Could Majors have won a NC here?

[GAVol]

I knew Majors very well. I helped him recruiting the Atlanta area and we were able to bring so0me very good football players to Tennessee. I think there were tow things which kept him from winning a national Championship at Tennessee. First, he had a lot of turn over in his assistant coaches. Some of his coaches did not recruit as well as others, but he could close with most of the better players his assistants were able to get to visit. Secondly, he won his Championship at Pitt with his first recruiting class.. He signed around 100 freshmen players including Tony Dorsett. At that time, the SEC had imposed recruiting limits on the number of players a team could recruit each year. I do not think that his alcohol intake was a problem in his coaching . at least not until his other health problems became more debilitating. He was successful everywhere he coaches and was able to greatly improve the football program after he returned home to Tennessee. I enjoyed working with him in recruiting Atlanta area football games and never was with him when he had too much to drink. He was talented football player and coach and few could match his skills as a player or coach.

I think he just came along at a time when it was a widely held belief that head coaches needed to be SOBs in order to be successful and he was just a really hard guy to work for. Add that to everything he had going on personally in the early 90s and people just got tired of dealing with him. I was around him for an extended period twice in the late 90s and the guy could not have been any nicer.

I've posted this before, but my Dad and I took him to the airport after an event and Johnny asked us to stop at a convenience store so he could get something to drink before he got on the plane. He didn't have cash, so my Dad gave him $10 and we kind of rolled our eyes thinking he was about to go buy a beer or something. He walks out grinning and writing something on a piece of paper, hands it to my Dad when he gets back in the car. He had autographed the receipt showing what he had bought and said "Sorry for bumming money off you, but at least now you can tell everybody you bought Johnny Majors pork skins and an Orange Crush." lol

 

[GAVol]

Here for the bi weekly Fulmer shill thread

It always devolves into that kind of stuff, but no point in picking a "side" at this point. Johnny and Phil had ups and downs and ugly landings but both did a lot more good than bad and made it easy to be a Tennessee fan.

 

[BornAndRaisedVOL!]

No. He would have never made it past the major roadblock for the Vols in the 90's. Steve Spurrier. Yes, I know Majors beat him 45-3 in their first meeting, but make no mistake, Spurrier would have ended up eating Major's lunch just like he did Fulmer.

 

[GulfCoasterVol]

No. He would have never made it past the major roadblock for the Vols in the 90's. Steve Spurrier. Yes, I know Majors beat him 45-3 in their first meeting, but make no mistake, Spurrier would have ended up eating Major's lunch just like he did Fulmer.

Johnny would have probably whipped SS's a$$ in a bar fight !!

 

[OffTackleVol]

Coaches were always leaving under Johnny. Almost every year. Fulmer was definitely going to be hired away. His offense was prolific and he was a commodity.

Several other coaches tried to leave after LSU game and Fulmer cooled them off. They most certainly would have left.

Many players were openly talking of transferring out after the season. So that was likely.

Could he have won? Possibly because anything is possible. With Fulmer bring the ace recruiter and his leaving, it's questionable if the same talent levels would have continued.

Dickey and Johnson could see the program falling apart. The board could see it falling apart. Their hands were forced and one of Johnny's former teammates was leading the move.

No one liked having to do it but felt there was no choice.

Take it for what it's worth, but this is exactly what I've been told by a couple of "insiders."

 

[Tman44]

There is no question in my mind that Tennessee could have and SHOULD have won a title in 1992. The only problem we had was Johnny Majors, Fulmer lead the Vols to a perfect opening of the season. This included an away upset of #14 UGA and a home upset drubbing of #4 Florida 31-14. A paranoid Johnny Majors returned and our #4 Vols lost to unranked Arkansas 24-25 at Neyland. If memory serves me correct, I believe that was the game he punted on a third down. Next came a crushing one score loss to the eventual champs, #4 Bama at home. It got even worse when we went to Columbia and lost to a 2-5 Gamecock team. We finished the season 9-3 as Hall of Fame bowl champions. That season was a travesty, all due to Majors being jealous of Fulmer having great success. People can say what they want about "Fulmer stabbing Johnny in the back." So be it. if factual, it was well deserved. In 1992, Majors stabbed ALL of us in the gut!

 

[wmcovol]

Fulmer won a NC when he recruited Manning. The 1998 roster was full of guys who came to Tennessee seeing what they could accomplish watching the Vols 1994-95. Most figured they’d win one with PM at QB.

I doubt Majors could have signed PM so I’d say no. His 1989 & 90 teams were NC quality but injuries, suspensions, etc blew it. That was his highest point regarding talent on the roster.

