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Johnny Majors speaks at Little Rock Touchdown Club (Part 11)jh79

November 17, 2011 – 7:33 am

Interview with Johnny Majors after 1982 Kentucky game

Below is a picture of Lane Kiffin with Johnny Majors.

I enjoyed hearing Johnny Majors speak at the Little Rock Touchdown Club on 11-7-11. He talked a lot about the connection between the Arkansas and Tennessee football programs. It reminded me of what Frank Broyles had said two years earlier when I heard him speak. Broyles told a very interesting story that involved individuals that were involved with the UT football program. John Barnhill was the Athletic Director at Arkansas (former football coach of UT) and he hired a former UT player Bowden Wyatt to be the head football coach at Arkansas (future football coach of great UT team of 1956 with Johnny Majors at QB). John Barnhill noticed that in south Arkansas the radio stations were carrying the LSU football games and in the East part of Arkansas the radio stations were carrying Ole Miss and in the west they were carrying Oklahoma. Therefore, John Barnhill offerred all the radio staions in the whole state free access to the radio broadcast of the Razorbacks and the result was all the stations in the whole state carried the Razorbacks and Bowden Wyatt benefitted from the great increase in school spirit and support and a young Frank Broyles saw this great support in all the store windows of every store and every city in Arkansas had all this great support for the Razorbacks and Frank had never seen that at Baylor or Georgia Tech or any other school he had been around and he decided he would take the job as soon as it came open. Bowden Wyatt coached the first razorback team that got national attention but he left after getting the razorbacks to the cotton bowl and got a cadillac from the grateful fans of Arkansas and drove it straight to Knoxville where my Uncle Blythe told me that he used the talent left there and drank himself out of a job later.

Tennessee quarterback Tyler Bray warms up with the team before the game against Arkansas at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Nov. 12, 2011. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

Photo by Amy Smotherman Burgess, ©KNS/2011

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Tennessee football was both defined by and in a sense, spoiled by Robert Neyland, one of the all-time greats of college football coaching. “The Titan of Tennessee”, a College Football Hall Of Fame member, posted a 173-31-12 record in a twenty-one year coaching reign that spanned twenty-seven years as it was twice interrupted for military service. He played at Texas A&M and Army, served in World War I, then at West Point, worked directly for General Douglas MacArthur. Neyland eventually retired from the Army as a Brigadier General but served in Panama and in WW II which interrupted his UT coaching career. His unbelievable success put Tennessee football and his version of the Single Wing on the map, earning respect for southern football. He served to spoil fans and boosters with his .829 winning percentage and National Championships of 1938 and ’51. In one six-year period he went 53-1-5! After his retirement to the full-time athletic director’s position in 1952, every coach at UT was held to his standard. His final stint at UT spanned the years of 1946 through ’52. He inherited successful teams coached by John Barnhill who “kept the throne warm” for The General while he served during WW II. Barnhill was a former player and current assistant to Neyland when military duty called and upon Neyland’s return in ’46, Barnhill’s UT success brought him the head coaching job at Arkansas, one he kept for eight years until giving it over to former Tennessee star, assistant coach, and future head Volunteer mentor, Bowden Wyatt. Neyland of course, took Barnhill’s team to the next level, bringing the 1946 squad to the Orange Bowl.

Photo by Amy Smotherman Burgess, ©KNS/2011

Tennessee wide receiver Da’Rick Rogers looks for a call after he lost the ball against Arkansas at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Nov. 12, 2011. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

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After a two-year rebuilding effort, the 1949 team finished with a 7-2-1 mark

Former UT All American end Bowden Wyatt who had turned around the fortunes of Wyoming, at one point winning twenty-seven of thirty games, and then guided a down-trodden Arkansas to the Cotton Bowl in only his second year at the helm there, was rumored to be the incoming new Vols coach which predictably, contributed to the Hogs’ loss to Georgia Tech in their bowl game. On January 8, 1955 Wyatt was officially named and drove into Knoxville in a brand-new Cadillac that had been purchased by appreciative Razorback fans after clinching the Cotton Bowl berth. Using the same fundamental football he learned from General Neyland, Wyatt was tireless and dynamic in teaching the Tennessee Single-Wing which featured “fierce blocking and sound defense.” Wyatt’s first team featured John Gordy at tackle, Charley Coffey at guard, and Johnny Majors at tailback. Majors’ 1133 total yards made him the SEC MVP. Some felt that the 6-3-1 record would have improved if solid FB Tom Tracy had not had a personal falling-out with Wyatt which led him to quit the squad during spring ball. Tracy still went on to a productive nine-year NFL career with Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Washington.

