will get on the football bandwagon because there's an article about Fulmer do some unbiased research about the cost of a football program! Not for one year or two. Put pencil to paper about the cost, year-in and year-out to fund a program. Not a team. A football program. You'll find a program at this level will spend far more than it will bring in. Phil Fulmer would't be a savior for an ETSU football program any more than Bill Curry, another coaching legend, was for Georgia State's. If UT, with all its resources and tradition can't right it's football ship, there's little chance ETSU will do better. Why can't the community and alumni be happy with the student athletes and coaches we have--the conference champions in numerous sports, the academic all-americans, the hall-of-fame track coach for whom the track is named, the hall-of-fame coach of perennially nationally top-ten ranked golf team, the hall-of-fame tennis player who came back to coach at his alma mater and lead his teams to conference championships and NCAA tournament appearances year after year after year? Why can't true ETSU backers be happy with the rich and successful volleyball, baseball, and basketball tradition?
Isn't this pseudo-hype about Phil Fulmer "maybe" being willing to help ETSU with a football return just a symptom of a state full of fans whose primary school has let them down on the gridiron? They keep watching other southern and SEC teams be in the top ten--consistently. And our hometown boy, Spurrier, continues to be successful--somwhere else.
If the Vols right their ship, all those who have proclaimed they'd be ETSU season-ticket holders will once again don orange and white, put gas in the car, and head to Knoxville on Saturdays. Let's consider supporting the Buccaneer student-athletes we already have. Let's consider getting on the bandwagon of our existing all-americans and academic stand-outs. Let's get real about what a football program actually costs and how it will drain resources. Let's get real about how long a grace period football fans will truly give coaches and players to produce a winning program from scratch.
It's indoor track season. Go check out a meet. It's baseball, softball, and tennis season. Look at www.etsubucs.com to find out their home schedules. When's the last time you were on campus? Take your kids to these events and let them watch athletes from all over the state, country, and world who chose to get their education at ETSU and play their sport in Johnson City, Tennessee. They chose your community and your university. Many of them turned down opportunities at other schools for an ETSU diploma. Be proud of that.
dallasman writes:
January 25, 2013
1:09 PM
Big Deal, Who Cares?
Imker writes:
January 25, 2013
2:32 PM
Fulmer would be worth whatever they could afford to pay him, though that's the question... how much could ETSU afford to pay him?
cityguy writes:
January 25, 2013
2:46 PM
The true football fans in Johnson City are who cares. And as for the ones who continue to cry about the costs. The main reason football was not successful at ETSU, is that the former dean did not like football. And he never promoted the program the way other college deans do their programs. He did not take an active roll in seeing that the football program funding was handled properly, and he had very little if any direct input to make sure the coaching and assistants were actually qualified to do a good job. And as a ETSU alumni, I totally understand that he had many other responsibilities as the dean. But so does every other dean at schools smaller than ETSU, and yet they can afford a decent football team. One last thing, since ETSU dropped its football program back in 2003, the student population has almost doubled. And I would say that would mean some type of increas in the students who would attend football games.
Tennesseepride writes:
January 25, 2013
3:38 PM
I wish that ETSU would hurry and make it's announcement on football. Phillip Fulmer would be a huge get for the program.
Go BUCS!
Tiredoftaxandspend writes:
January 25, 2013
3:47 PM
Most of the budget will be covered by scheduling 2 road games with a BCS opponent.
Build a new stadium where the old armory was on Market ST. and "LETS ROCK"....
