Tag: Dave Wannstedt

Dave Wannstedt: Rutgers ‘will upset a team or two down the road’

Big Ten Network’s Dave Wannstedt believes Rutgers football can surprise a team or two.

Dave Wannstedt thinks Rutgers football has a chance.

Ahead of the Scarlet Knights (3-1, 0-1 Big Ten) game this Saturday at No. 3 Ohio State (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten), Wannstedt talked big picture about where the Rutgers football program can go this year. Following Saturday’s 27-10 loss at Iowa, there is definitely a deflated sense around the program’s fanbase.

Two first-half turnovers, both of which resulted in Iowa defensive touchdowns, put Rutgers in an early hold.

For Wannstedt, the arrow is still pointed up on Rutgers and their head coach Greg Schiano. When Wannstedt was Pittsburgh’s head coach in the Big East, he would frequently lock horns with Rutgers and Schiano.

So during his weekly segment on the Big Ten Network, Wannstedt wasn’t discouraged by Rutgers’ loss in the Big Ten opener. Part of it is the quarterback shuffle at Rutgers where the Scarlet Knights had just one scholarship quarterback, Evan Simon, available against Iowa.

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Simon threw for over 300 yards in the loss with a touchdown and two interceptions.

“When you have two quarterbacks, you have none. When you have four, what’s the analogy there? He has got three or four…he’s always been that way! Even back in the days when I was at Pitt as a head coach and he was at Rutgers. There was a time he played two or three guys,” Wannstedt said on the Big Ten Network this week.

“But I’ll tell you what, the thing that got them a little bit was obviously they made some mistakes. Two of Iowa’s scores last week were off of turnovers. Greg Schiano’s teams are not going to be fancy. But they are going to be able to somewhat run the ball – last week was as tough as they’re going to see all year against Iowa’s defense. But when they turned it over, they gave themselves no chance.”

With three wins, Rutgers is halfway towards bowl eligibility. The Big Ten schedule is certainly daunting but there are some games that are within reach for the rebuilding Scarlet Knights.

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Plus, Wannstedt thinks they can knock off a team or two this season.

“They will have a surprise, they will upset a team or two down the road. This team – Greg is going to keep them and they’re going to get better,” Wannstedt said.

“Whether they have enough talent, that is where the pendulum is a little bit lopsided.”

Urban Meyer, Dave Wannstedt thinks Rutgers football special teams could be the difference against Iowa

The infamous Chris Olave block punt in Ohio State’s win over Michigan was drawn up by current Rutgers football head coach Greg Schiano.

Four years ago, then Ohio State freshman wide receiver Chris Olave blocked a punt against Michigan, blowing the gates wide open in what would become a huge win for the Buckeyes.

That blocked punt, according to then Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer, was drawn up by none other than Greg Schiano. Meyer warns that Schiano, now head coach at Rutgers, could use special teams trick plays ahead of Saturday’s Big Ten opener against Iowa (7 P.M. ET, FS1).

That Olave blocked punt with 4:50 left in the third quarter, gave No. 10 Ohio State a 34-19 lead over No. 4 Michigan. Ohio State would go on to beat Michigan 62-39 and end their season 13-1 with a win in the Rose Bowl.

Meyer spoke about Schiano and the upcoming Rutgers game during an appearance this week on the Big Ten Network. He was joined by former college and NFL head coach Dave Wannstedt in analyzing this week’s Big Ten games.

“We had two big ones to win a game: against the Wolverines when Chris Olave blocked it – that was his call,” Meyer said on the Big Ten Network about Schiano’s role on special teams in 2018. “And then the Penn State one. We were down two scores and we went after it at midfield.”

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The block heard ’round The League!@OhioStateFB has opened the floodgates, and it started with this play: pic.twitter.com/ZpJYpQEYic

Wannstedt started off the conversation by talking about the importance of special teams for this Iowa (2-1, 0-0 Big Ten) at Rutgers (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten) game. Wannstedt’s personal experience having coached with Schiano and against him has led to some personal experience about how the Rutgers head coach can and will utilize special teams in this game.

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“The thing that concerns me about this game that is a little different with Iowa – they’re not running the ball like they have. Three games but they’re bottom of the Big Ten and Rutgers is leading the Big Ten in stopping the run. Something is going to have to give on that end. Greg will just assume take it down to that. And the other thing about Schiano – he worked for you and he worked for me and I competed against him at Pitt – you better be sound on your special teams this week,” Wannstedt said.

