Packer: Majors stuck on 48 hours

Photo by Tracey Trumbull

Johnny Majors, shown in this 2006 photo.

Former Tennessee football coach Johnny Majors says he is glad to be home in Tennessee but hasn’t gotten over circumstances of his leaving.

Johnny Majors is back in East Tennessee. Fifteen years after his departure from Knoxville, Majors and his wife of 48 years, Mary Lynn, have moved home.

“We love Tennessee,” Majors said. “This is a lovely area of the country. We have wonderful friends here. I had a great career as a player and coach that I wouldn’t trade for the world. We also had the two most traumatic experiences of our lives in East Tennessee.”

The first, and by far most traumatic, of those two happened in 1965 with the loss of Majors’ brother Bill in a car-train accident. The second happened in 1992 when Majors says he was blindsided by the people around him he thought he could trust.

“Let me first say that I have no animosity, whatsoever, when it comes to the people of Tennessee,” Majors said. “The people in this state have been nothing but outstanding towards my family. There are just a half dozen people that I don’t have much use for.”

It all started in May of 1992 when Majors had an angioplasty.

“There are some stories out there that just aren’t true about what happened to me,” Majors said. “I never had a heart attack, like some people say. What happened was that I was jogging, on a Thursday, during two-a-days when I felt something in my chest that just wasn’t right.

“I didn’t say anything to anybody, besides Mary Lynn, about what had happened because I didn’t want to disrupt my team. I waited until the following Tuesday morning to tell a few members of my staff that I was going in for some tests that afternoon. I wanted them to know, so that if I had to miss any practices they would know what I wanted done.

“Well, that afternoon at the start of practice, (Tennessee athletic director) Doug Dickey told me that he had some great news for me. There would be a new seven-year contract on my desk for me to sign by 8 a.m. the next morning. It had been signed by he and president Joe Johnson, all it needed was my signature and it was done. Dickey didn’t know that I was going to the doctor for some tests, or at least I didn’t think he knew.

“Well, as it turned out, I went in for quadruple bypass surgery that afternoon and I never saw the contract. To this day, I wonder how different my life would have been, and how different Tennessee football might have been, if I had put off the surgery for 48 hours and had gotten the deal done.”

Some accounts say that Majors turned down several contract offers, Majors says that was never the case.

“The president’s office said that I turned down several contracts, but that never happened. I don’t lie. I have never lied … ever! And, I don’t exaggerate, unless I’m telling a windy story to friends.”

While Majors was out, Phillip Fulmer took over the program and led the Vols to a 4-0 start. When Majors returned, the Vols lost close games to Alabama, Arkansas and South Carolina. But, Majors didn’t see what was coming next.

“Dickey came in the Tuesday before the Memphis State game and told me that I had two choices,” Majors said. “I could become the assistant athletic director or resign my position. I told him that I couldn’t work for someone who had misled me and lied to me. He told me that they would have a ‘John Majors Day’ and make it a big celebration. I didn’t want any part of that. So, that Friday I announced my resignation.

“Two of our three best years were in the last three years I was at Tennessee. In those three years we won two SEC championships. There was no warning, not one warning that my job was in jeopardy.”

Majors gets worked up when he speaks of the circumstances that led to the end of his career at his alma mater. Loyalty is the most important thing to Majors, always has been and will always be. Now, at 72, he’s ready to settle down and enjoy life with Mary Lynn.

“Mary Lynn is the prettiest, most beautiful woman ever,” Majors said. “She’s stuck in there with me through some tough times, but a lot of great times, too. She’s always worked hard, but I haven’t always been much help. I guess you could say that it’s time I helped out on game day. And, I need to get my game face on and help with this move. I guess you could say it’s time for me to attack, attack, attack when it comes to things at home.

“We love to travel. This summer we went on a trip with a number of other football coaches to Scotland on a golf trip. There were a number of coaches who went, like Dick McPherson and Ted Tollner. We’ve had Vince Dooley on our golf trip before and Duffy Daugherty. We played St. Andrews, the Old Course, Turnberry, Troon and several other courses. We’ve taken a trip with other coaches for many years.”

As for his handicap, well, that’s a sore subject.

“I used to be about a 7 or 8 handicap, ironically when my football teams were winning,” Majors said. “A few years ago I dipped to a 9 to 13 handicap. Now, dad-gum-it, I’m about an 18. I don’t recommend moving to anyone who wants to play great golf.”

Majors is trying to slow down the pace of life, just a bit anyway.

“I like action,” he said. “I like excitement. You’ve got to realize that I was a part of a football team ever since I was 8 years old. Every day I knew that I was a part of a team. Whether I was playing, or coaching, I had a group of guys that were my football team. I don’t have that anymore and I miss it greatly.”

Majors still has a sincere love for the Volunteer state and Vol fans. But, the scars of what he terms disloyalty will stay with him until the day he dies.

“Let me reiterate, I have no animosity towards the people of Tennessee,” Majors said. “If I did, Mary Lynn and I wouldn’t have moved back. We love Pittsburgh, but Tennessee is home.”

Johnny Majors and former UT offensive lineman Bruce Wilkerson will be Mark Packer’s guests on the Locker Room, presented by Parkwest Medical Center tonight at 10 on My-VLT-2.

© 2007, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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