KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -
At the University of Tennessee, one losing season is enough to send the faithful into a frenzy, questioning the coach's competence and wondering if it's time for a change.
And that's even if the coach, Phillip Fulmer, has won 80 percent of his games and a national title during 13 seasons as the top dog on Rocky Top.
Coming off a 5-6 season, Tennessee's worst since 1988, Fulmer and his program appear to be at a crossroads.
"Nobody is more passionate about being successful or winning here at Tennessee than I am," Fulmer said. "It's not a job, it's my life - other than my family and my faith. I don't apologize for that. I like that."
Another losing season might not cost Fulmer his job, but it would certainly give athletic director Mike Hamilton something to think about.
Fulmer, the longest-tenured Southeastern Conference coach, is fiercely protective of the program he's guided since taking over from Johnny Majors in 1992. After all, Fulmer has been either a player or coach at Tennessee since 1968, leaving for only six seasons in the 1970s to be an assistant at Wichita State and Vanderbilt.
"I am competitive. I don't want to go back there again. I feel like every year we should be winning a championship," Fulmer said.
Fulmer is quick to point out that, despite last season, Tennessee is 95-30 over the past 10 years, the best record of any SEC school.
He calls last year "an aberration" and "a wake-up call," and he's tired of talking about it. But some critics say the program has been in decline since the days of Peyton Manning in the late 1990s and the 1998 national championship.
For now, the athletic director remains optimistic.
"If the fundamental question is 'Have you lost confidence in Phillip Fulmer?' the answer is, 'Absolutely no.' I haven't. In fact, I think I've got as much confidence as I've ever had because of the way I've seen him respond to adversity in the offseason," Hamilton said.
Not all Fulmer's concerns have been on the field. Between last January and July, eight players were either arrested or cited for crimes ranging from aggravated assault to underage drinking.
This summer Fulmer has dismissed two players - an incoming freshman arrested for DUI and a redshirt freshman who made an unspecified inappropriate comment at a restaurant. Another player was suspended for four games after an off-duty officer said he waved what looked like a gun at him. Two other players have been suspended following arrests since May.
Despite the troubles, Hamilton said donations to the athletic program have increased, and the department is moving ahead with a renovation of Neyland Stadium.
Football drives the athletic department, bringing in 49 percent of revenue and paying for other sports and facilities. It also brings national recognition to the university.
"There's a lot riding on it, but you can't be consumed by that," Hamilton said.
The athletic department wants to bank on more success under Fulmer, who is making a little more than $2 million a year.
Fulmer said he noticed problems before last season, and the return of David Cutcliffe as offensive coordinator helped him see the shortcomings even more. One that became apparent quickly in the spring was that practice had lost its edge.
"We assumed too much. I don't think it was a conscious thing or anything like that. Sometimes you don't see all that you should," he said.
Cutcliffe saw it and started to increase the intensity in spring drills.
Cutcliffe took back the old job he left to be Mississippi's head coach at the end of the 1998 season. He replaces Randy Sanders, his successor, who resigned in the middle of last season.
Fulmer fired two assistants - receivers coach Pat Washington and offensive line coach Jimmy Ray Stephens. He moved running backs coach Trooper Taylor to receivers and hired two new assistants. Washington had been at Tennessee since 1995 and Stephens since 2002 after leaving Florida.
Fulmer said he was thinking of making changes a few seasons back, but the Vols ended up winning the SEC East division in 2004. They lost to Auburn in the SEC title game.
Asked if the '04 title produced a false sense of confidence, Fulmer said, "Maybe. In football or any organization, there is balance you have. Call it chemistry, whatever you want to call it, there's a balance you have and if that gets out of balance some way or another it kind of mushrooms on you."
Then Fulmer realizes he's slipped into talking about 2005 again.
"I've been through all that a thousand times with everybody. This is a new year and a new season," he said. "I am extremely excited with what we've got started here so far."
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pt
Yeh but Fulmer says everything is going to be OK this year.
