Question re: Phil Fulmer and the 1997 Vote

Submitted by Gnarls Woodson on
This is random, but it's the offseason, so forgive me. My understanding is that our split national championship in 1997 is the result of Phil Fulmer voting us 4th in his coaches poll ballot at the end of that season, supposedly because he was pissed at the results of the Heisman for that year (Woodson over Manning). Someone recently asked me HOW we know this, and I actually have no idea (google was of no help). The coaches ballots weren't public at that point, were they? Did Fulmer admit to downvoting Michigan at the end of that season? There's no doubt in my mind that Fulmer is a dick, and Tennessee's collective caterwauling over Woodson's Heisman win is well-documented (see, e.g., Clay Travis' fanhouse article from earlier this season declaring Eric Berry better than Woodson), but I am still curious as to whether there is any actual confirmation of Fulmer's vote. Thanks. I'll hang up and listen.