When Majors came home

[VolunteerHillbilly]

I hat the Locklear in a hot tub wearing a pink bikini and some other lady I cannot remember wearing a blue one-piece that showed her stomach. I'll have to ask my mom what happened to that artwork.

 

[OrangeDog]

but are there new draperies?

NOPE! Had to move those to make room for the Champions of Life trophies.

jk

 

[MurphyVol]

I read where Majors did that when he got back to Pitt. Even saying that into his third year there.

That second stint with Pitt was UGLY

Trivia: Before Johnny was rehired at Pitt the interim HC was.....Sal Sunseri. He left Pitt with and unblemished 1-0 record lol

 

[onevol74]

If Vols had hired Johnny when they hired Bill Battle, the train started by Doug Dickey would have kept on rolling. At that time, there were little to no restrictions on recruiting and Johnny would have brought in about 125 freshmen like he did at Pitt. One of the worst moves in Tennessee history (but, still way behind the hiring of Mike Hamilton and then Derek Dooley).

I did know a player who was on the team in 77 and he said, Johnny would tell them at their workouts about how they were as talented as anyone and they could win now. Then, the players would go back to the dorm and Johnny would be on TV telling everyone about how depleted this program is of talent and it would take a long time to get it back to where it belonged.

Bear Bryant made a living doing the same thing. That was the norm during those days.

 

[chargervol]

Nah, the worst thing Dooley left to Butch was the destroyed relationships: with high school coaches throughout TN and neighboring states, with former Vols players, with boosters. The depleted roster hurt, but the broken relationships with so many people our program relies upon for its health hurt far worse.

Lol, you didn't really believe he was sharing his "love of history".
Majors faced huge obstacles in his day but you have to remember that those circumstances weren't so different from other down teams of the same era.

Our recent dark ages were actually very comparable to what Majors faced once you account for the difference in what the current competition has become. Op is basically omitting 'inflation' to disguise that this thread is absolutely no different than the ones he starts every other day.

How long was Johnny HC again?

 

[IknoxvolsI]

How long was Johnny HC again?

Sixteen years.

 

[Behr]

Op is basically omitting 'inflation' to disguise that this thread is absolutely no different than the ones he starts every other day.

Haha, OP is a camouflage Vol.

 

[chargervol]

Haha, OP is a camouflage Vol.

I would laugh if he painted himself to match our checkerboards and lay on the field till kickoff.
Then jump and scream to the crowd "Bama had injuries too".

I say we make it a dare.

 

[HoptownVol]

I'll never forget this night... we were playing Cornbread Maxwell's UNC Charlotte team, Pittsburgh had just won their title. Just before halftime somebody spotted Johnny and his wife in the stands, then the standing ovation started to spread all over Stokely. This went on through halftime and into the 3rd quarter with both teams racing up and down the court, we just stood and cheered, many people visibly weeping tears of joy. Well it didn't quite work out according to plan but that was an amazing scene. I'd give anything for the video.

 

[wmcovol]

SEC had scholarship limits before Majors came to Tennessee. I beleive it was 40 max per yr but I don't recall the exact number. I recall that after 1973 season when freshmen were first eligible the NCAA reduced the total allowable per yr. Pitt was independent an signed a bunch in Majors first yr (1973) which included Tony Dorset. I content Pitt could have signed Dorset and 25 others and been just as good. BTW, Majors &Dorsett first game at Pitt was a tie at Athens with Ga.

I remember the Majors team of 1977. Despite the state of the program, there was some talent on the team. Streeter was a decent QB as a soph. Roland James was a 1st round DB and Robert Shaw was a first round center to Dallas. Brent Watson was a good OT. Line of scrimmage was weak, especially on defense. Roster that Butch inherited was probably as bad if not worse.

 

[IknoxvolsI]

His winning % was all up and down for the first decade.

 

[ajvol01]

His winning % was all up and down for the first decade.

13 years ain't a decade bro

 

[butchna]

Nah, the worst thing Dooley left to Butch was the destroyed relationships: with high school coaches throughout TN and neighboring states, with former Vols players, with boosters. The depleted roster hurt, but the broken relationships with so many people our program relies upon for its health hurt far worse.

Don't forget the APR mess.

 

[Jax_Vol]

The day Johnny announced he was leaving the National Champions to return to Knoxville is one of my favorite Vol memories.

 

[SolidRockGolf]

13 years ain't a decade bro

So you counted the chart wrongly but didn't look at the first 10 years to see what he was talking about.... bro? .. or you don't see his point.

He only had one bad season the last 5 years so it was more consistent.

 

[IknoxvolsI]

So you counted the chart wrongly but didn't look at the first 10 years to see what he was talking about.... bro? .. or you don't see his point.

He only had one bad season the last 5 years so it was more consistent.

Tennessee fans, like all BAMA fans, come in all shapes and sizes.

And mentalaties.

