Majors on Butch: Best UT Coach in 10 Years

#102
#102
hmanvolfan said:
Johnny Majors has earned the right to say whatever the hell he wants to say about Tennessee football. Just nod y'alls head and move on.
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This.

I love Johnny Majors - drunk or sober. He's one of the all-time great characters. One of the greatest all-time Vols.

I even like our little in-house Family Feud. If anything, it hurt Phil the most. If Phil heard someone saying a bad word about Johnny in practice, he would give them the riot act.
 
#103
#103
MyBloodRunnethOrange said:
SMH at this thread. He said CBJ is the best coach in the last 8-10 years. That would have been Fulmer. He actually paid Fulmer a compliment and people are still butthurt.
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Actually, I was shocked he said it. I think he has mellowed. It was a back-handed compliment, but a compliment nonetheless.

I actually think CBJ has had a role in mending that fence. I really do. There just seemed a different atmosphere at that event Butch hosted with both of them there in the off-season. I know they have been to events together, but it just seemed like there was some sunshine breaking up the clouds.

A portent for Team 117?

As an OG, I've got to say, I couldn't be more impressed with CBJ at this stage.
 
#104
#104
Eddie Vol Halen said:
Actually, I was shocked he said it. I think he has mellowed. It was a back-handed compliment, but a compliment nonetheless.

I actually think CBJ has had a role in mending that fence. I really do. There just seemed a different atmosphere at that event Butch hosted with both of them there in the off-season. I know they have been to events together, but it just seemed like there was some sunshine breaking up the clouds.

A portent for Team 117?

As an OG, I've got to say, I couldn't be more impressed with CBJ at this stage.
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If CBJ can get ole Johnny and Phil to call a truce he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.
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#105
#105
Big Sal Stuntin 7 said:
Why does Johnny Majors have such a hatred for Fulmer? Would you turn down the chance to coach at the University of Tennessee? It wasn't Fulmer that told him to get lost, we're hiring Fulmer. If he holds a grudge it should be with the Athletic Director at the time.
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Majors always felt like Fulmer lobbied for the job while he was recovering from heart surgery. Whether he did or not only he and Doug Dickey knows.
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#106
#106
iluvsmesumdooley said:
There are two Fulmers. The one we loved died in 2002.
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Post-2002 and Pre-2002 Fulmer were pretty much the same guy: an average coach and lax disciplinarian, who could recruit well, and performed best when he was surrounded by highly-competent assistants. The only difference is that his surrounding staff slowly got worse through attrition, and he was never the organization guy that Majors was.

I've always thought the 1998 national title really should be remembered as both Fulmer's and Major's. It was Majors that assembled one of the most incredible staffs in college football history. It slowly decayed under Fulmer; but Fulmer was better at recruiting and keeping the team unified.

Don't think we would've won the national title without both Fulmer and Majors having been at UT.
 
#108
#108
munsterlander said:
It only divides the portion of the fan base that was content with absolute mediocrity as long as a "legend" was at the helm. The rest of us are just glad it passed. IBlvNTmWrk has already covered the key points quite adequately. The record is out there. The numbers don't lie. People just excuse them away. "Still be winning championships" is pretty laughable. 3 SEC titles in 16 years, but 2 of them were co-champions with the co-champion having kicked our butts, and the 3rd was a 2nd place turned champion because UF was ineligible (though, to give credit where it's due, we clobbered Florida that year, and the '85 Sugar bowl win over Miami will forever be a favorite). I'll take CPF's tenure over CJM's every day and twice on Sundays - it's not even close. Two 10-win seasons in 16 years is not "bringing Tennessee back", unless your standard is very low. Legendary player, mediocre coach. Don't care what he did at Pitt with 85 signees in one year and Tony Dorsett. Great coaches win consistently, he didn't.
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Majors biggest fan was always...Majors. He'd sling drinks with anyone who would show up on the Strip and never picked up a tab.

The THP took him home so many times it was like having his own po-po chauffeur service.

Majors benefited from the most outrageous and pathetic hire in 20 the Century UT football. Bill Battle. After Battle, damn near anyone looked good.

On the surface, Majors looked like the real deal. He wooed Orange Koolaid slurpers with his "Ole Johnny" style and that was what he rode, not any kind of consistently winning football, and kept him in the HC job.

An inch below that false veneer, was a rotting drunk-corpse; he was a daily embarrassment and when he dropped the health ball, the UT Powers That Were dumped him as fast as they could.

Fulmer never flinched when Majors hit the hospital bed, why should he? He took the reins with confidence of the team and the UT PTW.
 
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#110
#110
One aspect of the Majors and Fulmer saga that hasn't been discussed is the actual physical health of Johnny at the time. In the early nineties as it is today a "heart attack" is a serious illness. I've often wondered if the powers that be knew, in their hearts, that Majors would not be up to the stress required of the head coach position and actually had that as one of the major factors in their decision to make the change. As one who tries to see the positive in most situations, I've always felt that to be the case thus relieving Dickey and Fulmer of the burden of being the backstabbers they have been deemed to be.
 
#111
#111
utchs81 said:
One aspect of the Majors and Fulmer saga that hasn't been discussed is the actual physical health of Johnny at the time. In the early nineties as it is today a "heart attack" is a serious illness. I've often wondered if the powers that be knew, in their hearts, that Majors would not be up to the stress required of the head coach position and actually had that as one of the major factors in their decision to make the change. As one who tries to see the positive in most situations, I've always felt that to be the case thus relieving Dickey and Fulmer of the burden of being the backstabbers they have been deemed to be.
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Fulmer was named interim HC; no one knew how long Majors was to be hospitalized much less what his prognosis would be. Hell, he damn near ripped the IVs out of his arms to get back to the field well before his doctors advised he should.