“He would drive me crazy with whether we’re punt block or kickoff return or something – I’m telling you the special teams could be the difference in this game.”

 

Dave Wannstedt predicts a Rutgers win at Temple: ‘They’re going to get it’

Former college and NFL head coach Dave Wannstedt predicts a Rutgers victory on Saturday.

Rutgers football has the chance to make a pretty significant statement this week against Temple. With a 3-0 start to the season within their grasp, the Scarlet Knights would be halfway towards bowl eligibility with a win over the weekend.

On Tuesday, the Big Ten Network broke down the upcoming game at Temple. Joshua Perry, a former linebacker at Ohio State, underscored the importance of the game with a grueling Big Ten schedule ahead.

The Big Ten Network crew also mentioned how a win on Saturday at Temple would make Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano the winningest coach in program history. That led former coach Dave Wannstedt, who coached against Schiano in the Big East, to make a prediction about Rutgers on Sunday.

“They’re going to get it,” Wannstedt said.

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It projects to be a heavy turnout on Saturday for Rutgers fans. With central New Jersey – yes it does exist…sort of…- just 90 minutes away from Philadelphia, there figures to be a heavy turnout of Scarlet Knights supporters.

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Wannstedt, who experienced the old Big East with its geographic proximity, likes what Schiano was doing ahead of the Temple game. On Monday, Schiano talked about a strong showing from his program’s fanbase at Lincoln Financial Field.

The last time Rutgers played at Temple in 2013, the Scarlet Knights had roughly half of the 35,000 fans in attendance.

“I love Greg Schiano, he’s my guy, you know?” Wannstedt said. “We got busses going down, tailgate, I’m buying pizzas. We’re going to have Rutgers in full force.”

Schiano said that between 14-20 busses of students were expected at the game. That doesn’t include alumni and Rutgers fans who will be driving or taking the train as well.

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Former Dolphins head coach discusses Mike Gesicki trade talk

He’s against a trade, at this point.

The future of Miami Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki has been the biggest topic of discussion this week after Pro Football Focus’ Doug Kyed reported that the team had mentioned his name in trade talks.

Head coach Mike McDaniel responded to the rumors on Thursday, but he didn’t necessarily deny them.

Now, another man who has held the title of head coach in Miami has given his take on the matter, as Dave Wannstedt spoke about Gesicki with the 33rdTeam.

“I’m having a tough time figuring out how Mike is not a fit down there,” Wannstedt said. “I do a lot of work with the Big Ten Network, so I followed his career at Penn State. When you have guys that score touchdowns, as a head coach, you find a way to make it fit. I don’t know if there’s more to the story or not, but there’s something missing that I don’t think anybody’s talking about or aware of.

“There’s nothing that puts more pressure [on a defense] than a 6-foot-5, 200-plus pound receiver. You can put him in the box or you can remove him from the box. When he’s in the game, you’re trying to figure out if you want a linebacker or a defensive back to cover him.”

Wannstedt did admit that Gesicki may lack in the blocking department, an aspect of a tight end’s game that is important to McDaniel, but Wannstedt gave an example from his coaching days to show what the new coach can do with his tight end.

“Okay, so maybe they say he’s not a great blocker,” Wannstedt said. “That was the first thing that came to my mind. When we won the Super Bowl in Dallas, we had Jay Novacek. I think Jay was about 210 pounds and he wasn’t gonna block anybody, but Norv Turner did things with him scheme-wise to make it work. He was blocking down and stalk-blocking, so we found ways because he was too valuable as a receiver for us.”

At this point in time, Gesicki is the best tight end on Miami’s roster, and he can be a great playmaker in the passing game. McDaniel and his staff will just have to find a way to make it work in 2022, and then they can reevaluate heading into another free agent year for the Penn State product.

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Here’s why Dave Wannstedt thinks Bears should hire Brian Daboll as head coach

If the Bears can’t land Jim Harbaugh, Dave Wannstedt thinks they should hire Brian Daboll as head coach.

The Chicago Bears are in the middle of their search for a new general manager and head coach, where they’ve already secured a second interview with Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.

There are a slew of candidates that Chicago has interviewed or still has to interview, but there are some fan favorites that have already started to emerge.

