Saturday November 29th will be really weird as a Vol fan

I realize few will read this but I think the following is almost more therapeutic for me than anything else.  Tomorrow/today depending on your time zone will be the last time that Coach Fulmer takes the field as Head Coach of the Tennessee Volunteers.  As an alum and rapid UT fan the whole thing just feels wrong.  I concede I am one of the people who thought it was time for a change and still think UT made the right move for the long term future of the program by deciding to make a change.  But it just doesn't seem like it should be this way.  For a man who gave so much to his players and to the University, it just sucks.  It's a shame that this is the season that will be Fulmer's last.  A season that began with such promise quickly fell apart and the cracks that had been appearing in the program became gaping holes.  Like many in the world of sports, Fulmer held on a little too long.  His run in the late 90's of 45 - 5 is something that few teams are able to do in the SEC and really put Tennessee on the map as a national power.  Ever since the beginning of the decade though the SEC landscape has changed and Fulmer has struggled to adapt.  The once recruiting fertile ground of the Southeast has dried up as Urban Meyer, Mark Richt, and Nick Saban were keeping top players close to home.  These new coaches always gave Fulmer fits but he always had the domination of Alabama in his back pocket.  In the last couple of years that has also disappeared and with it the Ace up Fulmer's sleeve.  

To Fulmer's credit the man always rallied with his back to the wall.  Just when you thought things were going to fall apart, the team would pull an upset and the critics would go quiet again.  I remember thinking after last season that it would be a perfect time for Fulmer to ride off into a Smokey Mountain sunset.  It was painfully obvious that Florida and Alabama had passed us but in typical Fulmer fashion we somehow ended up in Atlanta as SEC East champs.  To make it even crazier we almost pulled one of the bigger upsets in SEC title game history by knocking off eventual National Champion LSU.  We rallied to end the season with a nice win over Wisconsin and the stage was set for Fulmer to move on.  Instead he came back and made a disastrous hire in Dave Clawson to run the offense.  To be perfectly honest, if Fulmer goes a different direction with that hire things may have never gotten this far.  So here we are now running the second winningest coach in school history out of town.  I know Fulmer has made his enemies around CFB over the years but it's the nature of the business.  Through it all though the man has been fiercely loyal to his players and to the University of Tennessee.  

None of this feels right though in the back of my mind I just don't know how it could have gone any different.  I truly hope that this season does not affect his legacy.  With over 150 wins, 5 SEC title appearances with 2 titles, and last but not least a national title the man left his mark on Tennessee.  I would love to be at the game tomorrow and I hope that Neyland is packed and rocking tomorrow.  Fulmer deserves to go out on a high note and I hope the fans send him out well.  

Coach, thanks for the memories.  Thanks for 1998.  Thanks for "Pounding the Rock" in Gainesville and an end around in Miami.  Thanks for 35 first quarter points against Arkansas and 52 total against Georgia.  Thanks for 45 - 14 over Michigan and 38 - 7 over A&M.  Thanks for Eric Berry.  Thanks for all you've done for Tennessee.