Tennessee defensive back Izauea Lanier is unable to stop Arkansas wide receiver Jarius Wright from scoring at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Nov. 12, 2011. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

Photo by Amy Smotherman Burgess, ©KNS/2011Tennessee defensive back Izauea Lanier is unable to stop Arkansas wide receiver Jarius Wright from scoring at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Nov. 12, 2011. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

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A defensive stand-off that featured a lot of punting and strategy was the 1956 season’s highlighted game, a 6-0 win over powerful Georgia Tech in the seventh game of the year that spurred the Vols on to an undefeated season. All SEC T Gordy led the way for Majors and wingback Bill Anderson before the big lineman left to play for the Lions for eleven good years. Majors finished with 1101 yards, consensus All American ranking and finished second in the Heisman voting, an honor many experts believe he should have won. Once again his ability to run, pass, block and perform as one of the best punters in the nation gave him the SEC MVP for the second straight year and he was named as UPI’s National Back Of The Year. E Buddy Cruze was also All American and Wyatt was National Coach Of The Year for guiding his Vols to a number-two national ranking. The season ended on a down note as the mighty Vols lost a mistake-ridden Sugar Bowl game 13-7 to Baylor, the game marred when Vol guard Bruce Burnham was kicked by Baylor’s Larry Hickman after a play with Burnham going into convulsions. What was believed to possibly be a broken neck proved to be but a minor injury but the myth of an “unbeatable Tennessee team” had been exploded.

Tennessee tailback Marlin Lane carries the ball against Arkansas at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Nov. 12, 2011. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

Photo by Amy Smotherman Burgess, ©KNS/2011Tennessee tailback Marlin Lane carries the ball against Arkansas at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Nov. 12, 2011. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Also tagged frank broyles, head football coach, john barnhill, lane kiffin | Comments (0)

Will Dooley be given enough time to turn Vols around? Arkansas loss energizes foes of Dooley jh84

November 16, 2011 – 9:58 am

Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley reacts as Arkansas scores their seventh touchdown of the night at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Nov. 12, 2011. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

Photo by Amy Smotherman Burgess, ©KNS/2011

When I went to hear Johnny Majors speak the other day at the Little Rock Touchdown Club, I took note that Majors really liked Dooley and thought he would succeed. However, Majors said the administration may not give him enough time.

On the way to the Tennessee game from Little Rock on Saturday morning I stopped at a truckstop in Ozark where a bus load of Tennessee fans were. They were in the men’s room talking about Dooley. One said, “We have never been 0-5 in the SEC before in my whole life. We need to get a new coach!!” Several others disputed with that and said that Dooley needed another year to show improvement. We will just have to see what happens.

Below is an article from the Knoxville Newspaper:

Five thoughts on SEC football as the season approaches the two-minute drill:

A tip of the visor to Georgia and Mark Richt. Left for dead — by many of their own fans — after an 0-2 start, the Bulldogs have only one bit of unfinished business left to wrap up their first appearance in the SEC championship game since 2005.

All Georgia has to do is beat Kentucky on Saturday and Richt will be grand marshal of the parade from Athens to Atlanta.

When Georgia lost to South Carolina on Sept. 10, it looked as if Richt might be wearing tar and feathers on a one-way trip out of Athens.

Tennessee fans can only wonder how different things might have been if the schedules had been flipped. The Bulldogs played Auburn, Ole Miss and Mississippi State from the West, who are a combined 5-14 in SEC play.

Tennessee played Alabama, LSU and Arkansas, who are a combined 19-2, the two losses against each other.

Maybe you hadn’t heard about The SEC-Southern Conference Challenge.

What other explanation for Saturday’s schedule with four SEC foes stepping down against FCS teams from the Southern Conference.

There’s South Carolina-Citadel, Florida-Furman and Auburn-Samford. The marquee match is 9-1 Alabama against 9-1 Georgia Southern.

Hey, Tennessee wants in on the act. The Vols would rather play Chattanooga than Vanderbilt this week.

Can a coach get fired after two years?

No, I’m not talking aboutDerek Dooley. Kentucky’s fortunes have declined precipitously since Joker Phillips replaced Rich Brooks.