Former Bears coach Dave Wannstedt has been aboard the Jim Harbaugh to Chicago hype train for awhile. But if Harbaugh ultimately decides to remain at Michigan — or go to the Las Vegas Raiders — Wannstedt would like to see Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll hired as the Bears’ next head coach.

“I would love to see Jim Harbaugh get a shot at that job,” Wannstedt said, via 670 The Score. “I really would. I mean, I’m a fan of Jim’s. It’s out there. It is what it is. I would love to see the Bears talk to Jim Harbaugh. If Jim Harbaugh is not in the equation, get on a plane tonight and just hire (Bills offensive coordinator) Brian Daboll in my opinion. I’m serious.

“The guy has been exposed with (Alabama head coach Nick) Saban, with (Patriots head coach Bill) Belichick, and now he’s doing it himself.”

Daboll’s body of work is certainly impressive, including five Super Bowl championships and having worked with the best to do it both at the NFL and college level. He’s been a big part in developing Josh Allen from struggling rookie to Pro Bowl quarterback over the last few years.

“I just think the guy has got everything you’d be looking for as far as a guy with history that’s done it,” Wannstedt said. “He’s been exposed to different programs, he’s been exposed to different offenses, and he’s got a quarterback who’s an athlete. That’s going to be a key. How do we develop Justin Fields?”

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Dave Wannstedt on Wisconsin’s offense: ‘I’m still not sold, I’m really not’

Wisconsin football has a tremendous defense but Dave Wannstedt is concerned about their offense.

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Wisconsin boasts a defense that is arguably the best in the nation and with an offense that is starting to come along. Now with four straight wins, including an impressive 27-7 win against Iowa this past weekend, there is a lot of momentum for the Badgers heading into Saturday’s game at Rutgers.

But for Dave Wannstedt, Wisconsin (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) has to be more than just a strong defense that creates turnovers. While the offense has improved in recent weeks, in particular quarterback Graham Mertz seemed a bit improved last week, the veteran NFL and college coach said on ‘B1G Today’ on the Big Ten Network that Wisconsin needs to continue being dominant on defense to carry the offense.

“Wisconsin, it’s all about the turnovers. I want to say that their offensive has got it together but I’m still not sold, I’m really not. Mertz makes me nervous, I’ll be honest with you,” Wannstedt said on the Big Ten Network.

“But their defense I got it here – the first six games they had four takeaways to help their offense, right? The last two games eight turnaways. When you give the ball that many times your offense in good field position, they should score points and they are. So at least they’re getting confidence now. I mean, they’re going to be there in the final week. I promise you Paul Chryst will do a great job with those guys.”

Mertz has thrown for 1,049 yards with three touchdowns and seven interceptions this season. But he hasn’t had an interception the last three weeks as the Badgers have won four straight games.

(What is Aron Cruickshank’s status for Rutgers football this weekend?)

Earlier this week, Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano praised Wisconsin as the best defense in the country. The Scarlet Knights are 4-4 (1-4 Big Ten) and are coming off a solid 20-14 win at Illinois on Saturday.

Wannstedt, a former college head coach at Pittsburgh for six years who was an NFL head coach with the Washington Football Team and the Chicago Bears, said that relying on turnovers is not a sound strategy for boosting an offense that is struggling.

The Badgers come into Saturday’s game at Rutgers third from the bottom in the Big Ten in scoring (21.9 points per game) offense and ninth with 353 yards of offense per game.

“The scary thing is as a coach, you can’t count on getting those,” Wannstedt said of turnovers. “You got to say we got to win these games if everything’s even, you know, now if we get them that’s a bonus. So we’ll see.”

Dave Wannstedt said he’d get to the playoffs every year with Mitch Trubisky

Former Bears head coach Dave Wannstedt believes he’d make the playoffs every year with the 2018 defense and Mitch Trubisky.

For the last few years, the conversation around the Chicago Bears has been their quarterback room. Whether it was Mitch Trubisky, Nick Foles or now Andy Dalton, it seems like Matt Nagy has gotten the benefit of the doubt from most people.

Last season, fans were calling for Trubisky’s head from the start of training camp. Fans believed that he wasn’t the answer and that Nagy should go with Foles. We saw how poorly that went.

