Phillip Fulmer’s coaching career spanned nearly four decades. His time as an athletic director has been a little more than four months.
But, as Fulmer settles into his role as Tennessee’s athletic director after signing a four-year deal last week, the hall of fame coach believes his experience as a coach makes him uniquely equipped to handle his new duties.
“I’ve been there,” Fulmer said. “I’ve done a lot of things … I know what that’s supposed to look like. I lined the field at Wichita State, I painted the weight room, you work yourself up.”
Fulmer pointed to longtime friend and peer Barry Alvarez on how he can approach being the athletic director. Alvarez was, for a time, the Wisconsin athletic director and head football coach.
What a coincidence.
Get The Picture 
If Phil Fulmer had a “walkup song” when he came to bat, no doubt it would be this one…
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Sometimes, just sometimes, these things play out exactly as you expect them to.
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Barry Alvarez is the role model for Fulmer? PLEASE let Bret Bielema be the next head football coach of the Tennessee Volunteers.
I’m on record that I think Pruitt will do some good things at UT, especially rebuild the talent, but if his dickishness gets the best of him there has never been a more natural combination than Fat Phil+Bert+ JLu.
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I agree with Fulmer on this one. I’d love for our AD to have had some coaching experience and the competitive fire that usually comes with it. CKS seems to have brought that to UGA but he can’t touch every sport.
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I find the career rise of Greg Medicority riveting. From coffee go-fer at uf, to mail room clerk, to donning the uf mascot suit, to uf bookkeeper, to head bookkeeper, to Foley secretary/go-fer, and finally to UGA a.d. The classic American success story! Who needs coaching experience?
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Ever seen the musical show or the movie, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”? It’s about a devious guy with no knowledge or experience but he bought a book of business tips and it paid off in amazing promotions within his company, mailroom to boardroom at a record rate. I think the AD has the athletic version in his pocket.
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“I lined the field at Wichita State.” Wasn’t that a Glen Campbell song?
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No, that was “I wined the field at Fichita state”. That was before he took off with Mac Davis’s wife after a party.
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To quote the late, great Dan Magill “Greg was the best ball boy we ever had…”
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I love the support some have for both Pruitt and Foolmer, I couldn’t have picked two candidates less likely to get UT turned around. Another decade of not winning an SEC is my prediction, 30 years of eating dust, gonna be rough on Rocky Top. That 70K seat stadium they currently have will have no problem holding the 40,000 fans they may attract by 2021.
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