Next Coach Could Be....

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LesBolstad

LesBolstad

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I've heard from a couple solid sources inside the athletic dept. that a leading candidate is former Tenn. coach Phil Fulmer. There have been several conversations with the 60 year old.

This name does not do much for me. What about you?
 

If no leach.. or any dream candidate. I would be open to Fulmer. Didn't he win a national championship at Tennessee?
 

I like Chris Peterson from Boise State. He has an uncommon name.
 

Fulmer would be a great hire

He fits the mold exactly of what Maturi wants, he would be as close to a Tubby hire as possible and he is an outdoors type of guy so he would probably enjoy minnesota outdoor scene as well. We would probably need to pony up some big bucks for assistants though as he has tons of connections and would pull in some big time assistants.
 

He won with Johnny Majors talent, then faded towards the end and was fired. If you didn't like Mason, you won't like Fulmer. Certainly not up and coming talent, and he's no Harbaugh. If it's this guy, who has been passed over again and again, Maturi truly can't entice anyone here.
 


He's not my favorite, but he's in my top 6-7. If we're going to hire a 60-year old former coach, I'd much prefer Bellotti though. I also wonder if Phil will come here if he can have the Vandy job and stick it to UT.
 


Letsgogophers said:
He won with Johnny Majors talent, then faded towards the end and was fired. If you didn't like Mason, you won't like Fulmer. Certainly not up and coming talent, and he's no Harbaugh. If it's this guy, who has been passed over again and again, Maturi truly can't entice anyone here.
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Come on. You don't coach and have success at a place for 12 years + because of the prior coach's talent. That's absurd. The 1998 team would have had largely talent Phil recruited.

That said, he's never coached anywhere other then Tennessee so there's uncertainty how he'd recruit here. Hopefully they allow him a nice budget for assistants.
 

No on Fulmer. Too old. Maybe too southern. We need a fresh start with a younger, more vital coach. Peterson would be great, as would Richt. There are others. Harbaugh would be phenomenal.
 



Carlson 79 said:
No on Fulmer. Too old. Maybe too southern. We need a fresh start with a younger, more vital coach. Peterson would be great, as would Richt. There are others. Harbaugh would be phenomenal.
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I agree that Fulmer is too old. Football coaching (and recruiting) is becoming a young man's game. HS kids don't relate to anything pre-Facebook, so winning a national championship in the 1990's is as meaningful to them as which Union General won the battle of Gettysburg. For that same reason I question how effective Tony Dungy would be as HC.

The only way a hire like Fulmer (or Belotti) would work is if that was part of a larger plan. Have them bring in an up&coming coordinator (like Applewhite or Treadwell) who will be groomed as the next HC in 3-5 years. Doesn't have to be publicly stated, but pretty much understood. That way the team gets a coach with instant credibility, which is desperately needed. And I doubt either of these guys want to be coaching into their 70's. Once the team is back on its feet you turn over the keys to the OC, who's hopefully ready for the job.

I think Peterson & Harbaugh are pipe dreams. Both have better jobs now. The only way Peterson would leave Boise St. is if he gets jobbed for a BCS bowl. Again. And there would be other (and better) BCS school vacancies for him to go to than ours in a month. As for Harbaugh, he's got a better team at a more prestigious university. Why would he come here. His name is already getting mentioned for the Dallas Cowboys job, as Wade Philips is a dead man walking. If his dream is to coach in the NFL, coming here would set that back at least 2-3 years. That's how long it'll take to clean up the mess Brewster left.
 

Tweet from Marcus this morning:

"I was told early in process former Tenn coach Phil Fulmer is very interested in Gophers' job. But how long would he last at 60 yrs old?"

"It's one thing if you've been at 1 school and are successful decade after decade ala Bowden and Paterno. But taking over new team is diff."

"That being said, if Fulmer came here and put Gophs back on track as competitive and respectable B10 program, then it would be Ok if he left."

Go Gophers!!
 

Michele Tafoya tweet:

"#Gophers head football coach prediction: former #UT head coach #PhilFulmer."

Go Gophers!!
 




For the record - Fulmer at TN

Year, Overall Record, SEC record
1992, 4–0, 2–0
1993, 10–2, 7–1
1994, 8–4, 5–3
1995, 11–1, 7–1
1996, 10–2, 7–1
1997, 11–2, 7–1 - SEC champs
1998, 13–0, 8–0 - National champs
1999, 9–3, 6–2
2000, 8–4, 5–3
2001, 11–2, 7–1
2002, 8–5, 5–3
2003, 10–3, 6–2
2004, 10–3, 7–1
2005, 5–6, 4–4
2006, 9–4, 5–3
2007, 10–4, 6–2
2008, 5–7, 3–5
Total: 152–52 98–34
 

Letsgogophers said:
He won with Johnny Majors talent, then faded towards the end and was fired. If you didn't like Mason, you won't like Fulmer. Certainly not up and coming talent, and he's no Harbaugh. If it's this guy, who has been passed over again and again, Maturi truly can't entice anyone here.
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Yes, that 1998 NC team was full of those rare 8th and 9th year seniors that were recruited by Majors.
 

Age 60 is the age 50 of yesterday. If Phil Fulmer really still has a passion to coach, then I am on board with his selection. He probably can put together a good staff of assistants who can teach the recruits after they arrive. He is a proven winner including a National Championship. His record at Tennesee is very good. He certainly has some gravitas. He is not my 1st or 2nd pick ( Richt or Bellotti)are, but I would welcome him with open arms. I realistically don't think we can land Chris Petersen or Jim Harbaugh.
 

