| In 1998, the Tennessee Volunteers' football | | | | which allowed the Vols to be back-to-back SEC |
| team opened their season with a win against | | | | Champions. |
| Syracuse. UT fans celebrated, but at that | | | | |
| time, no one realized that this would be the | | | | What set the Vols apart in 1998 was not their |
| year the Volunteers would become the "Team of | | | | undefeated record, although it was quite a |
| Destiny", and make history by completing the | | | | feat. It was that they played the game like |
| season with a perfect 13 wins and 0 losses | | | | it should be played. They were a unique team |
| record, winning the NCAA Division IA National | | | | that was able to play as a whole on both |
| Championship. | | | | sides of the ball with a fierce determination |
| | | | and an unstoppable attitude. |
| In fact, many fans were concerned. Their | | | | |
| golden quarterback, Peyton Manning, was off | | | | The final game was played at the Fiesta Bowl |
| to (one of the best young careers in) the | | | | in Tempe, Arizona against the Florida State |
| NFL. How could they possibly come back from | | | | University Seminoles on January 4, 1999. |
| the loss of such a leader? | | | | Offensive MVP Peerless Price made two |
| | | | touchdowns, a 76-yard pass and a 79-yard |
| Head Coach Phillip Fulmer, who's been in that | | | | pass. The other Big Orange touchdown came |
| position since 1993, thought he had an answer | | | | from Dwayne Goodrich's 54-yard interception |
| to the fans' concerns. Fulmer believes in | | | | return. |
| recruiting good players, working them hard | | | | |
| and winning football games, and he was | | | | While most fans wrote off the team's chances |
| confident his young team could have a great | | | | for an amazing season due to the loss of |
| season. | | | | major players like Payton Manning, Fulmer saw |
| | | | it as a chance to bring up the younger |
| With the loss of quarterback Peyton Manning, | | | | players on the team and test their skills. |
| Tee Martin stepped up to the role of starting | | | | His belief in his young team created history, |
| quarterback. Other offensive players | | | | and Fulmer was honored with the National and |
| included Travis Henry, a.k.a. "Block of | | | | SEC Coach of the Year award. |
| Cheese", Travis Stephens, Peerless Price, and | | | | |
| Cedrick Wilson. | | | | The National Championship earned Fulmer a six |
| | | | year contract renewal, and many of the |
| The equally-talented defense included Al | | | | starting players went on to join their former |
| Wilson, Shaun Ellis, Eric Westmoreland, and | | | | team mate Payton Manning in the NFL. |
| Derrick Edmonds, among others. | | | | |
| | | | Watching the University of Tennessee |
| During the 1998 football season, the | | | | Volunteers play football has long been a |
| unanimous national champ Volunteers were also | | | | favorite pastime of East Tennesseans, and |
| the Southeastern Conference football | | | | will continue to be so long into the future. |
| champions, where the Vols held an 8-0 record. | | | | But the fall of 1998 will live long in many |
| They won the SEC championship against the | | | | college football fans' memories as the |
| Mississippi State University Bulldogs, 24-14, | | | | magical year of the Team of Destiny. |