The conditions that have led to Tennessee’s dire straits have been well documented. Kentucky’s situation has been a picture of stability in comparison, Phillips the coach-in-waiting as Brooks played out his string.

Phillips won’t get fired after two years, but a significant segment of the Big Blue fan base has already cut bait.

There is great defense in the SEC this year, but isn’t there some bad offense, too?

Nine SEC teams rank 76th or worse in total offense, and that includes No. 1 LSU (79th).

Kentucky is 118th, Ole Miss 113th. In spots 96-99 are, respectively, Tennessee, Auburn, Florida and Vanderbilt. South Carolina is 86th.

In scoring offense, seven schools rank 68th or worse, including Florida (82), Auburn (84), Tennessee (102), Ole Miss (109) and Kentucky (113).

Which brings me to UT’s five-game run without a second-half score.

Bad things are repeating themselves.

Exhibit A: Tennessee’s first possession of the second half at Arkansas was sabotaged by a sack (minus-11 yards), followed by a shanked punt that gave Arkansas great field position for a touchdown drive.

We’d seen that sequence before. Against Georgia, the Vols started the second half with a bad shotgun snap (minus-15 yards), followed by a short punt that gave the Bulldogs field position for a touchdown drive.

Exhibit B: Dooley gambled on fourth-and-1 at his 40 against Arkansas and lost. The Razorbacks took over and threw a 40-yard TD pass on their first play.

At Alabama, Dooley gambled and lost on fourth-and-1 at his 39. The Tide took over and threw a 39-yard TD pass on the first play.

While I’m at it, at the end of the first half at Arkansas, Justin Worley threw an interception at the 1. Against South Carolina, he was intercepted at the 2.

Mike Strange may be reached at strangem@knoxnews.com. Follow him at http://twitter.com/strangemike44 and http://blogs.knoxnews.com/strange.

Photo by Amy Smotherman Burgess, ©KNS/2011

Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley looks at the point after attempt that put Arkansas ahead 49-7 at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Nov. 12, 2011. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

Photo by Amy Smotherman Burgess, ©KNS/2011

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Also tagged derek dooley, donald w reynolds razorback stadium, reynolds razorback stadium, sec championship game | Comments (0)

