His team battered at midseason by back-to-back defeats, Tennessee's Phillip Fulmer turned to his old standby, dedication to fundamental football, to right the program and carry the Vols to a top 10 finish in the national polls and the BCS Standings.

They needed overtime to get past Alabama and struggled against undermanned Duke, but the Vols set the stage for a spectacular finishing flourish when they crossed swords with Miami at the Orange Bowl Nov. 8.

Earlier, after consecutive losses to Auburn and Georgia, Fulmer declined to throw in the sponge. "We can still accomplish a lot of things if we fix what's wrong and keep working at it." he told reporters at the time.

Fulmer's words were never more prophetic.  He and his coaching staff bore down on the players, imploring them to "stay the course." The listened to the old warhorse, took a winning attitude to Miami and emerged with a season-salvaging 10-6 victory over the Hurricanes.

The Miami win, followed by Southeastern decisions over Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Kentucky, represented - many said - the best coaching job in Fulmer's 12-year career as the Vols head coach.

Of course that's saying a lot considering the prosperity Tennessee has enjoyed since he took the reins in 1992.  Pending the outcome of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Fulmer's record stands at 113 victories against 27 losses for a percentage of .807, making him the second-ranking coach in college football.  For coaches with 10 years minimum time on the job, he has the highest percentage of victories.

With a 6-2 mark in the Southeastern Conference, a league traditionally rated as peerless when it comes to the quality of football, Tennessee finished in a three-way tie for the Eastern Division Title.  A tie-breaking mechanism awarded the SEC game appearance to Georgia over Tennessee and Florida. 

A win against Clemson on Jan 2 at the Peach Bowl would be Fulmer's 100th triumph in the past 10 years, a remarkable achievement against a schedule consistently rated among the toughest in the nation.

"None of these things would have happened without the dedicated players who love this university the same way I do." Fulmer said. "And certainly much of the credit belongs to our hard-working assistant coaches and to the fans who loyally support us."

Since Fulmer took over, more than 7 million fans have passed through the Neyland Stadium turnstiles.  In 1988, Fulmer rewarded those supporters by guiding Tennessee to its sixth national championship with a perfect 13-0 record and a Tostitos Fiesta Bowl victory over Florida State.

Fulmer's brilliant coaching record includes these accomplishments:

• Selection as National and SEC coach of the year in 1998.
• The first Tennessee team to post 13 victories in a single season, a record in 1998 that included an SEC championship and Tostitos Fiesta Bowl win for the National Title.
• Ten Vols have earned first-team All-American honors, including defensive tackle and 2000 Outland Trophy award winner John Henderson, tailback Travis Stephens in 2001 and punter Dustin Colquitt in 2003.
• Twelve first-round NFL selections since 1993 and a total of 68 players selected in the draft since 1994 to lead all schools. The Vols had eight players selected in the 2003 NFL Draft to tie for top honors.
• Back-to-back SEC titles in the 1997-98 and four Eastern Division crowns in the last seven years. 
• A record of 59-16 over the last six years - best mark in the SEC.
• A record of 45-5 from 1995-98, the most victories over a four-year span in school history.
• The Vols have ended the season ranked in the top 10 six times.

FULMER'S PERSONAL DATA

BORN: Sept. 1, 1960, in Winchester
HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION: Franklin County High School, Winchester
COLLEGE EDUCATION: University of Tennessee 1972
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Offensive Guard, Tennessee 1968-1971
COACHING CAREER: Tennessee 1972-73; Wichita State 1974-78; Vanderbilt 1979; Tennessee 1980-91; Head Coach 1992-Present
COACH OF THE YEAR HONORS: National Coach of the Year 1998 (FWAA, AFCA, The Sporting News, Maxwell Football Club); Regional  Coach of the Year 1993 (AFCA Region 2); Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year 1998 (Coaches, Associated Press); State Farm Eddie Robinson National Coach of Distinction Award 1999; Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame 2001.
WIFE: Victoria (Vicky) Morey Fulmer
CHILDREN: Phillip Jr. (3/25/70), Courtney (1/25/83), Brittany (4/22/85), Allison (9/13/86)

FULMER'S HEAD COACHING RECORD

Season School Won Lost Pct. Bowl 1992 Tennessee 4 0 1.000 Hall Of Fame 1993 Tennessee 10 2 .833 CompUSA  FL Citrus 1994 Tennessee 8 4 .667 Outback Gator 1995 Tennessee 11 1 .916 CompUSA  FL Citrus 1996 Tennessee 10 2 .833 CompUSA  FL Citrus 1997 Tennessee 11 2 .846 FedEx Orange 1998 Tennessee 13 0 1.000 Tostitos Fiesta 1999 Tennessee 9 3 .750 Tostitos Fiesta 2000 Tennessee 8 4 .667 SW Bell Cotton 2001 Tennessee 11 2 .846 Capital one FL Citrus 2002 Tennessee 8 5 .615 Chick-fil-A Peach 2003 Tennessee 10 2 .833 Chick-fil-A Peach totals 113 27 .807 (12 years)

FULMER'S MILESTONE VICTORIES

WIN DATE SITE OPPONENT SCORE 1 10/2/1992 Knoxville SW LA 38-3 25 10/23/1994 Knoxville Mississippi St 52-14 50 11/8/1997 Knoxville Southern Miss 44-20 75 11/20/1999 Lexington Kentucky 56-21 100 11/2/2002 Columbia South Carolina 18-10 Fulmer reached his 100th victory in his 123 game as head coach, joining an elite group to reach 100 wins in fewer than 125 games.