PHILLIP FULMER
TENNESSEE DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS
PHILLIP FULMER
"It is a sad day as Tennessee losses a football legend in Johnny Majors. Coach Majors accomplished so much at UT, from his time as one of our greatest players in the 1950s, to his success returning UT to national prominence as head coach in the late 70s and early 80s. His efforts leading the program culminated with the 'Sugar Vols' of 1985 and then several great teams of the late 80s and early 90s that captured two SEC Championships, multiple big bowl games and produced a lineage of some of the greatest players in all of college football during that era.
"He gave many of us coaches our start in big-time college football. He mentored us, pushed us and allowed us to be part of the proud resurgence of Tennessee football. He touched and changed many lives for the good, and our thoughts are with his family, former players and great fans who are remembering him today.
"Coach was a legendary sideline game manager, always in the moment as he paced the sideline and made strategic moves. He was a fighter and taught his teams and coaches to be fighters. He also was a student of the game and taught his coaches and players to be students. He believed college football was a force for good, and he made all of us who worked under him believers as well. His home state, his university and his game will miss him.
"I am grateful for the many things I and so many others learned from him."
JEREMY PRUITT
TENNESSEE FOOTBALL HEAD COACH
JEREMY PRUITT
"I am deeply saddened by the loss of Coach Majors. Not only was he a Hall of Fame player and a legendary football coach, he was a great man, leader and visionary. In my short time at the University of Tennessee, I really enjoyed our conversations about life, football and our shared passion for the Vols. He would light up talking about what football and the University of Tennessee meant to him. I will miss seeing him at our practices and around our building. My condolences and prayers go out to his family, his former teammates, players and coaches and the entire Vol Nation."
CHARLES DAVIS
NFL NETWORK ANALYST & PLAYED AT TENNESSEE FOR COACH MAJORS FROM 1983-86
CHARLES DAVIS
"He's every cliché that you want to talk about when you're talking about the giants of our game. You can't write the SEC history without his name being a prominent part of it – as a player and a coach. But the impact is deeper. He's that coach that … pick your place, whether it's Bear Bryant at Alabama, General Neyland here, Pat Dye, who we just lost, at Auburn and all the other greats. It's not just their records, it's the extensions of them, which are people like me. Those of us who played for them, who coached under them, were part of the support staff of their time frame – they imprint upon us who they are and give us lessons for life. I can safely say that playing for Johnny Majors was one of the greatest experiences of my life and I know that I have literally thought about him in some form or fashion every single day of my life since the first day I got to Tennessee. You'll never be able to say the word 'Tennessee' without the name 'Majors' coming up very quickly in your mind. He's Tennessee and Tennessee is him. I was just fortunate enough to have played for him, fortunate enough to get to know him not just as a player, but as a person. He's had a profound influence on my life and always will. I can easily say that I love the man."
PEYTON MANNING
UT & NFL QUARTERBACK LEGEND
PEYTON MANNING
"I'm very sad to hear the news of coach Majors' passing. It's a sad day for the Tennessee family.
"I obviously did not play for coach Majors, but I used to hear stories about him from so many people—coach Cutcliffe, coach Fulmer, Bubba Miller, Jeff Smith, Charles Davis and other guys who were recruited and coached by coach Majors at Tennessee. Jon Gruden, who worked for coach Majors in the 80s, also used to talk fondly of coach Majors. So I felt like I had a great understanding of his coaching philosophies and his methods and why he was so successful. Not only was he an incredible player and coach, but he had an extraordinary life of service to the University of Tennessee.
"It was such an honor to be a University of Tennessee ambassador with coach Majors. I always enjoyed talking to him about his playing days at Tennessee and about some of the great games that he played in and some of the great rivalries of that time. I really enjoyed those conversations. A lot of Tennessee fans tell me that I should have won the Heisman Trophy, but I can promise you, it was coach Majors who really should have been the Heisman winner his senior year.
"My dad and coach Majors were good friends because of their connection as Southeastern Conference football ambassadors. It was a great honor for me to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame a few years ago, and coach Majors was one of the first ones to reach out and congratulate me. I've got a great picture of me and coach Majors and UT's other living Hall of Famers from the day we were recognized on the field at Neyland Stadium during a halftime ceremony. That's a picture that I really treasure.
"It was an honor to have known him. I'm very sad to hear this news, and my thoughts and prayers are with his entire family. He will truly be missed."