Johnny Majors speaks at Little Rock Touchdown Club (Part 10)jh78

November 16, 2011 – 7:05 am

FB: The Best of Johnny Majors at Iowa St

I got to hear Johnny Majors talk on 11-7-11 and he talked about the connection that Arkansas and Tennessee had with their football programs. Two years ago I got to hear Frank Broyles speak at the Little Rock Touchdown Club and he said that too. As you know Broyles was probably the best coach since Bear Bryant to produce assistant coaches that later became head coaches. In fact, Arkansas actually went 11-0 in 1964 and won the national championship. Johnny Majors was an assistant on that team with Barry Switzer and both of them later coached national championship teams (Majors in 1976 at Pittsburgh and Switzer had 3 teams at Oklahoma and Switzer also led the Dallas Cowboys to a Super Bowl win). In this article below you will see that Doug Dickey did very well at UT after getting his training at Arkansas under Broyles. However, I never understood why Doug Dickey left the UT job for Florida.From Uncle Everette After the 1963 season, Doug Dickey, then a top assistant
to Frank Broyles at Arkansas, became the Vols’ head coach,bringing the “T” formation with him to Knoxville.Dickey’s first Tennessee team finished 4-5-1, but hopeswere high as the Vols narrowly lost to Auburn and Alabama,tied Louisiana State at Baton Rouge and upset favoredGeorgia Tech at Grant Field.Middle guard Steve DeLong won the Outland Trophy andDickey’s staff recruited a freshman class which would helplead the Vols out of the wilderness. One of that year’srecruits, wide receiver Richmond Flowers fromMontgomery, Ala., was the first of a number of track-footballathletes who brought a new dimension of speed to theVol program.In 1965, Dickey’s second team finished 8-1-2 and earneda Bluebonnet Bowl bid, UT’s first bowl game since 1957.The season’s pivotal moment came in the aftermath of theAlabama game. The Vols had tied Alabama, 7-7, inBirmingham and spirits were high on the Knoxville campus.Line coach Charley Rash put a note in each of his linemen’smailbox that night after the game: “Play like that everyweek and you’ll go undefeated.”Two days later, Rash, Bill Majors and Bob Jones werekilled in an early morning car-train collision in westKnoxville. Nearly 40 years later, persons connected with theVol program still praise the way Dickey handled the tragedy,pulling everybody together and keeping the Vol programgoing.One of the most memorable moments of that, or anyother season, was the 37-34 “Rosebonnet Bowl” victoryover UCLA at Memorial Stadium in Memphis, so named byVol broadcaster George Mooney because of the post-seasondestinations of the two teams.It was a classic offensive shootout that was finally settledwhen Vol quarterback Dewey Warren ambled aroundleft end for the winning score and Bobby Petrella grabbed alast-ditch Bruin aerial.In 1966, there was an addition of 5,895 seats to thenorth stands, which increased stadium capacity to 58,122.There was also a new scoreboard at the north end, with a“countdown clock,” replacing one that was really a clock,complete with minute and second hands. Tennessee’s 8-3record, including an 18-12 Gator Bowl win over a Syracuseteam which featured running backs Larry Csonka and FloydLittle, presaged what was to come in 1967.The Vols lost their opener to UCLA, a nocturnal affair atthe Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, but came back to wintheir remaining nine games and the SEC Championship,earning an Orange Bowl date against Oklahoma. The Volsswept Alabama, Auburn, Louisiana State and Mississippi,defeating the Tide for the first time since 1960 and theRebels for the first time since 1958. The Vols finished No. 2in the final polls and were selected as national championsby Litkenhous. One other note, the Vols’ 41-14 win overVanderbilt in December was the last game played on theNeyland Stadium grass until September 1994.In 1968, artificial turf came to Neyland Stadium. Withthe new turf and the demise of the grass field came a6,307-seat east upper deck and new auxiliary east sidescoreboard. The addition raised capacity to 64,429.In the first game played on Tartan Turf against VinceDooley’s Georgia Bulldogs, Nashville’s Lester McClainbecame Tennessee’s first African-American to play in anSEC varsity football game.The Vols rallied for a 17-17 tie that day in an exciting finishled by quarterback Bubba Wyche. Runner-up in the SECin 1968, Tennessee won the crown again in 1969 with a 9-1 record and played in the Gator Bowl. Linebacker SteveKiner (1967-69) was named to the College Football Hall ofFame in 1999.

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Johnny Majors has a lot of respect for Derek Dooley and he hopes the Tennessee adminstration give him time to dig himself out of the hole that inherited.

Tennessee coach Derek Dooley watches play against Arkansas at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Nov. 12, 2011. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

Photo by Amy Smotherman Burgess, ©KNS/2011

Tennessee coach Derek Dooley watches play against Arkansas at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Nov. 12, 2011. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

Courtesy: Athletics Communications
http://www.cyclones.com/
Johnny Majors – Hall of Fame Class of 1999

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Also tagged barry switzer, http www youtube, johnny majors., steve delong | Comments (0)

Why is this victory over the Vols so sweet? Probably because of 71 and 98!! jh85

November 15, 2011 – 10:43 am

—

https://youtu.be/RxW2mL8BbOA

Arkansas wide receiver Joe Adams runs back a punt for a touchdown against Tennessee at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Nov. 12, 2011. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

Arkansas wide receiver Joe Adams breaks tackles to return a punt for a touchdown against Tennessee at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Nov. 12, 2011. UT lost the game 49-7. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

Photo

I have wondered why this victory meant over Tennessee meant so much to our Razorback Nation. I guess the answer is simply that we have lost so many close heartbreaking games to the Vols over the years and the 1971 and 1998 games come to mind.

Back in 1998 our football Razorbacks had the best start in my many years. We were undefeated and ranked #8 nationally in the polls when we traveled to Knoxville to take on the undefeated and #1 ranked Vols. With 2 minutes in the game we held the lead 24 to 21 and we had the ball. All night long my 12 year old son Rett had been excited for two reasons. First, he knew we would have a chance for a national championship if we won the next few games. Second, many of his cousins were Tennessee fans.

With the game almost over, I finally allowed Rett to call his Uncle Robert. I heard Rett leave this message on Robert’s phone, “Uncle Robert look at the scoreboard!!! How do you like that score?” The moment I heard the phone hang up, I saw Clint Stoerner fumble the ball away to Tennessee.

Needless to say, that night Rett got a call from Uncle Robert who wanted to answer Rett’s question concerning what the score was. (Razorbacks lost 28 to 24.) Actually Robert had left Neyland Stadium before the fumble, and he had to listen to the remainder of the game on the radio.

