KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee has turned to its familiar past to comfort its uneasy fan base in an attempt to rescue what has been a tumultuous and embarrassing football coaching search.
John Currie is the person Volunteers' faithful blamed for the chaos. Chancellor Beverly Davenport, who watched as the search was bungled seemingly at each turn, finally had enough.
She turned everything to Phillip Fulmer, naming the College Football Hall of Famer Tennessee's athletic director Friday. Fulmer replaces Currie, who was suspended and placed on paid leave just eight months after taking the job.
The chancellor said at a news conference that Fulmer will be Tennessee's athletic director "for the foreseeable future" and "take the reins of our search." In the meantime, the school is investigating whether it can fire Currie for cause.
"I think with the background that I have here and as well as we've done at different times here, with the facilities and leadership we have here, I definitely think there will be people that will be interested," said Fulmer, who coached Tennessee to the 1998 national title.
Butch Jones was fired as the Volunteers' football coach Nov. 12. Tennessee was close to hiring Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano on Sunday before that deal fell through amid public backlash.
Reports linked Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy and Purdue's Jeff Brohm to Tennessee's vacancy, but both stayed with their respective teams. North Carolina State's Dave Doeren agreed to a new contract with the Wolfpack on Thursday after speaking with Tennessee officials.
Currie met Thursday with Washington State Coach Mike Leach in Los Angeles, and Davenport said she asked Currie to return to Knoxville early Thursday afternoon.
It is unclear where talks with Leach stand.
Davenport said her decision wasn't related to a single coaching candidate and was due to a "series of events" rather than a single tipping point.
"It has indeed been a difficult week," Davenport said. "It's been a difficult road to get to where we are. This has not been an easy process for any of us. I want you to know that I regret deeply any hurt that's been caused."
Tennessee is conducting the coaching search after possibly the most disappointing season in school history.
After being ranked in the Top 25 to start the year, Tennessee went 4-8 to set a school record for losses. The Vols were winless in SEC play for the first time since the league formed in 1933.
"Our football program has the history, the facilities, the tradition and the resources to play with anyone any time, and that's what we're going to do again," Fulmer said.
Tennessee hasn't won an SEC title since 1998 and hasn't reached the SEC Championship Game since 2007, the year before Fulmer was replaced as coach. This marks Tennessee's fourth coaching search since Fulmer's exit.
Fulmer ruled out the possibility of returning to coaching by appointing himself as Jones' replacement, but he believes his experience can help him choose an ideal candidate.
"I hope to be a stabilizing and unifying force through this just because we do have some gray hair and a lot of experience at this place," Fulmer said. "Sometimes it's when you're younger that you've screwed it up so bad that you figure it out later and you don't make the same mistakes again."
Currie took over as Tennessee's athletic director in April. Currie agreed to a five-year contract worth at least $900,000 annually, and his buyout terms indicated he'd be owed $5.5 million if he got fired without cause. Davenport's letter to Currie announcing his suspension said Tennessee is investigating whether it can terminate him for cause, in which case the school wouldn't owe him anything.
Sports on 12/02/2017