Trubisky got a raw deal in Chicago. He was benched against Atlanta when he was 2-0, something that was questionable at the time. Though Foles came back to win that game, he didn’t do much else after that. In fact, Foles hurt the Bears more than he helped them, going 2-5 as a starter and almost ending their playoff hopes.

Of course, Trubisky came in, snapped the six-game losing streak Foles started and took Chicago to the playoffs. Everyone knows the story. He saved the season and likely saved the jobs of both Nagy and Ryan Pace.

So, was it all Trubisky? Was it Nagy? The answer has been clear. Without Trubisky, Nagy is 3-8. With him, Nagy is 25-13. Of course, Trubisky wasn’t perfect, he made his mistakes, but to blame everything on him is wrong.

For all of his faults, Trubisky was still a winner in Chicago. He finished his Bears career 29-21. He wasn’t always in the best spot, but he did his job well enough to win 29 of his first 50 starts.

Recently, on Barstool Sports Red Line Radio podcast, former Bears coach Dave Wannstedt praised Trubisky and bashed Nagy. Wannstedt believes that he would make the playoffs every year if Trubisky was his quarterback.

“Give me the defense from a couple of years ago,” Wannstedt said. “Give me David Montgomery and Mitch Trubisky and I will get you to the playoffs every year.”

That’s a bold statement, but it might be true. If Trubisky was coached up by a veteran coach and was in a better situation, would he have made the playoffs each of the last three seasons? Maybe. It’s something we’ll never know.

Right now, Trubisky is trying to reset his career in Buffalo as Josh Allen’s backup. As a backup quarterback, he is one play away from seeing the field, but that one play may never come, at least there.

He was impressive during preseason and showed that he can be a starter in this league. If Trubisky can learn the Bills offense, maybe he follows offensive coordinator Brian Daboll to a new team in 2022, if Daboll is offered a head coaching job.

With Trubisky’s career on hold at the moment, and Wannstedt turning 70 next May, it doesn’t look like the two will be paired up in this lifetime.

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Notre Dame football: Series history vs. Pitt

When you rank Notre Dame’s biggest rivals there is often debate whether or not the biggest is USC or Michigan. Then you hear about the long history with the Naval Academy and despite the dislike being there like most rivals, it ran continuously for …

When you rank Notre Dame’s biggest rivals there is often debate whether or not the biggest is USC or Michigan.

Then you hear about the long history with the Naval Academy and despite the dislike being there like most rivals, it ran continuously for nearly a century with Notre Dame dominating.

One you don’t always immediately think of in terms of Notre Dame’s biggest rivals is who the Irish take on this week, Pitt.

Notre Dame and Pitt have played almost annually since 1930, playing almost 70 times in that time.  Although the Irish have dominated the series, leading it 49-21-1 all-time, with the first meeting taking place all the way back in 1909.

Notre Dame has won the last two meetings in the series and five of the last six.  However, nothing seems to come easy against Pitt recently as the last two perfect regular season for Notre Dame have included narrow escapes against the Panthers.

The Irish and Panthers meet up for the 72nd time on Saturday.  Here are the results of the 71 previous, courtesy of mcubed.net.

