Majors played high school football for the Huntland Hornets of Franklin County, Tennessee.[1] They won the state championship in 1951. Majors' father, Shirley Majors, was the head coach at Huntland from 1949 to 1957 and then head coach at The University of the South, Sewanee, from 1957 to 1977. Majors also played alongside his brother, Joe, at Huntland. Another brother, Bobby, also played at Tennessee and professionally for the Cleveland Browns. In all, Majors had four brothers, who all played football. Johnny was the oldest.[2]
A triple-threattailback at the University of Tennessee, one of the last schools to use the single-wing rather than some version of the T formation, Majors was an All-American and runner-up for the Heisman Trophy in 1956. Majors lost the Heisman Trophy to Paul Hornung, who starred for Notre Dame, which had a losing record (2–8).[3] To date, this is the only time the Heisman Trophy has been awarded to a player on a losing team.[4] Many fans of college football believe that Hornung won the Heisman because he played for the storied Notre Dame program, despite the team having a losing record.
He played for the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL in 1957 and then became an assistant coach at several schools.[5]
Coaching career
Iowa State
Majors was the 24th head football coach for the Iowa State University Cyclones located in Ames, Iowa and he held that position for five seasons, from 1968 until 1972. His career coaching record at Iowa State was 24–30–1.[6] During his time at Iowa State he guided the Cyclones to their first ever bowl games in 1971 and 1972.[7] Majors ranks tied for 9th at Iowa State in total wins and 13th in win percentage.[6]
When Majors' plane landed in Knoxville on December 4, 1976, his celebrity status became evident as he signed autographs for many admirers, then quickly hit the road before a looming signing day deadline.[15] He became Tennessee Vols' best salesman, conducting a whirlwind three-day recruiting juggernaut, during which he ate only two meals.[15] Typically, he might go to a recruit's high school to meet a prospect and, for the courtesy of giving a few autographs, commandeer the principal's office to make phone calls to confirm his next visit.[15] In one small Tennessee town, the local police knew of his visit and gave him a police escort to a recruit's home.[15] The players he signed ended a five-year bowl drought for the Vols.[15] At Tennessee, Majors achieved success in the 1980s and early 1990s winning three SEC championships in 1985, 1989, and 1990, but falling short of a national title.[16][17][18] In 1989, the Majors-led Vols followed a 5–6 season with an 11–1 season, the largest turnaround in college football that year.[19]
The University forced Majors to resign as Tennessee's football coach during the closing weeks of the 1992 football season.[20] The Vols racked up a 3–0 record under interim coach Phillip Fulmer, a longtime Majors assistant, who steered the team while Majors was recovering from heart surgery. After the Vols went 2–3 following Majors' return, he suddenly was asked to resign during the week leading up to Tennessee's game at Memphis State.[21] A Knoxville News Sentinel story reported that while Majors was recuperating from heart surgery, Fulmer allegedly exchanged 26 telephone calls with Tennessee Athletics Board member Bill Johnson, who had played with Majors in the mid-1950s at Tennessee. A strong contingent within the Tennessee fan base believes that it was behind-the-scenes maneuvering on the part of Fulmer, Johnson, athletics director Doug Dickey, and university president Joe Johnson that pushed Majors out. Other fans believe that Majors created his own problems in the summer of 1992 by, among other things, complaining about his current contract during a preseason publicity tour across the state. Many speculate it was likely a combination of all circumstances.[22] Majors went 116–82–8 as the Volunteers head coach. He recorded the second most wins in school history at the time of his departure. As of 2022, he still ranks third for wins.[23]
Pittsburgh (second stint)
After being forced to resign at Tennessee, he returned to his second home of the University of Pittsburgh to once again coach the Panthers.[24] Throughout the mid-1990s, Majors tried to recreate the magic of 1976 at Pitt but achieved little success going 12–32 in four seasons from 1993 to 1996.[25] He retired from coaching following the 1996 NCAA season and served at Pitt in the position of Special Assistant to the Athletic Director and Chancellor until the summer of 2007.[26] A room on the second floor of the Pittsburgh Athletic Association adjacent to Pitt's campus is dedicated to him and displays memorabilia from his career.[27]
Knoxville named a street after Majors. Johnny Majors Drive is on the campus of the University of Tennessee and is the location of the school's practice facility.[31] Actor Lee Majors borrowed Johnny Majors' last name to form his stage name. According to one account, Lee, whose real name is Harvey Lee Yeary, met Johnny and they became friends.[32] Lee Majors was regularly seen on the sidelines during Johnny Majors' first tenure at Pittsburgh and during the early days at Tennessee.[33]
^"John T. Majors". Tennessee State Library and Archives. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
^ abcdeSparks, Adam (December 19, 2023). "How Majors Spent first Week at UT Before Signing Day". The Tennessean (Nashville). USA Today Tennessee Network.
