Hall of Fame
Position: Halfback
Years: 1954-1956
Place of Birth: Lynchburg, TN
Date of Birth: May 21, 1935
Place of Death: Knoxville, TN
Date of Death: June 3, 2020
Jersey Number: 45
Height: 5-11
Weight: 168
High School: Huntland, TN (Huntland HS)
Called Johnny "Drum" Majors during his playing days, he did it all for the Vols—running, passing, kicking and defending. When they call the roll of the game's great single-wing tailbacks, Majors stands at or near the top of the list.
Playing for the Volunteers from 1954-56, Majors earned both SEC Player of the Year honors and All-SEC selection at tailback twice, in 1955 and 1956. A unanimous All-American in 1956, he finished second in the Heisman Trophy balloting after leading the Vols to a 10-1 record, an appearance in the Sugar Bowl and a final national ranking of No. 2. He was also named United Press International's Back of the Year.
A native of Lynchburg, Tennessee, and a graduate of Huntland High School, Majors finished his Tennessee playing career with 1,622 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns on 387 carries while also completing 54.1 percent of his passes (80 for 148) for 1,135 yards and 11 scores. He rushed for 549 yards and seven touchdowns on 108 carries in 1956.
Tennessee was 20-10-1 during his time as a Vol. Majors returned 36 punts for a 12.2-yard average and one touchdown in his career along with 15 kickoff returns for a 22.9-yard average. Majors also intercepted two passes at Tennessee and punted 83 times for a 39.1-yard average.
Majors was named to the Quarter-Century All-SEC team (1950-74) at running back, along with LSU's Billy Cannon and Alabama's Johnny Musso. When his Tennessee playing career ended, he ranked in the SEC's all-time top 10 in total offense (2,757) and rushing (1,622) and was the league's single-season record holder for completion percentage (61.0 percent in 1956).
The 1957 UT College of Education graduate was selected as Tennessee's SEC Football Legend in 2002. His No. 45 was retired by his alma mater in 2012—one of only eight to earn that distinction.
After college, Majors played one season for the Montreal Alouettes in the CFL before embarking on a long coaching career that began with stints as an assistant at Tennessee, Mississippi State and Arkansas.
Majors' first head coaching job was at Iowa State from 1968-72, where he led the Cyclones to their first bowl game in program history.
From 1973-76, Majors posted a 33-13-1 record as the coach at Pittsburgh. He was named the National Coach of the Year in 1976 after leading the Panthers to an undefeated national championship season. At Pittsburgh, Majors coached College Football Hall of Famer and Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett.
In 1977, he returned to his alma mater as the head coach through the 1992 season. The 1985 SEC Coach of the Year led the Vols to three conference titles, three top 10 finishes and seven bowl victories, including wins in the 1986 and 1991 Sugar Bowls and the 1990 Cotton Bowl Classic. At Tenneessee, he coached College Football Hall of Famer Reggie White. Majors finished his career at Tennessee with a 116-62-8 record before getting a second stint at Pittsburgh (1993-96).
After retiring from coaching, Majors served at Pitt in the position of Special Assistant to the Athletic Director and Chancellor until the summer of 2007. A room on the second floor of the Pittsburgh Athletic Association adjacent to Pitt's campus is dedicated to him and displays memorabilia from his career. A street on Tennessee's campus in Knoxville is named Johnny Majors Drive in his honor.
Majors passed away June 3, 2020, at his home in Knoxville, Tennessee. He was 85 years old.
