RIP Johnny Majors

[msucolt45 4011]

Coach Majors passed away today at the age of 85. Tennessee native that played for the Vols in the mid-50’s, then went into coaching.

After winning the National Championship with Pittsburgh (77), he came home to coach the Vols for almost two decades.

 

He ended up going back to Pittsburgh as a coach, then administrator for many more years.

 

My Father coached four high school players that played for Coach Majors at Tennessee. During the ‘85 season, they won the SEC and Sugar Bowl (vs. Miami). 3 of my Dad’s 4 players were in that team. He seemed like a “great man” while I was a youngster - RIP Coach Majors!

[msucolt45 4011]

The four were all from DeSoto, Texas.

[msucolt45 4011]

[Clintonaldo 2571]

Man I loved Coach Majors. Just a true badass and lived life to the fullest. He had a fantastic coaching tree. 

[ISUCyclones 216]

Wish Iowa state could have held onto him longer

[markstanco 12520]

Man, that brings back some Raycom Sports memories.

[msucolt45 4011]

Growing up in the late 80’s it always seemed like every Tennessee game was the the “Jefferson Pilot” game of the day in WTBS.

[markstanco 12520]

Wish Iowa state could have held onto him longer

With a quick wiki search, he went to pitt from ISU. Back in that time that was an upgrade. Weird how times change. A pitt coach would go to ISU in a minute today.

[EuroHorn 3204]

7 hours ago, msucolt45 said:

Just looked these guys up. Number 89 is Tim Hendrix who was a replacement player on the Cowboys during the 1987 player’s strike 

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Hendrix

Edited June 4, 2020 by EuroHorn

[PittsburghTiger 6137]

10 hours ago, markstanco said:

10 hours ago, ISUCyclones said:

Wish Iowa state could have held onto him longer

With a quick wiki search, he went to pitt from ISU. Back in that time that was an upgrade. Weird how times change. A pitt coach would go to ISU in a minute today.

Yes, and no. Pitt was on the verge of dropping down to 1-AA or completely dropping football. Today I don't think that is accurate. Of course Matt Campbell started out at Pitt and had a horrible freshman year, 1998, under Walt Harris and transferred to Mount Union.

Despite a great history Pitt continues to find ways to screw up things. It started when Jock Sutherland quit to protest the school taking away stipends and scholarship money. All while keeping a terribly difficult national schedule. Pitt was talked about to replace University of Chicago in 1939 in the Fat 10 but didn't.

There has forever been a battle between academics and athletics and when football gets too good then academics swoops in and smacks it down.

Edited June 4, 2020 by PittsburghTiger

[PittsburghTiger 6137]

Here are a couple posts I put on the Pitt message board.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Rest In Peace Coach Majors

I was privileged to get to know him pretty well during, and after, his second stint at Pitt. He was a good man. He was an avid reader and amateur military historian. He knew a lot about things off the football field. 

I am forever grateful that our relationship evolved to the point where he would call me, "Brother ..... " followed by my family name.

One of the things I most enjoyed talking to him about was his relationship with some of the greatest coaches the game has ever seen. We never discussed, other than a knowing nod, State Pen and GodPa. But he knew the giants from the middle of the last century and on. Pretty amazing.

I will never forget the one day tailgating before a Pitt game in 2005. There was a group of us and it included the also departed John Brown. We were discussing the Heisman Trophy that season. It was generally thought that it was Reggie Bush v Vince Young. Bush won and it has since been wiped away from history. I still believe Young should have won.

Anyway, I decided to play Devil's Advocate and mention that State Pen was having a terrific year and that QB Michael Robinson was having a good year and might be more important to his team than any of the others. This was before they lost to Big Blue. 

I said, "If you take Michael Robinson off State Pen they are not undefeated". To which John Brown answers, "If you take Michael Robinson off Penn State they are all still assholes".

That got a good laugh from everyone, and especially Coach Majors.

-------------------------

At the Big East Tournament one year, during our peak Big East, I was walking around inside MSG and happened upon Coach. He was looking for his seat, up near the top of the 200 level. 

One thing that always bothered me was the administration folks, and I don't mean people like the AD or Chancellor, scoring the best seats, or those big donors who get many many seats for Big East or now ACC and just sell the good seats and make those who can't give as much sit in crappy seats....I digress.

Well, I helped Coach find his seat, he was alone. And I told him I was going to get a drink and I would be back. I made my way down to Guy Smiley (Steve Pederson) behind the bench and I told him that one of the underlings should give up their "free" seat so that Coach Majors, a man who brought us our greatest moment of the past 50 years would have a good seat.

Smiley did not enjoy that comment, I didn't care then and do not now. Then I went back up after I told them where Coach was sitting and I sat with Coach for that session.

I hate Smiley.

Another short one.

I was at a banquet and Coach Harris was the speaker. I had gotten to know Coach Harris pretty well too. I like him and still do.

Well, after the banquet I went and talked to Coach Harris and I told him that I would never try to tell him what to do with his team. But I also told him that I do know uniforms and that when we wore those God-awful solid blue pants that we looked like blueberries. Just terrible.

Three days later I ran into Coach Majors at the airport and he was heading to Auburn for a golf outing and I was heading to Germany. We chatted and talked about how we should switch planes because he loved war history and I also love Auburn.

I also told him about what I said to Coach Harris about the uniforms. He laughed and laughed. Coach Majors, along with Coach Sherrill he told me, had a big hand in designing the uniforms for 1973 and he loved that uniform, as do I.

[mulletpelini 5210]

Steve Pederson, a dickhead at any level.