A look back at the New York Jets’ head coaching search featuring Johnny Majors.
The New York Jets hired Lou Holtz as its head coach in Feb. 1976.
Holtz went to New York after serving as head coach at North Carolina State.
The Jets’ head coaching search involved former Tennessee player and eventual Vols’ head coach Johnny Majors.
Majors interviewed with Jets’ general manager Al Ward, but was not offered the job.
“I have not been offered the head coaching job of the New York Jets,” Majors said in a statement released by a University of Pittsburgh spokesman in Feb. 1976 and published by the UPI. “I was contacted by the Jets 10 days ago and did meet once with their general manager, Al Ward, because I felt professionally it would be unwise not to at least talk with him.
“I’ve had professional teams contact with me in the past, which I did not pursue, and I have not pursued this contact. To the best of my knowledge, our discussion did not reach any serious level.”
Penn State head coach Joe Paterno was also mentioned as a candidate in the Jets’ head coaching search.
“I’m happy where I am, but if I were interested in a situation, that would be it,” Paterno said in Feb. 1976 per the UPI. “New York is my hometown.”
The UPI also mentioned other coaching candidates who talked with New York were Oklahoma head coach Barry Switzer, who was not interested, Bengals’ assistant coach Bill Walsh, and Steelers’ defensive coordinator Bud Carson.
The Associated Press highlighted New York’s four finalists for the Jets’ head coaching vacancy: Holtz, Majors, San Jose State head coach Darryl Rogers and Montreal Alouettes head coach Marv Levy.
Holtz guided the Jets to a 3-10 record in 1976 and resigned with one game remaining in the regular-season. He would serve as head coach at Arkansas, Minnesota, Notre Dame and South Carolina following his one season with New York.
1976 was the final season for quarterback Joe Namath with the Jets.
PHOTOS: Tennessee football head coaches through the years
Tennessee has a storied football program that began play in 1891.
The Vols have won six national championships (1938, 1940, 1950, 1951, 1967, 1998). Robert Neyland won four national championships as Tennessee’s head coach, while Doug Dickey and Phillip Fulmer each guided the Vols to one title.
Tennessee has won 13 Southeastern Conference championships: Phillip Fulmer (2), Johnny Majors (3), Doug Dickey (2), Bowden Wyatt (1) and Robert Neyland (5).
UT won two Southern Conference championships under Neyland in 1927 and 1932.
Tennessee also won the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association title in 1914 under head coach Zora G. Clevenger.
Below are photos of Tennessee’s head coaches through the years.
Johnny Majors Classic: A look at notable athletes who wore jersey No. 45
Tennessee (1-0) will play at No. 14 Pittsburgh (1-0) Saturday in Week 2.
Kickoff between the Vols and Panthers at Acrisure Stadium is slated for 3:30 p.m. EDT. ABC will televise the Johnny Majors Classic. Sean McDonough, Todd Blackledge and Molly McGrath are on the call.
Saturday’s matchup between the Vols and Panthers is the second Johnny Majors Classic.
Majors served as Pittsburgh’s head coach from 1973-76 and 1993-96, winning the 1976 national championship.
After winning the 1976 national championship with Pittsburgh, Majors returned to his alma mater, Tennessee, as the Vols’ head coach. Majors won the Southeastern Conference championship at Tennessee in 1985, 1989 and 1990.
He was an All-American tailback and a Heisman Memorial Trophy runner-up for the Vols in 1956 and a two-time Southeastern Conference MVP in 1955-56. Majors was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1987.
The Vols opened its 2022 season Sept. 1, defeating Ball State (0-1), 59-10, at Neyland Stadium. The contest kicked off Josh Heupel’s second season as Tennessee’s head coach.
Pittsburgh enters Saturday’s contest following a 38-31 victory against West Virginia (0-1) at Acrisure Stadium.
A look at the five most iconic men’s sports head coaches all time at Tennessee.
Tennessee (1-0) will play at No. 14 Pittsburgh (1-0) Saturday in the second edition of the Johnny Majors Classic, honoring the legacy of Johnny Majors.
Majors served as Pittsburgh’s head coach from 1973-76 and 1993-96, winning the 1976 national championship.
After winning the 1976 national championship with Pittsburgh, Majors returned to his alma mater, Tennessee, as the Vols’ head coach. Majors won the Southeastern Conference championship at Tennessee in 1985, 1989 and 1990.
He was an All-American tailback and a Heisman Memorial Trophy runner-up for the Vols in 1956 and a two-time Southeastern Conference MVP in 1955-56. Majors was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1987.
Ahead of the 2022 Johnny Majors Classic, Vols Wire looks at the five most iconic head coaches in men’s sports (football, men’s basketball, baseball) all time at the University of Tennessee. In collaboration with Ken Lay of Vols Wire, below are the five most iconic head coaches in men’s sports at Tennessee.
A look back at Notre Dame’s Paul Hornung winning the Heisman Trophy over Tennessee’s Johnny Majors.
The 1956 Heisman Memorial Trophy was awarded to Notre Dame’s Paul Hornung.
Notre Dame finished 2-8 during the 1956 season.
