ESPN Set to Honor Former Tennessee Head Coach Johnny Majors

ESPN recently announced that it would honor legendary former Tennessee head coach Johnny Majors by dedicating 5 hours of ESPNU’s airtime to broadcast a documentary about the hall of fame coach, in addition to airing two of Majors' most famous games as a head coach on July 3rd.

The network will air the 1991 Sugar Bowl, in which the University of Tennessee defeated the University of Virginia, and the 1977 Sugar Bowl, when the University of Pittsburgh — led by Majors — defeated the University of Georgia. The coverage will begin at roughly 6:00 p.m. ET and will last through 11:00 p.m. ET

Majors, who coached the Vols from 1977 to 1991, is remembered today as one of the best coaches to ever step foot in Neyland Stadium. He finished his career with 3 SEC Titles (1985, 1989, 1990) and 1 National Championship, which he won in 1976 at Pittsburgh. He was named as the SEC Coach of the Year after his SEC Championship run in 1985, and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1987.

Majors’ 28 seasons as a head coach ranged across 2 other universities — serving as the head coach of Iowa State University from 1968-1972 and the University of Pittsburgh from 1973-1976. He would then coach the Panthers again from 1993-1996 after parting ways with the University of Tennessee. Majors also served as an assistant coach at the University of Arkansas from 1964-1967 and Mississippi State University 1960-1963c prior to getting his first opportunity as a head coach..

Prior to his career in coaching, Majors was one of the top players that College Football had to offer. He was an All-American in 1956, a 2-time SEC MVP during both the 1955 and 1956 seasons, and the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy during the 1956 season. In fact, many College Football historians hold the belief that Majors should have won the Heisman, and claim that he only lost because the trophy’s winner — Paul Hornung — played at Notre Dame, a program that had a rich tradition of success. The Fighting Irish went a mere 2-8 that season, and Hornung remains the only player in history to win the Heisman with a team that had less than a .500 record.

The documentary will cover Majors’ entire career, beginning with his time as a star player at the University of Tennessee, stretching all the way to the final days of his coaching career in Knoxville. The coverage will begin with the 1991 Sugar Bowl at roughly 6:00 p.m. ET, followed by the documentary, “Johnny Majors: Straight Ahead,” at 8:00ET, and finishing the coverage off with the 1977 Sugar Bowl — featuring Major’s Pittsburgh Panthers and the University of Georgia — at 9:00 p.m. ET.