 

[Backwards K]

As a whole, the Johnny years were very frustrating.
-- He took too long to get it turned around and blamed Battle for about 6 years. Vols were 16-17-1 in Johnny's first 3 years and 35-32-2 in his first 6 years. And this was when the Vols played 6 SEC games and the last three were always vs Ole Miss, Kentucky, and Vandy.
--Lost too many games to the Armys, Ga Techs, Rutgers, and Ole Misses of the world. A home loss to Ole Miss in 83 cost that team a trip to the Cotton Bowl.
-- The 83 team was ranked #1 in at least one pre season mag and they got blown out in their first game
--A couple of home losses to Duke
--The 85 team might have been national champs if Johnny hadn't been so conservative against Ga Tech and the 4th qtr vs UCLA in the opener where they blew a 16 pt lead.
--The 87 team lost to a bad Boston College team and to a Bama team the week after the Tide lost at home to Memphis....and the Tide started their back up QB. Only two losses by that Tennessee team.
--The 88 team began the year ranked in top 20 and proceeded to lose the first 6 games
--The 89-91 teams were arguably the most talented teams in UT history but lost to average Bama teams every year, blew a 16 pt 4th Qtr lead to Auburn in 90 and got blown out of the bowl game after the 91 season.
--The 92 team was the worst choke job. If Johnny had stayed at home like the Dr told him to, that team would have been 10-1 or 11-0 in regular season and played in first SECCG. His ego got the best of him and he came back, disrupted the staff, destroyed the momentum and lost 3 straight games including at home to an Arkansas team that lost to the Citadel a month earlier. Then added a loss to a bad South Carolina team with a long haired freshman QB to knock them out of the SECCG.

Johnny did some good things, he rebuilt the program and recruited very well, but I just remember the frustration of the fan base for most of his tenure. Brought the Big Orange back but he could never get over the last hurdle.

 

[IknoxvolsI]

As a whole, the Johnny years were very frustrating.
-- He took too long to get it turned around and blamed Battle for about 6 years. Vols were 16-17-1 in Johnny's first 3 years and 35-32-2 in his first 6 years. And this was when the Vols played 6 SEC games and the last three were always vs Ole Miss, Kentucky, and Vandy.
--Lost too many games to the Armys, Ga Techs, Rutgers, and Ole Misses of the world. A home loss to Ole Miss in 83 cost that team a trip to the Cotton Bowl.
-- The 83 team was ranked #1 in at least one pre season mag and they got blown out in their first game
--A couple of home losses to Duke
--The 85 team might have been national champs if Johnny hadn't been so conservative against Ga Tech and the 4th qtr vs UCLA in the opener where they blew a 16 pt lead.
--The 87 team lost to a bad Boston College team and to a Bama team the week after the Tide lost at home to Memphis....and the Tide started their back up QB. Only two losses by that Tennessee team.
--The 88 team began the year ranked in top 20 and proceeded to lose the first 6 games
--The 89-91 teams were arguably the most talented teams in UT history but lost to average Bama teams every year, blew a 16 pt 4th Qtr lead to Auburn in 90 and got blown out of the bowl game after the 91 season.
--The 92 team was the worst choke job. If Johnny had stayed at home like the Dr told him to, that team would have been 10-1 or 11-0 in regular season and played in first SECCG. His ego got the best of him and he came back, disrupted the staff, destroyed the momentum and lost 3 straight games including at home to an Arkansas team that lost to the Citadel a month earlier. Then added a loss to a bad South Carolina team with a long haired freshman QB to knock them out of the SECCG.

Johnny did some good things, he rebuilt the program and recruited very well, but I just remember the frustration of the fan base for most of his tenure. Brought the Big Orange back but he could never get over the last hurdle.

This kinda sounds like Jones. Minus the decade of course. But, looks like the same trajectory.

 

[Biopsyman]

Nah, the worst thing Dooley left to Butch was the destroyed relationships: with high school coaches throughout TN and neighboring states, with former Vols players, with boosters. The depleted roster hurt, but the broken relationships with so many people our program relies upon for its health hurt far worse.

But the team learned about Shower Hygiene

 

[orangebloodgmc]

As a whole, the Johnny years were very frustrating.
-- He took too long to get it turned around and blamed Battle for about 6 years. Vols were 16-17-1 in Johnny's first 3 years and 35-32-2 in his first 6 years. And this was when the Vols played 6 SEC games and the last three were always vs Ole Miss, Kentucky, and Vandy.
--Lost too many games to the Armys, Ga Techs, Rutgers, and Ole Misses of the world. A home loss to Ole Miss in 83 cost that team a trip to the Cotton Bowl.
-- The 83 team was ranked #1 in at least one pre season mag and they got blown out in their first game
--A couple of home losses to Duke
--The 85 team might have been national champs if Johnny hadn't been so conservative against Ga Tech and the 4th qtr vs UCLA in the opener where they blew a 16 pt lead.
--The 87 team lost to a bad Boston College team and to a Bama team the week after the Tide lost at home to Memphis....and the Tide started their back up QB. Only two losses by that Tennessee team.
--The 88 team began the year ranked in top 20 and proceeded to lose the first 6 games
--The 89-91 teams were arguably the most talented teams in UT history but lost to average Bama teams every year, blew a 16 pt 4th Qtr lead to Auburn in 90 and got blown out of the bowl game after the 91 season.
--The 92 team was the worst choke job. If Johnny had stayed at home like the Dr told him to, that team would have been 10-1 or 11-0 in regular season and played in first SECCG. His ego got the best of him and he came back, disrupted the staff, destroyed the momentum and lost 3 straight games including at home to an Arkansas team that lost to the Citadel a month earlier. Then added a loss to a bad South Carolina team with a long haired freshman QB to knock them out of the SECCG.

Johnny did some good things, he rebuilt the program and recruited very well, but I just remember the frustration of the fan base for most of his tenure. Brought the Big Orange back but he could never get over the last hurdle.

Yup, pretty much the way I remember it. He did some good things and we were so glad when he first came home. But by the end, was stubbornly trying to crash 5-10, 185 Terry Daniels between the tackles, play after play vs. Bama, and we just shook our heads.