Was Majors done wrong?

#51
#51
VolatileVol said:
People just seemingly got bored with Majors' predictability. No matter how many games we winning or losing I assure you half this fan base thinks there is somebody who can do it better right this instance! LOL
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Predictability cost Fulmer his job also and has led to much criticism of Rick Barnes. “Familiarity breeds contempt.”
 
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#54
#54
Carl Pickens said:
Majors dug his own hole
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This is absolutely correct! He had no one to blame but himself. He was out because of his surgery but saw Fulmers success and got jealous. He didn’t contact Dickey or anyone, just showed up on Monday and declared himself back, totally destroyed the team momentum and chemistry. He let his ego get in the way of the team.
 
#55
#55
#1fulmerite said:
This explains so much-if it’s related to coming back too early. Had never thought of or about that.

I remember hearing a story where Majors flipped over Joe Johnson’s desk.

Do you think Fulmer intentionally sabotaged Majors in those three losses? I would not think so but was young and not involved at that time.
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Not a big Fulmer fan but I think the only thing he did intentionally in 92 was beat UGA and UF. JMHO.
 
#56
#56
VolCalls said:
Yes, Majors was done wrong - and so was Fulmer. Tit for tat.
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At the 18:20 mark in OP's video, Fulmer is interviewed after the Cincinnati game saying that he didn't think the team played with the "mental edge" they had in the two previous wins and that "it's hard to maintain that kind of edge."

Ironically, this could be applied to the way the team seemed to play all too often at the end of both the Majors and Fulmer eras.
 
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#57
#57
Savannahbayvol said:
As one of the few in this forum that actually saw Johnny play I have all the respect in the world for what he did for the University as a player and coach. BUT he was an arrogant egomaniac who in the end was hoisted on his own petard by his hubris and complete unawareness of his tenous situation after losing 7 in a row to Alabama including at least 3 games where he had equal or superior talent.

If you are the HC at Tennessee and lose 7 in a row to the Tide you don't go out and call your bosses out in public. He left Dickey and the Johnsons(Joe and Bill) no choice but to let him go. I have criticized Fulmer in the past but the only way he knifed Johnny in the back was by beating Florida and UGA with the same team Johnny lost to Arkansas, USC and Alabama with. Ironically Johnny and Bill Johnson were teammates on the undefeated 56 team. I dont think Bill was working behind the scenes to screw over his old teammate.
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Johnny had won the SEC in '89 and '90 and broke the Bama streak in '92 putting the Bear into retirement. He had finally turned it around and was poised to win a NC with Bama trending down. He would have probably done better than Fulmer did against a rising Spurrier and Florida. Majors always hired great assistants and I'm sure he would have replaced Fulmer with a great OC.

The real tragedy to this was Woodruff not hiring Johnny out of Iowa St in 1970, instead of Battle. We were a national top-10 team in Dickie's years up to 1969, and Johnny would have kept that going, instead of what we saw with Battle running the program into the ground before Johnny got there. That was one of the worst decisions in UTAD history.

I used to go to Johnny's practices, and he as intense as hell, hands-on coach, and would get in players' faces. If he'd stayed at Pitt, he would've won 2-3 more championships.
 
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#58
#58
Volle said:
That's a multi-layered question with no right answer. Johnny was on one hand demanding the highest salary in the SEC, while heavily hitting the Jack D on the other hand. Fulmer was liked by Joe Johnson, and probably lobbied for the job under the table. Fulmer was rumored to be the favorite for the Auburn job that year, so the Board made a tough decision and went with Fulmer. Probably a lot more happened behind the scenes than we'll ever know publicly.
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Just a point of historical accuracy.

Johnny Majors drank Johnnie Walker Red Scotch not Jack Daniels.
 
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#60
#60
I don't really think so. The fans from the 50s, 60s, and 70s seem to think so more than the newer younger generations at that time. Football was changing and evolving and it appeared at the time that Johnny was not planning to change with it. PF did well immediately when Majors went in for his quintuple bypass. From that success, obviously enough fans were fine having the change at coach. It was already known that PF was a very, very good recruiter. Majors certainly felt like he got the shaft and he vocally made that obvious and clear. I still think the reality was that he would not and likely could not change his philosophy on coaching and football.
 
