Johnny Majors early struggle at UT

#26
#26
I owe Johnny for some of the best betting advice I ever received. It was Christmas 1971 - "Boys, take Nebraska and Oklahoma and give them all the points they want." It paid for my books, food and lodging for the spring semester. Shirley thought Alabama would win easily and Auburn would give Oklahoma a game. The difference was Johnny had coached against them and Shirley had coached against Maryville.
 
#27
#27
vols-1 said:
It took him 12 years before he had back to back 9 win seasons. Maybe it's the instant gratification era or maybe Johnny just wasnt that great?
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This. Have never and will never understand the contorted excuse-making and revisionist recollection of the Majors coaching tenure. It was miserable. The Pitt NC was the result of once-in-a-lifetime luck for a coach to get Dorsett for RB and a zillion recruits. The record before and after is there for anyone to see - absolute mediocrity. To me, always unfortunate that his true rockstar status as a player was tarnished by his coaching.
 
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#28
#28
The salaries of coaches were not near what they are today. When coach Majors left Tennessee he was getting a little over $300,000. Coach Fulmer did not hit a million until after winning the nc. Today starting coaches in the bcs leagues start at 1.5 to 2 million. People expect bigger and faster results with these huge salaries.
 
#29
#29
cgbtn said:
If you think Dooley was dealt a bad hand, you wouldn't believe what Battle left for Majors. I think Pug Jenkins a starting defnsive tackle weighed about 190 lbs. It is ironic that Battle failed so miserably as a recruiter, because working for Dickey, he was the one who set up Tennessee's national recruiting program. Dickey, before Battle, and Majors, after Battle, used the system much more successfully than did Battle himself.
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Danny "Pert" Jenkins ... yeah, he was not huge, but he was all heart and grit, as was his runnin buddy Jim Noonan, a noseguard of about 5'10 and 225. :good!:
 
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#30
#30
Jax_Vol said:
And Johnny signed a heck of a big recruiting class and had some terrible luck with that bunch...Lee Otis Burton being example # 1.

I remember that class; was SO fired up to hear about each one of those blue chips heading our way. Probably our most dramatic recruiting class ever.
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#32
#32
Zues1 said:
Johnny Majors was a returning Tennessee hero.

Dooley was, well a loser...........
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I don't see it that way. CDD was a good man, but I don't ever remember a coach who was more snake bit with bad luck. From the LSU and NC games that could easily have gone the other way with different ref calls, to losing Clear and D.Rogers (the 2011 SEC leading returning receiver), to four or five key injuries just to the LB position alone, to him breaking a hip and having to be gone from the sidelines for multiple games ... jeez louise.

I'm not saying he never made any questionable calls nor manifested negativity, but he also got shot full of arrows of adversity.
 
#34
#34
munsterlander said:
This. Have never and will never understand the contorted excuse-making and revisionist recollection of the Majors coaching tenure. It was miserable. The Pitt NC was the result of once-in-a-lifetime luck for a coach to get Dorsett for RB and a zillion recruits. The record before and after is there for anyone to see - absolute mediocrity. To me, always unfortunate that his true rockstar status as a player was tarnished by his coaching.
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Coach Majors took over a program at Iowa State that had been down for years and got them to the point where they were going to bowl games. The same was true at Pitt. I don't think it was luck. Recruiting was different then, but all the other coaches were under the same system. It was still about the coach who could put together the best team given those NCAA recruiting regulations at that time, and in 1976 it was Coach Major's team that put it all together and won the national championship. He left Jackie Sherrill a solid program that kept winning 9 - 11 games per year. Coach Majors could have stayed at Pitt and maybe won another national championship. He gave up a lot to come to UT if you think about it. However, he made the choice as a true Tennessee Volunteer to come back home and take on the challenge of rebuilding the Vols. During the last 9 full seasons that Majors was at UT, 5 of those season his teams won 9 or more games. When he left UT, he left Fulmer a solid football program already in place. His total number of career wins (at all 3 schools he coached) is more than anyone who has ever coached at the University of Tennessee. I don't think his coaching career tarnished his football playing career in any shape or fashion.
 
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#35
#35
orangebloodgmc said:
Danny "Pert" Jenkins ... yeah, he was not huge, but he was all heart and grit, as was his runnin buddy Jim Noonan, a noseguard of about 5'10 and 225. :good!:
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One of my all time favorite Vols - Jimmy Noonan. He would throw his entire body into a tackle or to just plug up a hole. His whole heart and body every single snap. No let up - ever!
 
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#36
#36
utvols74 said:
One of my all time favorite Vols - Jimmy Noonan. He would throw his entire body into a tackle or to just plug up a hole. His whole heart and body every single snap. No let up - ever!
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Noooooooooooooooonan!!!

That brings back memories.


Remember....Craig Puuuuuuuki? I knew some people who named their dog Puki!
 
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#37
#37
1988 was when I thought the sky was falling. Johnny fired nearly his entire staff including a well regarded defensive coordinater (forgot his name: it's on the tip of my tongue)... I don't recall if that is when he hired larry lacewell (I think it is). The team responded and they won after that... Not sure if they won out but if they didn't they nearly did.
 
#38
#38
OldandStillaVol said:
Coach Majors also had some big wins early on - Notre Dame, Auburn blowout at Auburn, so fans could see the potential. Even if the overall record isn't what we want, I am hopeful that Coach Jones will have some signature wins early on.
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Similar to 2009 - the Georgia game and south carolina
 
#39
#39
tshadow said:
1988 was when I thought the sky was falling. Johnny fired nearly his entire staff including a well regarded defensive coordinater (forgot his name: it's on the tip of my tongue)... I don't recall if that is when he hired larry lacewell (I think it is). The team responded and they won after that... Not sure if they won out but if they didn't they nearly did.
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He hired Coach Lacewell a couple of years later. That year he moved Coach Matthews to defense and he was the secondary coordinator and I can't remember who was named the coordinator in charge of the front 7.
 
