Was Majors done wrong?

#101
#101
rocketskates said:
No. He made millions coaching a sport and left this life very wealthy. I love sports but the kid who goes to bed hungry every night was done wrong.
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Not true about millions. Salaries in the early 90s were nowhere near what they are now relative to average income. As I recall Fulmer's first year he made about $350,000. Certainly not slave wages but nowhere near millions of today.

He may have invested well but he didn't, "make," millions coaching.

Talking about Majors
 
#102
#102
Savannahbayvol said:
Not true about millions. Salaries in the early 90s were nowhere near what they are now relative to average income. As I recall Fulmer's first year he made about $350,000. Certainly not slave wages but nowhere near millions of today.

He may have invested well but he didn't, "make," millions coaching.

Talking about Majors
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Fair enough. He still lived a good life and left this world a wealthy man in comparison to others. I think in the early 90s his salary was around 400K a year so over time he certainly became a millionaire. My point is—I love sports as much as the next guy but compared to other things that happen in the world athletes and coaches aren’t really ever “done wrong”.
 
#103
#103
rocketskates said:
Fair enough. He still lived a good life and left this world a wealthy man in comparison to others. I think in the early 90s his salary was around 400K a year so over time he certainly became a millionaire. My point is—I love sports as much as the next guy but compared to other things that happen in the world athletes and coaches aren’t really ever “done wrong”.
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Agree but I think we are preaching to the Choir. I quit giving money to the UTAD about 20 years ago instead giving my little piddling to the Haslam COB which has become a world class Business College.
 
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#104
#104
Savannahbayvol said:
Not true about millions. Salaries in the early 90s were nowhere near what they are now relative to average income. As I recall Fulmer's first year he made about $350,000. Certainly not slave wages but nowhere near millions of today.

He may have invested well but he didn't, "make," millions coaching.

Talking about Majors
Click to expand...

rocketskates said:
Fair enough. He still lived a good life and left this world a wealthy man in comparison to others. I think in the early 90s his salary was around 400K a year so over time he certainly became a millionaire. My point is—I love sports as much as the next guy but compared to other things that happen in the world athletes and coaches aren’t really ever “done wrong”.
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I remember reading where they gave Majors a parting gift of $600k, or close to that. Sixteen years later, Fulmer received $6 million as his first parting gift.
 
#106
#106
UTFranklinVol said:
hot take: Johnny was never "the guy".

at best the 3rd best coach UT has ever had but possibly the 4th before Huepel is done.
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your standards are inconsistent and ridiculous, Majors had his issues, but had won a national title at Pitt, and won 3 SEC titles and came close 2 more times and he had some of the best coaching staffs and player rosters in UT history.

i agree he's the 3rd best coach in UT history (although Doug Dickey also was comparable in his short time here)

Your definition of what "the guy" is not seen on an actual level of any college football coach outside of Saban or Neyland
 
#107
#107
IIRC, Majors had been presented an extension BEFORE his health issues and didn't sign it. I think because he was looking for more money. Then his heart problems hit and Fulmer took over with a win streak. Johnny rushed back and we lost. Board had a tough decision to make and went with the young up-and-coming coach.

People will argue it both ways. The decision led to a title in '98. Maybe he was done wrong. Maybe he should have signed his extension when offered. Whatever the case may be, that title says the AD and the BOT did the right thing.
 
#108
#108
September 20, 1992: Johnny returns to work without a doctor's release and without talking to Dickey.

October 23, 1992: The final straw. Social party with the Board, Johnson, Dickey and others. Majors had much to drink and got into a very loud argument with his former team mate and board member Bill Johnson. It was regarding his contract and he could be heard cursing Bill and board in the entire room.

That was the final straw for Johnson and Dickey. Coming back to work early, disrupting the team after a great start, having problem with assistants at halftime of the LSU game and then the party actions led to his firing. Several coaches tried to leave at halftime at LSU but Fulmer convinced them to stay.

Everyone has an opinion if he was done right or not. Johnson and Dickey made a decision on how they should deal with a disgruntled employee. Happens everyday in life.
 
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#109
#109
I idolized Majors growing up and actually spent a couple of hours in a Pittsburg airport bar once during a flight delay with him as he was recalling stories of his playing days and his teammates . He was very friendly and entertaining when I told him I was a UT alum.
But the one thing I can never get past is him going on a Birmingham radio station ( the flagship station for Alabama athletics) and completely trashing UT.
I've always regretted I didn't ask him about that ( maybe after a few drinks0
 
#112
#112
Wow...some nostalgia there. That was interesting. I wasn't a Vol fan at the time. Heck really wasn't a college football fan at the time.
 
#113
#113
Rickyvol77 said:
your standards are inconsistent and ridiculous, Majors had his issues, but had won a national title at Pitt, and won 3 SEC titles and came close 2 more times and he had some of the best coaching staffs and player rosters in UT history.

i agree he's the 3rd best coach in UT history (although Doug Dickey also was comparable in his short time here)

Your definition of what "the guy" is not seen on an actual level of any college football coach outside of Saban or Neyland
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it's not "my standards" that are inconsistent. I'm simply observing that the way Johnny Majors was (is still) diefied by many is inconsistent with his actual standing in the history of UT football. that's all.

He was replaced by a better coach, period.

Johnny wasn't done dirty anymore than Fulmer was, or for more examples they way Les Miles was, or the way Gene Chizik was. all of those coaches did more for their programs than Johnny did for Tennessee.
 
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