GMan said:
Year, Overall Record, SEC record
1992, 4–0, 2–0
1993, 10–2, 7–1
1994, 8–4, 5–3
1995, 11–1, 7–1
1996, 10–2, 7–1
1997, 11–2, 7–1 - SEC champs
1998, 13–0, 8–0 - National champs
1999, 9–3, 6–2
2000, 8–4, 5–3
2001, 11–2, 7–1
2002, 8–5, 5–3
2003, 10–3, 6–2
2004, 10–3, 7–1
2005, 5–6, 4–4
2006, 9–4, 5–3
2007, 10–4, 6–2
2008, 5–7, 3–5
Total: 152–52 98–34
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That's a pretty solid resume. He's not my top choice but they could do a lot worse, I could live with him as coach.
 

Dude will pull a Hank Gathers on the sideline.
 


I think some of you are making too much of his age. Fulmer is 1 year older than Saban and 2-3 years old than Tressel. I'm just saying, he may seem old but he's probably only a couple years older than the average CFB head coach.

I know a name like Phil Fulmer wouldn't generate much buzz within the fan base, but I actually think he'd be a good fit. He's a proven winner and recruiter, and has the experience of running a big-time program like Tennessee. He wouldn't be my first choice but he's a solid candidate.
 

Positives:
-Winning record as a head coach in major division
-Good recruiting reputation
-Age could be a positive, he probably won't leave if he has a couple years of success

Negatives:
-Age in fact that if succesfull he won't be able to coach much past 10 years
-Southern guy
-Ran a program with more resources and more college friendly fan base
 

Fulmer is done

I live down here in Vol land. In this place where everyone has a big orange T somewhere on their pickup, it takes a lot for a coach who won a national championship to get fired. Fulmer was all washed up 2-3 years before he got let go. His teams weren't winning the key games, recruiting was going downhill and his players were always getting into scrapes. He seemed very burned out and that seemed to be picked up on by recruits. Both Lane Kiffen and Derrick Dooley have paid the price for Fulmer's recruiting woes. If you think that hiring him would help to recruit the southeast or the west coast, think again. I can see no reason to put him on the list of candidates.
 

Re: Fullmer

hillbillygopher said:
I live down here in Vol land. In this place where everyone has a big orange T somewhere on their pickup, it takes a lot for a coach who won a national championship to get fired. Fulmer was all washed up 2-3 years before he got let go. His teams weren't winning the key games, recruiting was going downhill and his players were always getting into scrapes. He seemed very burned out and that seemed to be picked up on by recruits. Both Lane Kiffen and Derrick Dooley have paid the price for Fulmer's recruiting woes. If you think that hiring him would help to recruit the southeast or the west coast, think again. I can see no reason to put him on the list of candidates.
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Almost sound like Mason; only on a larger scale. Don't want to go down that road again. Who knows, maybe Fullmer isn't even interested in coaching and the contact has been toward a consulting role.
 


LesBolstad said:
Almost sound like Mason; only on a larger scale. Don't want to go down that road again. Who knows, maybe Fullmer isn't even interested in coaching and the contact has been toward a consulting role.
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The program is now in rubble. We must re-build to where we were with Mason before we do anything else. Therefore if we get a 'Mason-type' hire so be it. Besides, there's no indication Phil couldn't exceed that level. Clearly he fell off and burned out at the end at UT. He's had two years off and may be well be refreshed and ready to jump back in with both feet. He's still not my first choice, but there are more worse options then there are better ones.
 

howeda7 said:
The program is now in rubble. We must re-build to where we were with Mason before we do anything else. Therefore if we get a 'Mason-type' hire so be it. Besides, there's no indication Phil couldn't exceed that level. Clearly he fell off and burned out at the end at UT. He's had two years off and may be well be refreshed and ready to jump back in with both feet. He's still not my first choice, but there are more worse options then there are better ones.
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If they pull another Mason look for "crowds" of about 25,000 except for rivalry games.
 

To be perfectly honest, Fulmer would have one of the better resumes of anybody we are reportedly considering. And if he's really shown, as Marcus puts it, "strong" interest in the job, then I would be okay with it. Therein lies the rub however. He would have to convince me that he is in fact very motivated and convinced he can turn our progrm around. Are his age and how things ended up in Knoxville something of a concern? Absolutely, which is why I would need to see some "fire in the belly" from him in order to take the chance.

Of course, none of us would know if that's what he would show in a possible interview, but it would certainly be something I would want to see. If not, then I would move on, and to be honest, he's not super high on my list simply because of the concerns vols fans had near the end of his tenure at Tennessee. But depending upon the circumstances of how Fulmer approaches things, I would be okay with it.
 

harrys ghost said:
If they pull another Mason look for "crowds" of about 25,000 except for rivalry games.
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That depends on what the definition of 'another Mason' is. Fulmer does not equal another Mason in terms of name recognition, etc. His results may. I would be OK with that. Frankly, there aren't many names out there that are going to excite the casual fan like Tubby did. Whoever it is will have to work at it. The marketing department will have to become better then awful. And they will need to win, obviously.
 


hillbillygopher said:
I live down here in Vol land. In this place where everyone has a big orange T somewhere on their pickup, it takes a lot for a coach who won a national championship to get fired. Fulmer was all washed up 2-3 years before he got let go. His teams weren't winning the key games, recruiting was going downhill and his players were always getting into scrapes. He seemed very burned out and that seemed to be picked up on by recruits. Both Lane Kiffen and Derrick Dooley have paid the price for Fulmer's recruiting woes. If you think that hiring him would help to recruit the southeast or the west coast, think again. I can see no reason to put him on the list of candidates.
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I agree - he was bad at the end and that isn't a ringing endorsement for another job.
 

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