I attended the Little Rock Touchdown Club meeting last year when Phillip Fulmer spoke. He was asked about the famous fumble in the 1971 Liberty bowl and he responded with what he did and he motioned with his hand pointing the direction that UT was heading that night. That is so funny because that is exactly what happened. Look at this clip from the writer Tom Mattingly:

In the 1971 Liberty Bowl, Arkansas had the ball late in the game leading 13-7, when there was a fumble in front of the Vol bench. Players on both sides fought for the ball, with everybody on the Tennessee sideline giving the signal for a Tennessee possession. pointing en masse to the Arkansas goal.

There’s no telling what happened in the pile that night in Memphis, but Carl Witherspoon came up with the pigskin somehow, or at least the officials said he did, and Tennessee went in for the winning score. Arkansas partisans thought they got hosed twice that game, the other call coming for holding on a field-goal attempt. They remember that game to this day, nearly 40 years later.

The Arkansas fans I talked to actually said it was a Razorback that handed the ball to the ref that night. Fulmer went on to say that we he the happiest man in the stadium that night because he was guilty of an unsportsmanlike penalty because he had one of teeth knocked out that game and he went to the sideline and even though he was bleeding the trainer put some gauges in his mouth and said get back in there. Then he went looking for that guy who hit him in the mouth and got the penalty and it happened to come on a big run, so he was the goat for that game unless they pulled it out. Which he was very glad that they did.

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No wonder the Tennessee people did not want to review the film after this game:

The beatdown on the field was bad enough for Tennessee.

Derek Dooley wasn’t going to pile on in the film room.

Rather than rehash all the mistakes in every phase of the game that plagued his team in a 49-7 thrashing at No. 6 Arkansas on Saturday night, the Vols coach began the process of bouncing back from it without making his players relive it. And while they obviously have the option of watching the tape from last weekend on their own as the Vols prepare for Vanderbilt atNeyland Stadium on Saturday (TV: ESPNU, 7 p.m.), there might be a few copies in the Dumpster, instead.

“You just have to forget about it, throw away the film and look to have a good week of practice this week because we have a tough Vandy team coming in that is looking to upset us,” safety Prentiss Waggner said Monday. “We’re not going to watch the film on the game.

“In my opinion, we were bad in all phases of the game and we can’t really learn anything from it because it was just a bad day for the offense, defense and special teams.”

That much was evident on the scoreboard as the Vols (4-6, 0-6 SEC) missed opportunities all over the field against a team that rarely failed to take advantage of their own, and Dooley apparently didn’t need to remind anybody of his team of that as they turn the page to the Commodores (5-5, 2-5 SEC).

He indicated it wasn’t the first time in his career that he decided not to air the film of a loss the next day, but it wasn’t just the lopsided result that played into his call to scrap it Sunday.

“It didn’t look like us in so many respects,” Dooley said. “We’ve been coaching much of the same stuff for 10 weeks now, I just felt like it was better that we close the door on that game and sort of regroup, get our thoughts right going into this week.

“They watched it on their own if they wanted to, I’m sure they all did, they had their grade sheets, but there was no sense in going and beating on them another two hours because they got beat on pretty good.”

The Razorbacks aren’t the only ones to do that to UT this season, though even in blowouts against Alabama and LSU it had things to feel good about in losing efforts.

That doesn’t mean Dooley will only be focusing solely on the positives with the Vols as they move on, and he was again quick to point out some of the flaws they’ve had lately during his weekly news conference.

He just didn’t seem to need video evidence to deliver his message this time.

“I can understand where he’s coming from, because we did go out there and play horrendous,” defensive tackle Malik Jackson said. “Nobody did anything right, you can tell by the score, so it pretty much just would have been a session of cursing us out and stuff like that.

“Instead of doing that, we just said to forget about it. And that’s what we did.”

Moving On: The tradition of naming players of the week was skipped after the lopsided loss.

Dooley apparently wouldn’t have honored anybody else affiliated with the organization after getting crushed by the Razorbacks either.

“We didn’t have any (awards), we closed the book on it,” he said. “No coaches of the week, no player of the week, no managers of the week.

“The whole organization got no positive feedback from that game.”

Austin Ward covers Tennessee football. He may be reached at 865-342-6274. Follow him at http://twitter.com/Vols_Beat and http://blogs.knoxnews.com/ward.