(HOME) 2018/10/13  Notre Dame   19 - Pittsburgh   14    W 
     (AWAY) 2015/11/07  Notre Dame   42 - Pittsburgh   30    W 
     (AWAY) 2013/11/09  Notre Dame   21 - Pittsburgh   28    L 
  ** (HOME) 2012/11/03  Notre Dame   29 - Pittsburgh   26 OT W 
     (AWAY) 2011/09/24  Notre Dame   15 - Pittsburgh   12    W 
     (HOME) 2010/10/09  Notre Dame   23 - Pittsburgh   17    W 
     (AWAY) 2009/11/14  Notre Dame   22 - Pittsburgh   27    L 
     (HOME) 2008/11/01  Notre Dame   33 - Pittsburgh   36 OT L 
     (AWAY) 2005/09/03  Notre Dame   42 - Pittsburgh   21    W 
     (HOME) 2004/11/13  Notre Dame   38 - Pittsburgh   41    L 
     (AWAY) 2003/10/11  Notre Dame   20 - Pittsburgh   14    W 
     (HOME) 2002/10/12  Notre Dame   14 - Pittsburgh    6    W 
     (HOME) 2001/10/06  Notre Dame   24 - Pittsburgh    7    W 
     (AWAY) 1999/11/13  Notre Dame   27 - Pittsburgh   37    L 
     (AWAY) 1997/10/11  Notre Dame   45 - Pittsburgh   21    W 
     (HOME) 1996/11/16  Notre Dame   60 - Pittsburgh    6    W 
     (HOME) 1993/10/09  Notre Dame   44 - Pittsburgh    0    W 
     (AWAY) 1992/10/10  Notre Dame   52 - Pittsburgh   21    W 
     (HOME) 1991/10/12  Notre Dame   42 - Pittsburgh    7    W 
     (AWAY) 1990/10/27  Notre Dame   31 - Pittsburgh   22    W 
     (HOME) 1989/10/28  Notre Dame   45 - Pittsburgh    7    W 
     (AWAY) 1988/10/08  Notre Dame   30 - Pittsburgh   20    W 
     (AWAY) 1987/10/10  Notre Dame   22 - Pittsburgh   30    L 
     (HOME) 1986/10/11  Notre Dame    9 - Pittsburgh   10    L 
     (HOME) 1983/11/05  Notre Dame   16 - Pittsburgh   21    L 
     (AWAY) 1982/11/06  Notre Dame   31 - Pittsburgh   16    W 
     (HOME) 1978/10/14  Notre Dame   26 - Pittsburgh   17    W 
     (AWAY) 1977/09/10  Notre Dame   19 - Pittsburgh    9    W 
     (HOME) 1976/09/11  Notre Dame   10 - Pittsburgh   31    L 
     (AWAY) 1975/11/15  Notre Dame   20 - Pittsburgh   34    L 
     (HOME) 1974/11/16  Notre Dame   14 - Pittsburgh   10    W 
     (AWAY) 1973/11/10  Notre Dame   31 - Pittsburgh   10    W 
     (HOME) 1972/10/14  Notre Dame   42 - Pittsburgh   16    W 
     (AWAY) 1971/11/06  Notre Dame   56 - Pittsburgh    7    W 
     (HOME) 1970/11/07  Notre Dame   46 - Pittsburgh   14    W 
     (AWAY) 1969/11/08  Notre Dame   49 - Pittsburgh    7    W 
     (HOME) 1968/11/09  Notre Dame   56 - Pittsburgh    7    W 
     (AWAY) 1967/11/11  Notre Dame   38 - Pittsburgh    0    W 
     (HOME) 1966/11/05  Notre Dame   40 - Pittsburgh    0    W 
     (AWAY) 1965/11/06  Notre Dame   69 - Pittsburgh   13    W 
     (AWAY) 1964/11/07  Notre Dame   17 - Pittsburgh   15    W 
     (HOME) 1963/11/09  Notre Dame    7 - Pittsburgh   27    L 
     (HOME) 1962/11/10  Notre Dame   43 - Pittsburgh   22    W 
     (AWAY) 1961/11/11  Notre Dame   26 - Pittsburgh   20    W 
     (HOME) 1960/11/05  Notre Dame   13 - Pittsburgh   20    L 
     (AWAY) 1959/11/14  Notre Dame   13 - Pittsburgh   28    L 
     (AWAY) 1958/11/08  Notre Dame   26 - Pittsburgh   29    L 
     (HOME) 1957/10/26  Notre Dame   13 - Pittsburgh    7    W 
     (AWAY) 1956/11/10  Notre Dame   13 - Pittsburgh   26    L 
     (AWAY) 1954/10/09  Notre Dame   33 - Pittsburgh    0    W 
     (HOME) 1953/10/17  Notre Dame   23 - Pittsburgh   14    W 
     (HOME) 1952/10/11  Notre Dame   19 - Pittsburgh   22    L 
     (AWAY) 1951/10/20  Notre Dame   33 - Pittsburgh    0    W 
     (HOME) 1950/11/11  Notre Dame   18 - Pittsburgh    7    W 
     (AWAY) 1948/10/02  Notre Dame   40 - Pittsburgh    0    W 
     (AWAY) 1947/10/04  Notre Dame   40 - Pittsburgh    6    W 
     (HOME) 1946/10/05  Notre Dame   33 - Pittsburgh    0    W 
     (AWAY) 1945/10/20  Notre Dame   39 - Pittsburgh    9    W 
     (AWAY) 1944/09/30  Notre Dame   58 - Pittsburgh    0    W 
     (AWAY) 1943/09/25  Notre Dame   41 - Pittsburgh    0    W 
     (HOME) 1937/11/06  Notre Dame    6 - Pittsburgh   21    L 
     (AWAY) 1936/10/24  Notre Dame    0 - Pittsburgh   26    L 
     (HOME) 1935/10/19  Notre Dame    9 - Pittsburgh    6    W 
     (AWAY) 1934/11/03  Notre Dame    0 - Pittsburgh   19    L 
     (HOME) 1933/10/28  Notre Dame    0 - Pittsburgh   14    L 
     (AWAY) 1932/10/29  Notre Dame    0 - Pittsburgh   12    L 
     (HOME) 1931/10/24  Notre Dame   25 - Pittsburgh   12    W 
     (AWAY) 1930/10/25  Notre Dame   35 - Pittsburgh   19    W 
     (AWAY) 1912/11/02  Notre Dame    3 - Pittsburgh    0    W 
     (AWAY) 1911/11/04  Notre Dame    0 - Pittsburgh    0    T 
     (AWAY) 1909/10/30  Notre Dame    6 - Pittsburgh    0    W

