The following is an excerpt from Mark Nagi’s still-to-be titled book on Tennessee athletics. The book, which examines the decade of struggles that led to the fan revolt on “Schiano Sunday,” will be available in June. This excerpt comes from Chapter 19, “Return of the Battle Captain,” as new athletic director Phillip Fulmer closes in on finding a football coach.
Considering what a mess the coaching search had been, Fulmer’s three options weren’t too shabby (sorry, Chris Petersen wasn’t leaving Washington, even if UT were offering Saban-level money). Kevin Steele did have Tennessee ties after two stints under Johnny Majors in the 1980s, and some fans were in favor of getting more Tennessee guys in the program.