Johnny Majors' Top 10 Games at UT

#1
Rickyvol77

Rickyvol77

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 2, 2019
Messages
17,312
Likes
22,283
#1
1. 1986 - UT 35 Miami 7
2. 1991 - UT 35 Notre Dame 34
3. 1985 - UT 38 Auburn 20
4. 1982 - UT 35 Alabama 28
5. 1990 - UT 45 Florida 3
6. 1985 - UT 16 Alabama 14
7. 1979 - UT 40 Notre Dame 18
8. 1989 - UT 31 Arkansas 27
9. 1990 - UT 31 Colorado 31 (tie)
10. 1984 - UT 28 Alabama 27

Honorable Mention:
1982 - UT 24 LSU 24 (tie)
1983 - UT 41 Alabama 34
1985 - UT 26 UCLA 26 (tie)
1986 - UT 22 Ole Miss 10
1987 - UT 23 Iowa 22
1987 - UT 20 Auburn 20 (tie)
1989 - UT 24 UCLA 6
1989 - UT 21 Auburn 14
1989 - UT 17 Georgia 14
1989 - UT 33 Ole Miss 21
1990 - UT 22 Ole Miss 13
1990 - UT 23 Virginia 22
1991 - UT 30 UCLA 16
1991 - UT 30 Auburn 21
1992 - UT 20 LSU 0


Rank of Major's teams at UT:

1. 1990
2. 1985
3. 1989
4. 1987
5. 1992
6. 1983
7. 1991
8. 1981
9. 1984
10. 1986
11. 1979
12. 1982
13. 1980
14. 1988
15. 1978
16. 1977
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: DiderotsGhost, VolinMC, RDU VOL#14 and 15 others
#3
#3
Rickyvol77 said:
1. 1986 - UT 35 Miami 7
2. 1991 - UT 35 Notre Dame 34
3. 1985 - UT 38 Auburn 20
4. 1984 - UT 35 Alabama 28
5. 1990 - UT 45 Florida 3
6. 1985 - UT 16 Alabama 14
7. 1979 - UT 40 Notre Dame 18
8. 1989 - UT 31 Arkansas 27
9. 1990 - UT 31 Colorado 31 (tie)
10. 1984 - UT 28 Alabama 27

Honorable Mention:
1982 - UT 24 LSU 24 (tie)
1983 - UT 41 Alabama 34
1985 - UT 26 UCLA 26 (tie)
1986 - UT 22 Ole Miss 10
1987 - UT 23 Iowa 22
1987 - UT 20 Auburn 20 (tie)
1989 - UT 24 UCLA 6
1989 - UT 21 Auburn 14
1989 - UT 17 Georgia 14
1989 - UT 33 Ole Miss 21
1990 - UT 22 Ole Miss 13
1990 - UT 23 Virginia 22
1991 - UT 30 UCLA 16
1991 - UT 30 Auburn 21
1992 - UT 20 LSU 0


Rank of Major's teams at UT:

1. 1990
2. 1985
3. 1989
4. 1987
5. 1992
6. 1983
7. 1991
8. 1981
9. 1984
10. 1986
11. 1979
12. 1982
13. 1980
14. 1988
15. 1978
16. 1977
Click to expand...
1990 was his most talented team... but the Alabama loss at home really taints that season. They had no business losing that game. That is where I would start with the most disappointing losses of his tenure. I would have to put both 1989 and 1985 above '90.
 
  • Like
Reactions: alaVOL, TN_Transplant, VolsSince78 and 2 others
#4
#4
1990 though, yea the Bama loss was horrendous, but they played toe to toe with the two teams who played in the NC game (Notre Dame and Colorado) and destroyed some other good teams that year..

1985 was more of a perfect storm and a team overcoming talent and injury issues and being one of the best in the country

1989 was a really great team too
 
  • Like
Reactions: albedo33 and ArdentVol
#5
#5
Rickyvol77 said:
1. 1986 - UT 35 Miami 7
2. 1991 - UT 35 Notre Dame 34
3. 1985 - UT 38 Auburn 20
4. 1984 - UT 35 Alabama 28
5. 1990 - UT 45 Florida 3
6. 1985 - UT 16 Alabama 14
7. 1979 - UT 40 Notre Dame 18
8. 1989 - UT 31 Arkansas 27
9. 1990 - UT 31 Colorado 31 (tie)
10. 1984 - UT 28 Alabama 27