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Also tagged clint stoerner, donald w reynolds razorback stadium, razorback nation., reynolds razorback stadium | Comments (0)

Mangino speaks at Little Rock Touchdown Club (Part 1)

November 15, 2011 – 6:49 am

Eric Magino is an excellent speaker and I enjoyed listening to him on November 14, 2011. Here is a story from the Arkansas Democrat Gazette:

— In 2007, Mark Mangino led Kansas to its best football season in school history.

The Jayhawks went 12-1 and climbed to No. 2 in the BCS rankings before a 37-28 loss to No. 4 Missouri in the regular-season finale. After a 24-21 victory over Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl, the Jayhawks finished seventh in the final Associated Press rankings and Mangino was the consensus coach of the year.

Two years later, the Jayhawks finished 5-7. After an internal investigation, Mangino was fired after he was accused of boorish behavior and violent actions, including grabbing his players and verbal abuse.

Mangino, 55, and living in Naples, Fla., spoke Monday at the Little Rock Touchdown Club’s weekly luncheon at the Embassy Suites hotel. When asked about his departure from Kansas, he didn’t elaborate, choosing to focus on the positives in an eight-year run that resulted in a 50-48 record, including 23-41 in Big 12 games and a 3-1 in bowl games.

“I choose to dwell on the positives and all the good things we did,” Mangino said after pausing when asked what happened during his final year at Kansas. “We accomplished a lot of things that gave me a sense of pride.”

However, he did talk a lot about college football’s off-thefield issues.

On Penn State, which fired longtime coach Joe Paterno on Wednesday night after the board of trustees determined he didn’t do enough when told that a graduate assistant saw former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, who has been charged with molesting eight boys, assaulting a boy in a school shower:

“It’s so painful to know that children were allegedly molested in the school’s football facility and as a parent, it’s got to knock you out,” Mangino said. “Growing up in Newcastle, Pa., I grew up idolizing Joe Paterno and I still do, but I can’t help but be disappointed.

“I used to tell my players that the outside world can be cruel and I would tell them that the football complex was their safe haven where you had teammates and coaches you could come to. I cannot comprehend the fact that young children were molested in that locker room. That is something I struggle with as a parent and a coach and it pains me to know that it could happen.

“Penn State will have to redefine itself and hopefully, we’ll all learn from this.”

On conference realignment that has seen Missouri and Texas A&M join the SEC, Pittsburgh and Syracuse join the Atlantic Coast Conference and West Virginia and TCU join the Big 12:

“I remember sitting at a staff meeting and I had a feeling we were going to go to superconferences, but I thought the NCAA, atheltic directors and networks would do it in regards to geographic boundaries,” Mangino said.

“The thing I’m disappointed in is that it’s not happening. I know on each coast, nobody cares about Kansas-Missouri, but here, that’s a big deal and now there’s a good chance that won’t happen again. Nebraska-Oklahoma might not play again.”

On the state of the Big 12 — which saw Nebraska leave for the Big Ten, Colorado leave for the Pacific-12 and almost saw Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State leave for the Pac 12 before Commissioner Dan Beebe resigned under pressure last month:

“I feel bad for the Big 12 because it is a great conference and I hope it can hang in there,” Mangino said.

Mangino said he never had the feeling that Texas was trying to run the conference. He also said while at Kansas he stayed away from the business issues that have dominated headlines recently.

“We would be briefed on things after the fact, but the athletic directors were usually involved in those meetings,” Mangino said. “I always concerned myself with what goes on the field and never focused on the business aspect.”

On his future, Mangino said he would like to coach again, but is waiting for the right opportunity.

“I’d like to be a head coach, but I’m willing to be a coordinator or a line coach if somebody needs one,” Mangino said. “I feel I have a few snaps left in me and I want to go to a place where football is important.”

This article was published today at 4:52 a.m.

Sports, Pages 22 on 11/15/2011

Sports 22

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Also tagged arkansas democrat gazette, coach joe paterno, jerry sandusky., mark mangino | Comments (0)

Johnny Majors speaks at Little Rock Touchdown Club (Part 3)

November 8, 2011 – 7:30 am

I heard Johnny Majors speak at the November 7, 2011 Little Rock Touchdown Club. He talked about his respect for Frank Broyles and the great coach he was. He also said he saw a lot of those same great qualities in Derek Dooley.

