I met Phillip Fulmer today while out hiking

Family and I decided to go out to Porters Creek Trail outside of Gatlinburg. We made it out there by mid morning. There is an inclined trail that leads to an old homestead or cabin of some type with stops along a rocky creek bed. We had hiked maybe 45 minutes in and came to the cabin where there is a raised barn separate by a small creek with a small cabin on the other side. I made my way down to the creek to cross and there was an older fellow that made eye contact with me and quickly looked away. I was wearing my M over S state hat. I let him pass the creek first and I said to my wife, “I think that’s Phillip Fulmer, as in Tennessee’s old national championship coach”. We explored the cabin, checked out the surrounds then decided to head back down because we heard the waterfall wasn’t more than a trickle because of the lack of rain.

We head back down and I saw the same guy talking to a group of men that were taking kids on a nature talk. I saw him shake hands with one of the guides and continue down. I asked the guy when I got there if that was Phillip Fulmer. He said yes. We caught up and I first said “Coach, I thought my dawgs had yall in ‘98 in the SEC championship after that punt return”. He kinda smiled and acknowledged us and told me about how that game was tee Martin’s coming out game and how it set them up for their run in ‘98. I told him that one of his players went to my high school. His daughter was with him and my wife and his started chatting about Paris Harrelson. She said he called her “sis”. She was pretty nice and said she had lived in Columbus, MS and loved it there, apparently married into the Air Force. They seemed to really love Paris and were sad at his passing. We talked about the new documentary that was coming out and he plugged his new Tennessee podcast and said he still makes practices. He wished State well the rest of the season and said the same for Tennessee. Nice guy and still being active in his mid ‘70s.