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