Uploaded by TheMemphisSlim on Sep 3, 2010

Johnny Majors from Huntland, TN tried out for the UT Football team weighing 150 pounds. His Father, Shirley Majors his HS Coach,encourage him and then 4 younger brothers all to be Vols. Johnny Majors was the runner-up in 1956 for the Heisman Trophy to Paul Horning, on a loosing Notre Dame team. So much for Northern politics with writers.

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Majors: Dooley needs time

By Jeff Halpern

LITTLE ROCK — Johnny Majors played and coached at Tennessee and was an assistant at Arkansas. So when he sees the Tennessee Volunteers struggle, he knows what it is going to take for second-year coach Derek Dooley to turn things around.

Time.

Majors, 76, is retired and living in Knoxville, Tenn., and he understands where the Volunteers (4-5, 0-5 SEC) are at going into Saturday’s game against BCS No. 8 Arkansas (8-1, 4-1 SEC) in Fayetteville.

“The thing is, Derek Dooley inherited a program that was going downhill,” said Majors, the guest speaker Monday at the Little Rock Touchdown Club luncheon.

Majors said Tennessee’s slide began under Phil Fulmer. Lane Kiffin was hired to replace Fulmer, but Kiffin stayed for only the 2009 season before bolting for the head coaching job at Southern California.

Majors said he believes Kiffin would have stopped the slide had he stayed, but his sudden departure set the program back even more.

“Derek lost about a half a dozen players who either didn’t pan out or got hurt, and you can’t rebuild a program in a year or two,” Majors said. “It’s going to take at least three to four to be solid.

“So whenever people ask if Tennessee will be patient to give Derek Dooley the time to turn things around, I tell them they don’t have any choice but to give him time.”

Dooley, the son of former Georgia Coach Vince Dooley, is 10-12 overall and 3-10 in SEC games.

“He is intelligent and has a good background,” Majors said. “He worked seven years for Nick Saban at LSU and at the Miami Dolphins, so you know he has to be tough.”

Injuries also have been a problem of late. The Volunteers lost wide receiver Justin Hunter to a season-ending torn anterior cruciate ligament Sept. 17 in a 33-23 loss at Florida. Quarterback Tyler Bray broke his thumb in a 20-12 loss to Georgia on Oct. 8, leaving Matt Simms and Justin Worley to fill in.

Tennessee has had its moments this season. The Vols went into halftime tied 3-3 with Alabama before eventually losing 37-6. It held LSU scoreless in the first quarter but eventually were defeated 38-7.

“I told Derek after the LSU game that I know what he’s going through and have been there before, and that this, too, shall pass,” Majors said.

Under Majors, Tennessee was becaame of the premier teams in the country.

Tennessee went 116-62-8 from 1977-1992 and won three SEC titles with Majors as coach. Under Fulmer, Tennessee went 152-52-1, won two SEC titles and the 1998 national championship.

However, Tennessee went 29-21 overall and 17-15 in SEC games in Fulmer’s last four seasons, including losing seasons in 2005 (5-6) and 2008 (5-7). The Volunteers went 7-6 in Kiffin’s lone season, and they were 6-7 under Dooley last season.

“The thing I saw was recruiting went down the last few years under Fulmer,” Majors told members of the media after Monday’s luncheon. “I would work as an unpaid consultant for the East-West Shrine Game, and we would have at least 100 scouts and they would tell me that things were going down under Fulmer.

“It didn’t seem like they were doing a good job of evaluating prospects and had many discipline problems on and off the field and were beating themselves.

“You don’t win by accident, and you don’t lose by accident.”

While Majors didn’t mention Fulmer by name during his speech, it is no secret he and Fulmer, his offensive line coach from 1980-1988 and offensive coordinator from 1989-1992, do not get along.

Majors was forced to resign late in the 1992 season after the Volunteers went 2-3 following his return from heart surgery after Fulmer had guided Tennessee to a 3-0 start. Majors felt Fulmer maneuvered to get the head coaching job while he was recovering from surgery and that a promise was broken about a new seven-year contract.

When asked Monday about his relationship with Fulmer, he left little doubt about whether those feelings still lingered.

“I don’t need to go into that,” Majors said.

This article was published today at 5:08 a.m.

_________________

Johnny Majors was a great quarterback for Tennessee.

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Also tagged derek dooley, johnny majors., lane kiffin, paul horning | Comments (0)

Johnny Majors speaks at Little Rock Touchdown Club (Part 2) jh71

November 7, 2011 – 2:57 pm

Johnny Majors broke the streak of Alabama victories over Tennessee with this victory over Bama pictured below.