Hornung played quarterback, halfback and placekicker for the Fighting Irish.
During the 1956 campaign, Hornung led Notre Dame in punt returns, kickoff returns, scoring, passing and rushing. He was a two-time All-America performer.
The Heisman Memorial Trophy runner-up in 1956 was Tennessee’s Johnny Majors.
Majors was a triple-threat tailback in head coach Bowden Wyatt’s offense. He was also a punter and return specialist for the Vols.
Majors, a two-time All-American, was the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year in 1956. He rushed for 549 yards and seven touchdowns, while recording a career-high 552 passing yards. Majors recorded a 43-yard punting average.
In this Dec. 12, 1956 photo, Notre Dame quarterback Paul Hornung imitates the posture of the Heisman Trophy that he received at the Downtown Athletic Club in New York. The Notre Dame hype machine has produced a few unworthy Heisman winners but none more so than Hornung. He was a great player, but the Fighting Irish went 2-8. Any of the next four players in the voting – Johnny Majors from Tennessee, Tom McDonald and Jerry Tubbs from Oklahoma or Syracuse’s Jim Brown, who finished fifth would have been more deserving. (AP Photo/File)
Majors led Tennessee to a 10-1 (6-0 SEC) record, yet finished second to Hornung, who is the only Heisman Memorial Trophy winner to play for a team with a losing record.
Hornung received 1,066 votes to Majors’ 994 in the Heisman Memorial Trophy voting.
Nico Iamaleava Jr. will be the second Tennessee quarterback recruit from Long Beach: Randall Morris’ story signing with Johnny Majors from Long Beach Poly
Iamaleava Jr. is set to play at Long Beach Polytechnic High School in Long Beach, California during his 2022 senior season.
The 6-foot-5, 195-pound quarterback will become the second student-athlete to play for the Vols from Long Beach, California.
Randall Morris signed with Tennessee and head coach Johnny Majors ahead of the 1980 season.
Majors recruited Morris’ brother who would choose Michigan State and Vols’ quarterback transfer Steve Alatorre from Cypress College. Majors’ recruitment at Cypress College led to Morris at Long Beach Polytechnic.
“The reason I went to Tennessee was that coach Majors went down to my school,” Morris told Vols Wire. “I was outside of the locker room waiting on him and we went inside. He turned on the projector and watched three plays on me and said I could turn the projector off. He said, ‘Randall, I’ll offer you a scholarship right now.’
“I took other visits seeing what they had to offer. When I went to Tennessee, I met Jimmy Streater who was very impressive to me because Tennessee was running the same offense I ran at Long Beach Poly. I thought I had a really good opportunity to play early. I graduated high school early and I was in spring training at Tennessee in my senior year of high school. I loved Tennessee, my four years went really fast.”
Morris came to Tennessee as a quarterback, but played four seasons at running back.
He detailed Majors’ decision to change his position.
“I was a quarterback when I came to Tennessee,” Morris said. “Coach Majors recruited me as a quarterback. One day in practice, we were stretching, he said he needed to see me in his office after practice. When a coach says that to you, nothing good comes out of that. Then I started thinking about what have I done, what did I do? I couldn’t even practice because I was thinking about what coach Majors was going to say to me.
“I got to his office. He told me to have a seat. He said, ‘Son, do you want to play now — do you want to play as a freshman?’ I said yes, and I switched from quarterback to running back. I never even thought about playing running back. I asked can I switch to defensive back if you are going to switch me. He said ‘No, I am going to switch you to running back.’ I had a good week of practice at running back. The reason I had a good week of practice is because I was a quarterback and knew all the steps a running back takes.”
Morris played 11 games a freshman and appeared in 44 contests for Tennessee from 1980-83. He totaled 941 yards and seven touchdowns on 219 rushing attempts, while recording 239 yards and one touchdown on 36 receptions.
University of Tennessee football players Reggie White, left, and Willie Gault. Mandatory Credit: News Sentinel-USA TODAY NETWORK
When Morris arrived at Tennessee as an early enrollee freshman, defensive lineman Reggie White was the first person he met.
“Reggie was the first guy I met when I got there,” Morris said. “Reggie and I became great friends. I loved the guy, he was very funny. He was a great guy and a great teammate.”
Pat Narduzzi discusses how Johnny Majors would have been happy with what he saw.
Pittsburgh (2-0) defeated Tennessee (1-1), 41-34, in the Johnny Majors Classic at Neyland Stadium.
Majors served as head coach at Pittsburgh and Tennessee. He guided the Panthers to the 1976 national championship before winning three Southeastern Conference championships at Tennessee (1985, 1989, 1990).
Following the Week 2 contest, Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi discussed Majors and the game that honored him.
“One other thing I want to mention, I wish Johnny Majors was here to see what happened today,” Narduzzi said. “I know he was wearing the Blue and Gold up in the press box up above, and he would have been happy with what he saw today.”
Tennessee and Pittsburgh will honor Johnny Majors who served as a head coach for the Vols and Panthers. Majors won the 1976 national championship at Pittsburgh and guided Tennessee to three Southeastern Conference titles in 1985, 1989 and 1990.