Too late. Fulmer was off on a winning roll, showed he had the right stuff and the rest is history.
 
#112
#112
VolBraniac said:
Fulmer was named interim HC; no one knew how long Majors was to be hospitalized much less what his prognosis would be. Hell, he damn near ripped the IVs out of his arms to get back to the field well before his doctors advised he should.

Too late. Fulmer was off on a winning roll, showed he had the right stuff and the rest is history.
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His first game back (the Arkansas game) that year was a big time Gut punch loss..this link is from the Florida game that year with Chris Fowler interviewing Johnny from his home talking about his contract..

1992 Tennessee 31 Florida 14 (1st Half) - YouTube
 
#113
#113
GLDunlap said:
When Kiffin was hired Johnny said he was a good hire. When Dooley was hired Johnny said he knew how to coach and would get the job done. Now CBJ so hopefully Johnny will be 1 for 3 (excluding Fulmer completely).
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Some people put way to much in to
what Johnny Majors says.
 
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#114
#114
Rifleman said:
Major Majors endorsement of Butch Jones today, also perhaps a little jab at Coach Fulmer's last few years.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/2...s-Butch-Jones-Vols-best-coach-10-yearshttp://



He also went on to say . . .



You have to love the old guy's toughness. This guy was jobbed out of the Heisman Trophy, got fired while recuperating from a heart attack, but has never been anything less than all Vol. It will be a sad day when rejoins General Neyland's team again. Hopefully, not for a long while.
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You noticed he didn't throw himself under the bus.
 
#115
#115
The son of former Georgia coach Vince Dooley "knows how to coach," Majors said, and he'll get the job done if given the opportunity.
"I think he'll do very well," Majors said before speaking at the Cellular South 1st and 10 Club Monday night at Heron Lakes Country Club. "I think he was a very good pick. I've been an advocate of his the last two or three years since I've got to know him at a lot of coaching clinics
 
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#116
#116
IBlvNTmWrk said:
Allow me to help you with the part you left out...

Majors - 137 losses, 10 ties

Fulmer - 52 losses
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And of the 3 SEC Championships two were won because the team that actually finished first was on probation.

1985 Florida
1989 Co-Champions with Alabama
1990 Florida
 
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#117
#117
iluvsmesumdooley said:
There are two Fulmers. The one we loved died in 2002.
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Close. I think it actually happened when Kevin Burnette hit Rohan Davey. It knocked their QB out and silently killed our coach.
The LSU coach immediately took up his mantle and has been running wild with it ever since!
Now that's some hittin'.
 
#120
#120
IBlvNTmWrk said:
of course, we could also just compare their records while coaching at UT, since it was for similar time periods...

Majors - 116 - 62 - 8

Fulmer - 152 - 52
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Fulmer went either 7-2 or 8-2 in OT, so a better comparison might be:

Majors - 116 - 62 - 8 (.624)

Fulmer - 144 - 50 - 10 (.706)
or - 145 - 50 - 9 (.711)
 
#121
#121
I recall Majors also said Dooley could coach, but would need time, so there you go. Maybe we just needed to give Dooley more time, Johnny, what do you think?
 
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#122
#122
VolBraniac said:
Majors biggest fan was always...Majors. He'd sling drinks with anyone who would show up on the Strip and never picked up a tab.

The THP took him home so many times it was like having his own po-po chauffeur service.

Majors benefited from the most outrageous and pathetic hire in 20 the Century UT football. Bill Battle. After Battle, damn near anyone looked good.

On the surface, Majors looked like the real deal. He wooed Orange Koolaid slurpers with his "Ole Johnny" style and that was what he rode, not any kind of consistently winning football, and kept him in the HC job.

An inch below that false veneer, was a rotting drunk-corpse; he was a daily embarrassment and when he dropped the health ball, the UT Powers That Were dumped him as fast as they could.

Fulmer never flinched when Majors hit the hospital bed, why should he? He took the reins with confidence of the team and the UT PTW.
Click to expand...

There's more truth to this post than many want to believe.
 
#123
#123
livefaith said:
Close. I think it actually happened when Kevin Burnette hit Rohan Davey. It knocked their QB out and silently killed our coach.
The LSU coach immediately took up his mantle and has been running wild with it ever since!
Now that's some hittin'.
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What many people fail to realize is that the freshmen and sophomores on that LSU team were more talented than the upperclassmen. These younger players were Saban's recruits and by the end of the 2001 season they had seasoned and very formidable. So knocking out Rohan and the starting running back opened the door to the talent that would win the National Championship the following year.
 
#124
#124
DownTheField said:
Fulmer went either 7-2 or 8-2 in OT, so a better comparison might be:

Majors - 116 - 62 - 8 (.624)

Fulmer - 144 - 50 - 10 (.706)
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Good point. I'd add to hard to compare the two based solely on record, since Johnny Majors took over the program in rotten shape, whereas he left the program as one of the best in the country. One might argue that it was the reverse for Fulmer.

Excluding Majors' first two years, his record improves significantly.

Majors: 107 - 50 - 7 (.652)

If you exclude first four years, it improves even more.

Majors: 95 - 39 - 7 (.674)

Also, Fulmer benefited from what Majors did, which likely inflates his record. Even Ron Zook and Derek Dooley would have looked good for awhile taking over Tennessee in 1993.

Tennessee had only one losing season after Majors' first four years (1988 at 5-6) and won the SEC title three times Fulmer had two losing seasons and won two SEC championships. Though, Johnny coached when the SEC had fewer teams making it easier to win SEC title.

All in all, I think they're about even. Johnny did a lot of things great that Fulmer did poorly. Fulmer did a lot of things great that Majors did poorly.
 
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