Honorable Mention:
1982 - UT 24 LSU 24 (tie)
1983 - UT 41 Alabama 34
1985 - UT 26 UCLA 26 (tie)
1986 - UT 22 Ole Miss 10
1987 - UT 23 Iowa 22
1987 - UT 20 Auburn 20 (tie)
1989 - UT 24 UCLA 6
1989 - UT 21 Auburn 14
1989 - UT 17 Georgia 14
1989 - UT 33 Ole Miss 21
1990 - UT 22 Ole Miss 13
1990 - UT 23 Virginia 22
1991 - UT 30 UCLA 16
1991 - UT 30 Auburn 21
1992 - UT 20 LSU 0


Rank of Major's teams at UT:

1. 1990
2. 1985
3. 1989
4. 1987
5. 1992
6. 1983
7. 1991
8. 1981
9. 1984
10. 1986
11. 1979
12. 1982
13. 1980
14. 1988
15. 1978
16. 1977
Click to expand...

I think you meant #4 Vols -35 and Bama - 28, in 1982, not 1984... RIP Coach Majors...
 
  • Like
Reactions: sport3500, BowlBrother85 and Rickyvol77
#6
#6
Ledzepvol said:
I think you meant #4 Vols -35 and Bama - 28, in 1982, not 1984... RIP Coach Majors...
Click to expand...
If not for that big win over Alabama in 1982, Majors might have been in some trouble after that season. He was getting mediocre results for a coach in his 6th season. Majors had a way of winning whenever his seat was a little hot, though.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rickyvol77, sport3500 and tn4elvis
#7
#7
My top 10 Tennessee wins for Johnny Majors

1-Alabama 1982 (Ending 11 game losing streak)
2-Miami 1986 Sugar Bowl
3-Arkansas 1990 Cotton Bowl
4-Auburn 1985
5-Notre Dame 1991
6-Florida 1990
7-Auburn 1989
8-Notre Dame 1979
9-Kentucky 1978 (Ending 2 game losing streak)
10-Auburn 1979 (Ending 3 game losing streak)
 
  • Like
Reactions: WiscVol, albedo33, VolsSince78 and 5 others
#8
#8
BowlBrother85 said:
If not for that big win over Alabama in 1982, Majors might have been in some trouble after that season. He was getting mediocre results for a coach in his 6th season. Majors had a way of winning whenever his seat was a little hot, though.
Click to expand...
I can't think of anyone else I would want coaching Tennessee in a big game as an underdog. He was unbelievable at motivating his teams when they were big underdogs. He would however loose a head scratcher every now and then.His teams produced some of my fondest memories of Tennessee football. RIP coach Majors and say hello to Pat for us all.
 
  • Like
Reactions: VolinMC, ksgovols, VolDave53 and 7 others
#10
#10
tn4elvis said:
I can't think of anyone else I would want coaching Tennessee in a big game as an underdog. He was unbelievable at motivating his teams when they were big underdogs. He would however loose a head scratcher every now and then.His teams produced some of my fondest memories of Tennessee football. RIP coach Majors and say hello to Pat for us all.
Click to expand...
Even when we weren't very good (1986 and 1988), I still liked having him as our head coach. He was one of ours and represented us well. Serious question: Can you imagine a coach kicking his leading rusher off the team, while undefeated and ranked in the top 5, the week before the biggest game of the season vs their biggest rival? That is what Johnny Majors did in October of 1989 with Reggie Cobb. I have never been able to decide if that was an incredible display of integrity, or just foolish. No coach would ever do such a thing in today's game.
 
  • Like
Reactions: NighthawkVol, ksgovols, onevol74 and 3 others
#11
#11
BowlBrother85 said:
Even when we weren't very good (1986 and 1988), I still liked having him as our head coach. He was one of ours and represented us well. Serious question: Can you imagine a coach kicking his leading rusher off the team, while undefeated and ranked in the top 5, the week before the biggest game of the season vs their biggest rival? That is what Johnny Majors did in October of 1989 with Reggie Cobb. I have never been able to decide if that was an incredible display of integrity, or just foolish. No coach would ever do such a thing in today's game.
Click to expand...
I heard that he didn't really have a choice in the matter. That decision came from higher up than Coach Majors.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rickyvol77 and BowlBrother85
#14
#14
sport3500 said:
The 1982 win against Alabama was the last home football game that I attended in person.