#61
#61
Volle said:
Johnny had won the SEC in '89 and '90 and broke the Bama streak in '92 putting the Bear into retirement. He had finally turned it around and was poised to win a NC with Bama trending down. He would have probably done better than Fulmer did against a rising Spurrier and Florida. Majors always hired great assistants and I'm sure he would have replaced Fulmer with a great OC.

The real tragedy to this was Woodruff not hiring Johnny out of Iowa St in 1970, instead of Battle. We were a national top-10 team in Dickie's years up to 1969, and Johnny would have kept that going, instead of what we saw with Battle running the program into the ground before Johnny got there. That was one of the worst decisions in UTAD history.

I used to go to Johnny's practices, and he as intense as hell, hands-on coach, and would get in players' faces. If he'd stayed at Pitt, he would've won 2-3 more championships.
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Doubt if he could have found another Tony Dorsett
 
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#62
#62
GBO2011 said:
I feel like this is something that needs to be said that no one has thought about: I think part of the reason why the team went on the three game losing streak, is because the locker room was a bit divided. You had players who felt like Fulmer was the better coach from that three week stretch or so that Fulmer filled in, and then you had players who were recruited by Majors and were willing to run through a wall for him
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This may just be me but I remember the offense in those 4 fill in games to be wide open all cylinders versus the standard conservative style. We were all impressed and so the attraction to Fulmer. I never saw that style offense again when Fulmer went back to OC or any of the years after he became head coach which was frustrating. I thought Majos lost the 3 games because he had to come back early after his bypass heart surgery to try and protect his job from the vultures.
 
#66
#66
Race City Vol said:
This is absolutely correct! He had no one to blame but himself. He was out because of his surgery but saw Fulmers success and got jealous. He didn’t contact Dickey or anyone, just showed up on Monday and declared himself back, totally destroyed the team momentum and chemistry. He let his ego get in the way of the team.
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True. Majors was likely on thin ice anyway with his drinking. Heart problems sidelined him for the 1st 3 games, in which UT scored impressive wins over #14 UGA and #4 Florida under Fulmer. Majors returns as HC but you knew if he lost a game in which the Vols were favored, he’d be in trouble. It happened against Arky. Then came losses to the Tide and USCjr. By then the writing was on the wall.
 
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#69
#69
Volle said:
Johnny had won the SEC in '89 and '90 and broke the Bama streak in '82 putting the Bear into retirement. He had finally turned it around and was poised to win a NC with Bama trending down. He would have probably done better than Fulmer did against a rising Spurrier and Florida. Majors always hired great assistants and I'm sure he would have replaced Fulmer with a great OC.

The real tragedy to this was Woodruff not hiring Johnny out of Iowa St in 1970, instead of Battle. We were a national top-10 team in Dickie's years up to 1969, and Johnny would have kept that going, instead of what we saw with Battle running the program into the ground before Johnny got there. That was one of the worst decisions in UTAD history.

I used to go to Johnny's practices, and he as intense as hell, hands-on coach, and would get in players' faces. If he'd stayed at Pitt, he would've won 2-3 more championships.
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You made a typo.
 
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#74
#74
Race City Vol said:
This is absolutely correct! He had no one to blame but himself. He was out because of his surgery but saw Fulmers success and got jealous. He didn’t contact Dickey or anyone, just showed up on Monday and declared himself back, totally destroyed the team momentum and chemistry. He let his ego get in the way of the team.
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I knew a bunch of guys on that team. I saw a lot of crap and none of it had anything to do with Fulmer or Majors. I have no idea how the head coach showing up after surgery is a bad thing. He’s the freaking head coach. Why wouldn’t he show up?
Everyone knows there is a lot more going on behind the scenes when Majors was out. It wasn’t that he was jealous. It’s that he knew there were forces at play that were navigating to get him fired. Can you imagine firing a coach after the record and success, he had in 89, 90, 91 and 92? Complete insanity.
 
#75
#75
If you have a few drinks, spout off at the party about how little you make, embarrassing your superiors in front of clients or customers, see if you’re not fired the next morning.

JM knew he screwed up & tried to correct things with Bill Johnson the trustee the next day but it was too late.
 
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