68 days until Notre Dame football returns!

Notre Dame football returns in 68 days! Don’t miss today’s countdown as we look back on a rivalry that has been played, well, 68 times.

Another day down and just 68 more to go until we get Notre Dame football officially back in our lives.  We’ll be breaking down plenty of position battles, starting spots and everything regarding the 2020 Fighting Irish football team.

Day 69 looked back at a recent Notre Dame All-American who made a game changing defensive play in a win over a then top-fifteen team.  Now we move to 68 and an opponent who has come up here fairly often in recent weeks.

68: Total meetings all-time between Notre Dame and Pitt in football

I never think of Pitt as one of Notre Dame’s biggest rivals, probably because in my lifetime I can count on one hand how many times the Panthers have finished a season ranked in the top 25.

However, Notre Dame and Pitt have been playing nearly forever and the series has included some incredible moments even if the Panthers haven’t been a national championship contender like they were in the Dan Marino and Tony Dorsett days.

Notre Dame has dominated those 68 games, winning 47 of them and never losing more than three straight meetings in any point of the series that dates back all the way to 1930.

The series has had plenty of memorable moments, like when Allen Pinkett helped Notre Dame get a win at No. 1 Pitt in 1982, the 2012 comeback win that somehow kept Notre Dame’s unbeaten season alive or the 2018 thriller that again, somehow kept Notre Dame’s unbeaten season alive.

The most iconic moment in the history of this rivalry however may have happened when a pair of teams who finished the year a combined 16-10, battled to a three overtime game on the first day of November in 2008.

After blowing a 17-3 and being forced to overtime, Notre Dame played host to one of the more embarrassing moments for a grounds crew in sports history.

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The only thing worse was eventually losing that game and stumbling to a 7-6 final record after a promising 4-1 start.

They may not be on the schedule even close to annually anymore and they may not be in the national championship picture often, but the Notre Dame/Pitt rivalry continues to provide memorable moments all these years later and is the game that scares me the most in terms of an upset entering the 2020 season.

Related – Way too early game-by-game predictions for Notre Dame football in 2020

Legendary Tennessee, Pitt coach Johnny Majors dead at 85

Johnny Majors, a Tennessee legend as a player and coach, has died at 85.

The college football world lost its second coaching legend in less than a week when former Tennessee coach Johnny Majors died Wednesday at the age of 85.

His death came days after Auburn’s Pat Dye succumbed to kidney disease at 80.


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A triple-threat tailback at the University of Tennessee, Majors was an All-American and runner-up for the Heisman Trophy to Paul Hornung in 1956.

After starting his head-coaching career at Iowa State, Majors moved to his alma mater for 16 seasons with a record of 116-62-8.

In 1973, he left to become coach at Pittsburgh and won a national championship in 1976 with a 12-0 record. He received national Coach-of-the-Year honors following that season.

In 1977, he returned to Knoxville as Tennessee’s head coach. Over a 15-year career, he led the Vols to three SEC championships (1985, ’89, ’90). He also won the Sugar Bowl in ’86 and ’91.

Among those NFL coaches who were assistants under Majors and grew from his coaching tree were: Jimmy Johnson, Jon Gruden, Al Saunders, and Dave Wannstedt.Joh