 

[05_never_again]

I think he just came along at a time when it was a widely held belief that head coaches needed to be SOBs in order to be successful and he was just a really hard guy to work for. Add that to everything he had going on personally in the early 90s and people just got tired of dealing with him. I was around him for an extended period twice in the late 90s and the guy could not have been any nicer.

I've posted this before, but my Dad and I took him to the airport after an event and Johnny asked us to stop at a convenience store so he could get something to drink before he got on the plane. He didn't have cash, so my Dad gave him $10 and we kind of rolled our eyes thinking he was about to go buy a beer or something. He walks out grinning and writing something on a piece of paper, hands it to my Dad when he gets back in the car. He had autographed the receipt showing what he had bought and said "Sorry for bumming money off you, but at least now you can tell everybody you bought Johnny Majors pork skins and an Orange Crush." lol

In college I worked at a golf course where he was a member (won't say the name but many can probably guess which one). He was always very friendly and everyone on the staff liked him. Usually had a few liquor bottles in his car, and loved post-round cocktails, lol.

 

[CINCYVOL]

I knew Majors very well. I helped him recruiting the Atlanta area and we were able to bring so0me very good football players to Tennessee. I think there were tow things which kept him from winning a national Championship at Tennessee. First, he had a lot of turn over in his assistant coaches. Some of his coaches did not recruit as well as others, but he could close with most of the better players his assistants were able to get to visit. Secondly, he won his Championship at Pitt with his first recruiting class.. He signed around 100 freshmen players including Tony Dorsett. At that time, the SEC had imposed recruiting limits on the number of players a team could recruit each year. I do not think that his alcohol intake was a problem in his coaching . at least not until his other health problems became more debilitating. He was successful everywhere he coaches and was able to greatly improve the football program after he returned home to Tennessee. I enjoyed working with him in recruiting Atlanta area football games and never was with him when he had too much to drink. He was talented football player and coach and few could match his skills as a player or coach.

Damn straight. The man, the myth, the legend.

 

[YankeeVol]

I voted no.

 

[JOEY’S ALL VOL !!!]

Well he was here from 1977 to 1992 and didn’t do it, that pretty much tells you the answer.

 

[Clad in Big Orange]

If Philmer could do it in '98 the way it all played out, definitely Majors could have also. Don't have to be a great coach, just need great luck.

 

[WillisWG]

On December 3, a Friday, UT announced that Johnny would be coming home. By the following Monday, the UT campus was alive with relief and anxious excitement for the 1977 season.

Humble pie doesn’t taste very good, though Majors eventually became all that he thought he could be. It just took a LONG time and a lot of patience. Johnny’s first ‘breakthrough’ season wasn’t until his fifth: an 8-4 mark in 1981. It wasn’t until the following season, his sixth, that his Vols were able to defeat a national power: a 35-28 win over Alabama. It wasn’t until his seventh season that his Vols elevated his SEC record to above the .500 mark. It wasn’t until his eighth season that Majors could boast about having a Tennessee team with a winning conference record (4-2 in 1983). And it wasn’t until Majors’ ninth Tennessee team that Johnny coached the SEC champions, followed by one of the greatest triumphs in the history of Vols football, a complete blitzkrieg of Jimmy Johnson’s Miami Hurricanes in the Sugar Bowl.

20 Years Ago in Big Orange Country: The season when one legend replaced another

A parade. A carriage carrying Sherman and his dog, Mr. Peabody, rides through the history of Tennessee Vols football. They see General Neyland standing with George Cafego and Herman Hickman. Then...

www.rockytoptalk.com

 

[LWSVOL]

Well he was here from 1977 to 1992 and didn’t do it, that pretty much tells you the answer.

to be fair, since the General, Tennessee has won one Natty and that covers my lifetime to this point. For Tennessee fans winning National titles should be something to feel blessed about IF they occur in your lifetime. Lot of UT fans live and die not having experienced one. It's difficult for us to accept the reality of it but that is factual.

The league and path to NC's is much tougher than ever for us.

 

[JOEY’S ALL VOL !!!]

to be fair, since the General, Tennessee has won one Natty and that covers my lifetime to this point. For Tennessee fans winning National titles should be something to feel blessed about IF they occur in your lifetime. Lot of UT fans live and die not having experienced one. It's difficult for us to accept the reality of it but that is factual.

The league and path to NC's is much tougher than ever for us.

Oh I agree, nobody said it was easy, but if you haven’t done it in 17 seasons at one place then overwhelming odds say you aren’t going to.

 

[PEPPERJAX]

If Philmer could do it in '98 the way it all played out, definitely Majors could have also. Don't have to be a great coach, just need great luck.