BRUCE WILKERSON
10-YEAR NFL VETERAN & SUPER BOWL CHAMPION / PLAYED FOR COACH MAJORS FROM 1983-86 & WAS TWICE NAMED ALL-SEC
BRUCE WILKERSON
"You think back on Coach Majors, he was a former player and an all-star and also a coach and a mentor and a friend. He taught you how to push yourself further than you thought you could and about doing it right the first time. He taught us as a team that you're only as strong as your weakest link."
DAVID CUTCLIFFE
DUKE FOOTBALL HEAD COACH & FORMER ASSISTANT UNDER COACH MAJORS
DAVID CUTCLIFFE
"Karen and I have heavy hearts today; very heavy hearts. Our deepest sympathies to Mary Lynn and the entire Majors family. College football has lost one of the truly great players and coaches the game has ever had. There is no person in coaching who I carry more respect for than Coach Majors. He gave me the opportunity of a lifetime in 1982 – to coach college football and make a positive impact on the lives of young people – and for that I will forever be grateful. But it was so much more than just providing an opportunity to join his staff; it was mentorship and guidance and for not only football, but life. He was a man of principle, held the highest of standards for himself and those around him and gave so much to our great game. The lessons he taught me were so much more than what I gave in return. I know he's in a better place, and for that I am thankful, but that doesn't stop me from wishing there was one more conversation with him to say 'thank you and I love you'."
JOHN CHAVIS
FORMER PLAYER & COACH UNDER MAJORS
JOHN CHAVIS
"There is a lot I can say about Johnny Majors. I was a walk-on football player from out of state (Dillon, S.C.), when Coach Majors came to Tennessee. He gave me a opportunity to play for the Vols and awarded me a scholarship, something I will always cherish. I knew he was a Tennessee legend and was in awe of him as my coach. He was tough, but I knew that toughness is what it takes to be a successful player or coach. After I left Tennessee we stayed in contact. When I was coordinator at Arkansas he came to Fayetteville and spent three days with me and our staff and that was an honor and special time for me."
PHIL STUART
PLAYED OFFENSIVE TACKLE FOR COACH MAJORS FROM 1985-88
PHIL STUART
"I learned a lot of things as a player but as a man the most important thing I learned from Coach Majors was if you hang around bad people, bad things happen to you. If you hang around good people, positive things happen every day. The lessons of Coach Majors, I tell my children to this day. He showed me how to be a professional and how to be respectful.
"When I was being recruited I had a very strict grandmother. Coach Majors came to my high school with Coach Fulmer. He looked my grandmother in the eyes, and he answered every question she asked. He said I would make sure I would graduate from Tennessee and become a better man. Everything he said was the truth. He taught me so much."
DOUG DICKEY
UT ATHLETICS DIRECTOR (1985-2002)
DOUG DICKEY
"I've said one thing all along about Johnny Majors—he is a Tennessee hero. He was a wonderful player and coach who had a great circle of friends and family. He was highly respected in the coaching community and brought multiple football championships to Tennessee."
VINCE DOOLEY
GEORGIA FOOTBALL HEAD COACH (1964-88)
VINCE DOOLEY
"Barbara and I are deeply saddened by the loss of our friend Johnny Majors," said former University of Georgia head coach and Director of Athletics Vince Dooley. "Our condolences to Mary Lynn and all the family. Barbara and I have great memories of traveling with them to Europe and the Far East. Johnny and I visited many museums as he also had a broad interest in history.
"Johnny was a Rocky Top Tennessee Vol to the core. He was a terrific football player and I had the privilege of watching him in his senior year when he was runner up for the Heisman Trophy. He was also a great coach. His undefeated 1976 national championship team at Pittsburgh, who soundly beat us in the Sugar Bowl with Tony Dorsett, was one of the greatest teams we ever played against.
"He was especially a great friend of my brother Bill. They were young coaches together and always remained close enjoying each other's company. They are together now I'm sure again telling some of their old football stories that I've heard them often tell. God bless Johnny and Mary Lynn!"