#40
#40
tshadow said:
1988 was when I thought the sky was falling. Johnny fired nearly his entire staff including a well regarded defensive coordinater (forgot his name: it's on the tip of my tongue)... I don't recall if that is when he hired larry lacewell (I think it is). The team responded and they won after that... Not sure if they won out but if they didn't they nearly did.
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Ken Donahue?
 
#42
#42
Marme! I think Donahue is who replaced him... Again I really should check my facts before I post but... Hey the 22nd I turn the corner (50).
 
#43
#43
Jax_Vol said:
Yes, the 1976 team was much worse than the 2009 team.

Johnny came marching home only to discover that the "cupboard was bare". I think that was the quote he used.

Might have been, "the well was dry"
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Post-desegregation of the SEC, UT didn't have the thriving deep south recruiting base of AL, GA, and AU. The quality of FL recruiting had been growing for some time with Florida's population boom. The fall came really fast, but everybody knew it would take some time to climb back to the top.

When Majors came the roster was very heavily in-state players. Majors built a national recruiting program with the backing of long term investments in the program and facilities. In short, it was a different era.

The program has all the foundation we didn't didn't have then. We just need a coach who can recruit great players and teach them how to win... and I think we have one now.
 
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#44
#44
tshadow said:
1988 was when I thought the sky was falling. Johnny fired nearly his entire staff including a well regarded defensive coordinater (forgot his name: it's on the tip of my tongue)... I don't recall if that is when he hired larry lacewell (I think it is). The team responded and they won after that... Not sure if they won out but if they didn't they nearly did.
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It was Ken Donahue, the mastermind of the 35-7 rout of Miami in the '86 Sugar Bowl. Donahue is best remembered for his twenty years of service on Bear Bryant's staff (1964-1984), but he was a Tennessee man, having played for Neyland from 1947-50. He sandwiched five- and four-year stints at Tennessee (1956-60 and 1985-88) around his tenure at Alabama. See Ken Donahue - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia .
 
#45
#45
Volosaurus rex said:
It was Ken Donahue, the mastermind of the 35-7 rout of Miami in the '86 Sugar Bowl. Donahue is best remembered for his twenty years of service on Bear Bryant's staff (1964-1984), but he was a Tennessee man, having played for Neyland from 1947-50. He sandwiched five- and four-year stints at Tennessee (1956-60 and 1985-88) around his tenure at Alabama. See Ken Donahue - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia .
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Do you remember the hat that he wore in practices? It had two bills. I can't recall the specfics....seems like there was a Sherlock Holmes angle to it. Or the bill facing backwards was extra long or something? He would spin it around at certain times in practice depending whether or not he liked the play of the defense. A good cop / bad cop hat.
 
#46
#46
EaglesVols91 said:
Note that I was 100% for the Dooley firing and I actually wanted him gone after the Kentucky game last year because it was obvious that he lost the team and couldn't coach worth s***, but it was interesting to see Johnny Majors first 4 years (and even longer) and see how much society has changed. Sports is a must win now and there is no patience whatsoever. I just hope Coach Jones has enough time to put his system in place before people are calling for his head. The Dooley situation is different because it was obvious that he was getting out coached in every game and that he didn't know what the hell he was doing, but if we are competing strong and if it looks like we are playing to win (like the 09 year) instead of playing not to lose, then I hope our fanbase gives CBJ a fair chance to get his system and players in place. Here is Majors first four years on the job.

1977 Tennessee 4–7 1–5 8th
1978 Tennessee 5–5–1 3–3 T–4th
1979 Tennessee 7–5 3–3 T–5th L Bluebonnet
1980 Tennessee 5–6 3–3 6th

Pretty lackluster, but he was able to turn it around and Fulmer took it to a whole new level after that. CBJ has a completely different attitude than Dooley and he wants to win championships here. Let's support him and give him the appropriate time to turn this train wreck around.
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Most of our fans don't remember Johnny's first 4-5 years. Here was a coach who was coming from a National Championship team at Pittsburgh in 1976. It took him 4-5 years at UT just to re-establish a culture, much less winning.

I hear alot of talk on here about Miles and Saben. We had a coach who's winning percentage over 17 years was as good as Saben.

Society has NOT changed!! ALOT of UT fans got a dose of being a National Power year in and year out. They are proof, that not everybody can handle winning, you are gonna have some down years. A guy has a couple bad years and he is forced out. A guy, who has probably FORGOT more about football then most of us will ever know.

Coach Jones should be given 4-5 years.....Unfortuanatley, he wont be given that long, unless he is winning. Im convinced 30% of our fanbase are complete ****ing douche bags. Im convinced 50% of the people on Volnation are complete ****ing douche bags!!
 
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#47
#47
I don't think we will be buying any coaches out of their contracts in the near future. Jones will finish out his initial term no matter what, barring a complete disaster
 
#48
#48
JaxVol, I vaguely remember Donahue's hat, now that you mention it. I can't recall its details with any greater clarity than you, however.
 
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#50
#50
Volosaurus rex said:
JaxVol, I vaguely remember Donahue's hat, now that you mention it. I can't recall its details with any greater clarity than you, however.
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Tiny photo...but here it is...

45d42838ba1bbd2eacaa1186c83bea36319a10b5.jpg
 
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