Hokie ClubTech head coach Frank Beamer told the media Tuesday at his weekly news conference that he called former Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer yesterday and left a message, offering his regrets at Fulmer’s ouster as the head coach. Fulmer agreed to step down as Tennessee’s head coach following the season. A Tennessee graduate, he coached at his alma mater 17 seasons and led the Volunteers to the national championship in 1998.
“What I know about Phil is that he’s a heckuva football coach,†Beamer said. “He’s won a lot of games and he has a lot to be proud of. He’s won a national championship, and he’s done things the right way. He has a lot to be proud of with what he’s done at Tennessee.â€
Beamer and Fulmer have a close connection. Fulmer gave Beamer’s son, Shane, a job as a graduate assistant in 2000 and Shane Beamer worked in that capacity for three years before getting a full-time gig at Mississippi State. Frank Beamer also worked a clinic for Fulmer years ago and coached against Fulmer in the 1994 Gator Bowl, a game Tennessee won 45-23 in Gainesville, Fla.
“Our paths have crossed quite a bit,†Beamer said.
Fulmer has an overall record of 150-51 at Tennessee, but from 2000 to 2008, he was a combined 11-16 against Alabama, Florida and Georgia, and just 17-26 during that stretch against all nationally ranked teams. Tennessee hasn’t won an SEC championship since 1998.