JON GRUDEN
HEAD COACH OF THE LAS VEGAS RAIDERS AND FORMER TENNESSEE GRADUATE ASSISTANT UNDER COACH MAJORS FROM 1986-87
JON GRUDEN
"Coach Majors had a huge impact on me personally and professionally. He gave me my first job and was responsible for teaching me what the game of football is really all about. He taught life lessons that I still live by today as a husband, father and coach. He preached that loyalty and hard work are the staples to your success. The amount of players he touched over several decades is endless. He was a heck of a football coach, a great competitor and truly embodied what Tennessee football is all about. We lost a great, great man, and I will miss him dearly."
RON ZOOK
FORMER COLLEGE FOOTBALL HEAD COACH & DEFENSIVE BACKS COACH AT TENNESSEE UNDER MAJORS FROM 1984-86
RON ZOOK
"Sometimes he was a hard guy to work for but he taught me a lot. I think the one thing – and I've had the opportunity to work for a lot of great coaches – the one thing he always tried to do was take the things away that fit your personality. The one thing that I really felt like with coach Majors was that he was great during the game. He used to always say that if you're yelling on Saturday, you didn't do enough yelling during the week. During the game, he was great. He never came unglued, he was always in full control of what was going on, in full control of his faculties and the team. Sometimes you see coaches that are not quite that way during the game, but he was and I always tried to emulate that on gamedays. He was also a guy that was involved in every aspect of the football game, whether it be the special teams, offense or defense. Of course, his expertise was the secondary, and I'm one of those fortunate guys that got to coach the secondary for him. There was one season when I with the Pittsburgh Steelers and we were playing a preseason game. Kevin Steele took my place, I took Dom Capers' place, and the guy before Dom Capers was also a former Tennessee coach. So, there were four of his former secondary coaches and we were all talking about our experiences coaching the secondary for coach Majors before a preseason game in the NFL. He helped a lot of coaches and I'm sure there will be a lot of guys with great things to say about him."
LORAN SMITH
WORKED CLOSELY WITH MAJORS AT NIKE COACHING CLINICS
LORAN SMITH
"John Majors was a long-time friend and associate who was one of the great players in Tennessee and SEC history. When you think of the pantheon of great Vol players, you think of John and his triple threat heroics as a single wing tailback at Tennessee. A seasoned raconteur and loyal Vol, John loved Tennessee and all its traditions. He was proud of his connection with the history of his alma mater and SEC football. Talking football with John was one of the highlights of my career. Every radio show I did with him, left me uplifted and smiling."
RIP Coach Johnny Majors 🙏🏾
— Todd Kelly Jr. (TK) (@ToddKellyJr) June 3, 2020
He paved the way for many young men like my father while coaching for the great University of Tennessee. Seeing my father play for Coach Majors made me excited to wear the orange and white on Saturdays 🍊
#H2P pic.twitter.com/rxg9Bo7FQA
— Tony Dorsett (@Tony_Dorsett) June 3, 2020
Today the #Volunteer family lost a legend. The impact Johnny Majors made on @Vol_Football and college football will be felt for decades. Rest in peace Coach Majors. pic.twitter.com/bZP4Kj3jXs
— UT System President Randy Boyd (@UT_President) June 3, 2020
I am saddened to learn of the passing of Johnny Majors. He was a dedicated Volunteer who made a meaningful impact on college football. My thoughts and prayers are with his family during this time. https://t.co/QHZcvO4eOk
— Donde Plowman (@DondePlowman) June 3, 2020
We lost a Tennessee legend in Coach Majors. Coach was always charismatic and encouraging when I spoke to him. Rest In Peace Coach! It's a sad day. https://t.co/TDardSy5Q2
— Trey Smith (@TreySmith73) June 3, 2020
Rest In Peace, Coach Majors. One of the all time greats. We are going to miss you!
— Coach Ed Orgeron (@Coach_EdOrgeron) June 3, 2020
Johnny Majors was a special person..the fiercest competitor I have ever known..RIP.. pic.twitter.com/MSZYQ9CAzu
— Jimmy Johnson (@JimmyJohnson) June 4, 2020
My time with the legend Johnny Majors was always special. From his visits on campus, to him sitting in the front row at Nike football clinics and asking questions. He was a true ball coach. College football lost a great one today! We will miss you this fall. RIP pic.twitter.com/YT8FlKRgdX
— Pat Narduzzi (@CoachDuzzPittFB) June 3, 2020
You help change and form so many of our lives. We thank you and will miss you greatly. pic.twitter.com/1adF8Ejh3F
— Heath Shuler (@HeathShuler5) June 3, 2020