It is possible. I am of the opinion that Majors would have won more than one SECT with Manning at least if he stayed. Kind of hard to believe that CFP got only one in 1997. OTOH, Johnny had three great teams that were above the others and gave UT 3 conference titles during his career on the Hill. Each of those teams were great but were unable to win it all. Majors had 16 years to get it done.

 

[tennrich1]

Man, this is a tough hypothetical to answer.

If you had asked could he have won one, I'd say definitely yes. He was that good a coach. His time at Pitt proves it.

But you asked if he would have won one. That's really impossible to say, even as a hypothetical.

So I passed on the poll. But it's an interesting question.

Go Vols!

Exactly...I voted in the poll but to make a definitive answer is absolutely impossible. Only opinions exist and nothing more. CLEARLY...he could have. To win a NC at Pitt....yeah...he COULD have...

 

[NighthawkVol]

That said, just imagine what Webb would have done. Chuck Webb was the best RB that I’ve ever seen wearing the orange.

Webb would have been in the Bo, Herschel, Emmitt category of all-time SEC RBs if he'd stayed healthy. He was that good. Best in UT history.

 

[NighthawkVol]

I knew Majors very well. I helped him recruiting the Atlanta area and we were able to bring so0me very good football players to Tennessee. I think there were tow things which kept him from winning a national Championship at Tennessee. First, he had a lot of turn over in his assistant coaches. Some of his coaches did not recruit as well as others, but he could close with most of the better players his assistants were able to get to visit. Secondly, he won his Championship at Pitt with his first recruiting class.. He signed around 100 freshmen players including Tony Dorsett. At that time, the SEC had imposed recruiting limits on the number of players a team could recruit each year. I do not think that his alcohol intake was a problem in his coaching . at least not until his other health problems became more debilitating. He was successful everywhere he coaches and was able to greatly improve the football program after he returned home to Tennessee. I enjoyed working with him in recruiting Atlanta area football games and never was with him when he had too much to drink. He was talented football player and coach and few could match his skills as a player or coach.

The "drinking problem" was way overblown with Majors.

 

[sjt18]

Kind of a trick question. In his prime with the right players, yes. But by the time he got to UT the game had evolved... mostly from a player development standpoint. The programs having the most success had bigger guys. In many cases like Nebraska it was a product of "chemistry". But size and speed changed the game and Majors wasn't on the leading edge of that.

 

[EconVol92]

I think the game was passing him by there in the end as he was not able to adjust to the new offenses just like it passed Fulmer by shortly after 98.

You have to be on the leading edge like Spurrier was and Saben were.

I think Heupel could be on the leading edge now. We will see.

 

[Sudden Impact]

No, Fulmer was successful because of the staff changes that occurred after Majors left. Peyton Manning probably does not come here without Cut being the OC and QB Coach. He was the QB Coach under Majors, but he was here to learn the entire system and with Fulmer still the OC it would have been a disaster. Fulmer was good but sometimes he got into that 3 yards and a pile of dust.

 

[whobethis16]

The question is two fold. Could CJM do well enough during regular season to be in the Championship and could he have beaten the team that actually won that year. Here are the National Champs for several years after CJM's ousting. Which do you like him against?
Colorado/GT would be his best chance, I think. He's not beating those Nebraska teams. Maybe he could have derailed Bama's 92 season?

2000	Oklahoma	BCS
1999	Florida State	BCS
1998	Tennessee	BCS
1997	Michigan, Nebraska	AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/ESPN
1996	Florida	AP, FWAA, NFF,USA/CNN
1995	Nebraska	AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI
1994	Nebraska	AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI
1993	Florida St.	AP, FWAA,NFF, USA/CNN, UPI
1992	Alabama	AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI
1991	Washington, Miami (Fla.)	FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI,AP
1990	Colorado, Georgia Tech	FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, AP, UPI
1989	Miami (Fla.)

He coached the 1992 Alabama game. It was his 4th game back, and he lost.

 

[Volador]

Would Majors have eventually won a NC here?​

Interesting question for a slow off season, but I think Johnny Majors was a great coach that never lived up to his or our expectations at UT. Did injuries affect his teams? Oh hell yes. Did Johnny not winning the Heisman affect his trajectory as our coach? Don't think so. Did the fine taste of Sour Mash affect his abilities to concentrate and wow, did you just see that 12 point buck run by on the field?

Johnny gave it his best but it was time for him to go. And he left empty handed except for his, hiccup - whoops!

 

[robow]

That said, just imagine what Webb would have done. Chuck Webb was the best RB that I’ve ever seen wearing the orange.

Amen to Webb