Phillip Fulmer honored with Bear Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award
Published:
Phillip Fulmer, who coached Tennessee to a national championship in 1998, will be honored next January with the Bear Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award.
Fulmer, who was the head coach at Tennessee from 1992-2008, led the Volunteers to 152 victories, 2 SEC championships in 1997 and ’98, and that 1998 national crown in the inaugural BCS National Championship game. The Winchester, Tenn., native is now 75 years old, and the coaching legend who was already showered with every kind of award a coach can win back in 1998 is still being rewarded.
The Bear Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award is given annually to the sport’s best coaches, with the award recognizing their outstanding achievements and contributions that were made during their legendary careers. Fulmer will be presented with the award on Jan. 21, 2026, at the annual Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Awards ceremony in Houston. Fulmer is beloved by Tennessee fans, and those fans can watch Fulmer receive this award on CBS Sports Network.
Fulmer, who went 152-52 over a memorable 17-season stint at Tennessee, released a statement about receiving the award.
“I am extremely honored to receive the Bear Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award that honors the amazing legacy and accomplishments of Coach Bryant,” Fulmer said in a statement. “I followed and admired Coach Bryant from a little guy all through his career, and I am humbled to receive this award that bears his name and those that received the award in the past.”
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