Flip writes:
January 25, 2013
4:07 PM
OK, let's once again look at the data versus hearsay. There are several items that must be considered. First, state dollars cannot be used for athletics. Athletics must be support through other sources (donors, ticket sales, etc.). Second, football is very expensive. It cost over 4.5 Million per year which includes football and Title 9 (2 Million for Football and 2.5 for Title 9). Ok, let’s look at the data. The total average donor giving was $27,500 per year (from 1999-2003). The average attendance was 5000 people. If each person gave $100 in addition to the ticket cost, this would bring in an average of $500,000 per year. So, football could generate an average of $527,500 per year. So, where does the other $3,972,500 come from? It has been proven that donors are not the answer and neither are ticket sales. So, it falls on the students. Each student would have to pay an average of $250.00 more per year. This would bring in an additional $2.5 million. This is still short of the $4.5 million required for football. So, where does the rest come from? Now remember, this is every year. Not just one time. Is it fair to ask the students to bear the additional cost? I do not think so. Especially in this economy. Now, do not get me wrong, I love football, but it comes at a price.
etsudolfan writes:
January 25, 2013
4:28 PM
@Flip you also have to factor in advertising, tv contracts, stadium naming rights, etc.
etsudolfan writes:
January 25, 2013
4:42 PM
Fulmer would be just the man for the job...great fundraiser, experienced HC, great reputation, and solid recruiter....he also knows the area very well. Get this done! Go Bucs!!!!
shylocxs writes:
January 25, 2013
5:16 PM
@etsudolfan What tv contracts? There weren't any before, why would there be any now?
Once again, don't you people know how indifferent ETSU students are to football? This is just a bunch of fantasies in the minds of people who want football, but not a reality.
Tiredoftaxandspend writes:
January 25, 2013
5:42 PM
The students are indifferent because they have never had a team. Just take a trip to WCU one Saturday. The entire town is clad in purple and gold and their team is terrible. They made over $800,000 playing Alabama. They have a family section with a corporate sponsor and it is always full. Try to find a place at a UT game without a drunk next to you or one row behind cussing every play.
Most conferences have a TV deal even if it is on CSS or another cable affiliate. Tennessee Tech plays most of their games on Thursday nights so they don't compete with UT or local high school football. They have great crowds and are on TV 2 or 3 times a year.
It is doable...however, it is up to the city not the students to support it.
DrPat writes:
January 25, 2013
5:44 PM
MTSU, TTU, Memphis, TSU and APU have football. Why not ETSU? Are their leaders so much better? Get real!
etsudolfan writes:
January 25, 2013
6:05 PM
"@etsudolfan What tv contracts? There weren't any before, why would there be any now?"
@shylocxs that is because we are in a bottom feeding conference in the A Sun
concernedforAmerica writes:
January 25, 2013
6:14 PM
I'm pretty sure the new E.T.S.U. president has enough basic"math skills" to consider feasability of a football program! Or any other for that matter. 40-50 years ago who could have projected Troy, Marshall, (same conference as E.T.S.U. not that long ago) E. Carolina, U. of Miami, Fla. and I could go on, competing on a national stage with T.V. games and bowls? It would be great if feasible, a man like Fulmer were to head the program. A visionary with experience. And in reguard to some of the "economic advisors" here I've seen many, many businesses over the years stagnate and fail listening to NEAR SIGHTED BEAN COUNTERS! Also no one here is knocking fans of volleyball, basketball, etc. Why knock those who like football? Go VOLS and BUCS in all sports!!
StaticEyes writes:
January 25, 2013
8:06 PM
Bringing football back to E.T.S.U. would kill the school. People go to that school for an education and already have to pay a high cost to do that. That 15,000+ student body they have now would drop to nearly half as people take their money else where.
get a clue writes:
January 25, 2013
8:14 PM
Did someone actually say there could be a comparison between Appalachian State and ETSU football? Jerry Moore coached decades to earn that trip to Michigan. Regarding the aforementioned "bottom feeder conference", how long HAVE you lived here? The same teams winning the A-Sun won Southern Conference championships. I personally saw Les Robinson hold conference championship trophies. I was part of the crowd that stormed the volleyball court when our team bounced Furman in the final of the Southern Conference tournament. I was in college when our women's shot putter qualified for the Olympic team. Have you seen the golf program's coach of the year awards and SoCon championship trophies? Did you notice the women's tennis team crushed Wake Forest last week and the men are playing at Ohio State tomorrow? The ACC and Big Ten... There are some pretty stellar "bottom feeders" wearing navy and gold and representing ETSU and the community.