Mike Terry made the interception in the end zone to preserve that win.
Click to expand...
That was a crazy day. We’ve had some great games since but nothing was like that day. I remember my then gf calling me at about 3:00a and people were still on the strip yelling.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ksgovols, orangebloodgmc, Mikevol1964 and 1 other person
#15
#15
The 1982 Alabama game is my all time favorite. Grew up in a family of Alabama fans but fortunately I was born at UT Medical Center. The first UT/Ala game I can remember is the 1972 game. The 82 game was the first win over Ala I remember. Can’t believe that game wasn’t even on tv listened to John Ward on the radio. RIP JOHNNY
 
  • Like
Reactions: VFFL@THE BEACH, BSOVOL1967, sport3500 and 4 others
#16
#16
I haven't been very productive today thinking about the passing of Coach Majors who I have always revered.

For me, the Johnny Majors show after the ND win in 1979 where he banged the table with a shillelagh is by far the most memorable moment of any UT coaches show and I've been watching them since the 1970's. That 1982 Alabama game is right there as one of my all-time favorites. I was living in South Carolina at the time. As I was driving to Knoxville early on Saturday, I was listening to the radio. The song "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey was played. To this day, I think of that game whenever I hear that song. I'm superstitious so I took this as a clue to not give up on the unranked Vols to beat #2 Alabama. To make the game even more memorable to me, the running back that ran wild that day for the Vols was Chuck Coleman who graduated from the same high school I attended. And it was loud. Most of the time on this board, that games ranks as one of the top five loudest. Also, at the time, I had a bumper sticker on my car that read "My Blood Runs Orange". That was one of the statements that Coach Majors made during the time he was being announced as the new head coach at UT in 1977.
 
  • Like
Reactions: VFFL@THE BEACH, BSOVOL1967, Volunteer_Kirby and 2 others
#18
#18
I think the 1979 Auburn game is very underrated among his best wins. Auburn has William Andrews, Joe Cribbs & James Brooks 3 NFL Star RBs. Gary Moore took the opening KO back for a TD and Tennessee was on their way. Johnnys first “big” win at Tennessee.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BSOVOL1967, ksgovols and Tennesseefan2019
#20
#20
I was talking to my older brother who also lives in Sarasota/ Bradenton (we grew up in Lenoir City) and we were discussing the classic games and other games we attended before and during our time at UT. Many of the games are already mentioned in this thread. Great memories. RIP Coach Majors.
 
  • Like
Reactions: give_him 6
#21
#21
1990 Colorado game in Anaheim was one of 5 that I loved, but it was special, though only a tie. My bags were packed and I was leaving MCAS El Toro, CA the following Tuesday to go to Saudi Arabia. Wife and I attended with other Marine pilots and their families. Ed Yarnell, a dear friend, had been a DL starter for Wake Forrest in the early 80s. We left on the same plane and returned on the same plane 7 months later.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BSOVOL1967 and ksgovols
#22
#22
BowlBrother85 said:
Even when we weren't very good (1986 and 1988), I still liked having him as our head coach. He was one of ours and represented us well. Serious question: Can you imagine a coach kicking his leading rusher off the team, while undefeated and ranked in the top 5, the week before the biggest game of the season vs their biggest rival? That is what Johnny Majors did in October of 1989 with Reggie Cobb. I have never been able to decide if that was an incredible display of integrity, or just foolish. No coach would ever do such a thing in today's game.
Click to expand...
He did the same with Hubert Simpson. I can’t remember if we had Simpson in 1980 when we played UGA. Simpson stole Vagas Ferguson’s lunch in that 1979 Notre Dame game.
 
  • Like
Reactions: VolinMC, ArdentVol and ksgovols
#24
#24
onevol74 said:
He did the same with Hubert Simpson. I can’t remember if we had Simpson in 1980 when we played UGA. Simpson stole Vagas Ferguson’s lunch in that 1979 Notre Dame game.
Click to expand...
Hubert Simpson was thrown off the team before the 1980 season started
 
#25
#25
I could add a couple of losses in there:
1. The Notre Dame game in Knoxville 1990 was very exciting. Andy Kelly was throwing for the end zone on the last play for the win and came up short. That was a very loud Neyland Stadium.
2. 1980 Southern Cal game. Vols missed a field goal to tie in a 20-17 game at home. Southern Cal was loaded. Charles White, Anthony Munoz et al.

1985 UCLA game was infuriating! Vols had a 16 point lead in the 4th quarter and gave up 2 TD's and 2 2 pt conversions to get an ugly tie. Butt ugly.

Those 89 games, the Vols were still reeling a little bit on defense, but the O-Line and Cobb-Webb just dominated the clock. Fulmer was O.C. in those days and he'd get a lead and then work the clock to keep our defense off the field. A masterpiece after that 5-6 88 season.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jax_Vol, sport3500, ArdentVol and 2 others
New posts
You must log in or register to reply here.
Advertisement



Back
Top