Tennesseepride writes:
January 25, 2013
9:44 PM
ETSU has what it takes to make football a self sustaining venture. I'm tired of hearing this false argument that football was costing too much money when in reality athletic spending never decreased after the football team was disbanded.
I support all ETSU sports, am a proud alumni, and eagerly await the return of a football team and marching band.
This movement in the kind of change that ETSU, Johnson City, and the whole of north east Tennessee has been looking forward to for a while.
dbmark17 writes:
January 25, 2013
10:14 PM
Good luck to ETSU in returning football to campus. It is something that is needed to rid ETSU of the community college feel it currently has. With the leaders that are currently in place, I feel football can and will be done right this time. No half hearted effort this time...
dbmark17 writes:
January 25, 2013
10:16 PM
And to the guy who is urging people to go see tennis matches and track meets, there is a reason that nobody goes to those events. They don't mean jack in the eyes of mainstream sports fans. Football and basketball are what matter.
get a clue writes:
January 25, 2013
10:20 PM
Tennesseepride, think about the figures a little more deeply. When sports are added, spending increases. Women's golf was added because there already was men's golf. Women's softball was added because there was already baseball. Men's and Women's soccer were added. None of those are free. Across the board, grade point averages and degree completions increased as did the number of academic all-conference honorees and academic all-America nominees.
CDH12 writes:
January 26, 2013
9:28 AM
@get a clue: How much national exposure has our heralded track and field program brought to the school? volleyball? softball? soccer? There is a reason why these events can't fetch more than 100 people. You want to talk about losing money? How much money are we losing by paying 30 softball player's tuition, and building them a brand new facility while selling MAYBE 20 tickets per game? Guess we should just drop all athletics aside from men's basketball because that is the ONLY one that even comes close to making money.
On the tuition argument, ETSU is one of the cheapest major universities you will find. If you want to pay less, go to Northeast State. Your mind will be nourished, and you wont feel lost in the crowd. The only drawback would be that you wont be able to take in a track meet or volleyball match and be filled with school pride. Take your own advice and get a clue!
etsudolfan writes:
January 26, 2013
9:45 AM
I'm not knocking sports like golf, volleyball, softball, etc., but go to the games and look at the attendance..you'll see how happy ETSU backers are of those sports you just mentioned. If money is the issue, I wonder how much money those sports are losing? You can't build 3 new stadiums, plus pay for scholarships, staff, etc. without it costing money....my question to you is this...how much money are those programs losing? The fact of the matter is that ETSU athletics has been going on a downward spiral for the past decade. Football and basketball sell and will generate revenue if they are done and marketed properly. Noland and Sander get this...apparently the football haters and some of the professors don't. You have to have flagship programs that market your athletic department and school. Its an investment, and you have to invest in the sports that will bring the most return which in our country are football and basketball.
Gordon writes:
January 27, 2013
5:53 AM
If, indeed, ETSU starts a football program, nowhere could they find a better man and coach than Phil Fulmer. I first met Phil in 1982 on the UT practice field and have been a fan of his ever since. Tennessee screwed up letting this national championship coach go. It took the heart right out of the Vols Vol Nation, and it has yet to be righted. I will be there for the first game, if there is one.
Bucsfansince83 writes:
January 31, 2013
6:43 PM
I am thrilled that ETSU will be getting football back. I entered ETSU in the fall of 1983, and as a freshman attended several games. Having played football in high school, (and twice in the minidome while in high school), I was always a fan of the game. It was great going to school where Saturday afternoons were abuzz, and going to the game meant festivities with friends, before and after. I dropped out of school, and regretted it for years. When I was age 44, I returned to ETSU to complete my degree. It was fun going back to college, but something was definitely amiss. There was no football. There was no excitement. ETSU had become the largest diploma mill in the state, and was a ghost town on weekends. I have one son at ETSU presently, and he would love to have a college team to root for. I also have a son in high school that is considering options where to play football in college. Now, instead of having to send him hundreds of miles away at a tremendous cost, he can play at ETSU, which is very near home. And yes, mark me down for 6 season tickets per year. Nothing against the other sports, but I just am not interested in watching golf, tennis, basketball or the others. Football is KING.