Image Detail

When Johnny Majors was introduced today at the Little Rock Touchdown Club, it was mentioned that he caused a stir back in 2005 with his previous visit to the Little Rock Touchdown Club. Here is an article from ESPN on that visit:

Updated: November 22, 2005, 9:15 AM ET

Arkansas fans laugh at Majors’ quip about Fulmer

Associated Press

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Johnny Majors has made it clear in the past he was not happy with the way he left Tennessee. Majors was fired in 1992, and his assistant, Phillip Fulmer, succeeded him.

On Monday at the Little Rock Touchdown Club, Majors said he still has fond memories of Tennessee, but he drew a laugh from the crowd full of Arkansas fans when a took a small dig at Fulmer.

“I don’t pull against those players up there,” Majors said. “But I don’t have any regard for Judas Brutus, who’s coaching up there.”

Fulmer, the current coach of the Volunteers, was a top assistant to Majors when Majors underwent heart surgery in 1992, and took over the team for three victories while Majors was recovering. He was named head coach following Majors’ dismissal.

A call to the Tennessee sports information office seeking comment from Fulmer was not returned.

Majors spoke for about 45 minutes, entertaining the crowd with stories about his playing days at Tennessee, his years as an assistant to Arkansas coach Frank Broyles, and a head coaching career that spanned almost three decades.

Majors was a star running back at Tennessee during the 1950s, finishing second to Notre Dame’s Paul Hornung in the ’56 Heisman Trophy race. He went 184-137-10 as a head coach at Iowa State, Tennessee and Pittsburgh.

He led Pitt to the 1976 national title, then left a few days later to coach Tennessee. He spent 16 seasons there, but missed the first three games in 1992 while he recovered from heart bypass surgery. The Volunteers, coached by Fulmer, got off to a 3-0 start.

Majors unexpectedly returned and Tennessee lost three of its next five games. With three games left, the university said Majors would not return for another season. He later went back to Pitt.

Majors has returned to Tennessee’s campus only a few times since stepping down as coach, but he was there last month for a tribute to his 1985 team that won the Sugar Bowl.

“They’ve been great to me and my family for a long, long time since I went there as a freshman in 1953.” Majors said Monday. “I am not a bitter man, I am not an angry man. I am having too much of a good time living.”

Majors amused the Razorback partisans with his comments about Tennessee, but they appeared just as interested when he talked about his experiences at Arkansas. Majors became an assistant on the Razorbacks’ staff in 1964, the year Arkansas went 11-0 and finished ranked No. 1 by the Football Writers Association of America.

Arkansas shut out its last five regular-season opponents that year before beating Nebraska 10-7 in the Cotton Bowl.

“When they don’t score, it’s pretty hard to lose,” Majors said.

Majors became the coach at Iowa State in 1968, where his assistants included Jimmy Johnson, Jackie Sherrill and Larry Lacewell.

Lacewell, who went on to coach at Arkansas State, was in the audience Monday. Majors took the opportunity to needle him a bit.

“Larry Lacewell, Jimmy Johnson and Jackie Sherrill were on my first staff up there. Man, they had all the answers,” he said with a touch of sarcasm.

Majors went to Pitt in 1973, taking over a team that had won one game the previous season and eventually winning a national title. After a 16-year stay at Tennessee, he went back to coach the Panthers, trying to resurrect the program for a second time. But he went 11-32 in his second stint and retired at the end of the 1996 season.

Majors said he never forgot the lessons he learned from Broyles and the rest of the Arkansas staff, and he still has an obvious soft spot for the school and its supporters.

“There’s none better anywhere in the country than the Arkansas Razorback fans,” he said. “You have a stellar group here.”

Head coaching record

Year

Team

Overall

Conference

Standing

Bowl/playoffs

Coaches^#

AP^°

Iowa State Cyclones (Big Eight Conference) (1968–1972)

1968

Iowa State

3–7

1–6

7th

1969

Iowa State

3–7

1–6

7th

1970

Iowa State

5–6

1–6

T–6th

1971

Iowa State

8–4

4–3

4th

L Sun

1972

Iowa State

5–6–1

2–4–1

5th

L Liberty

Iowa State:

24–30–1

9–25–1

Pittsburgh Panthers (Independent) (1973–1976)

1973

Pittsburgh

6–5–1

L Fiesta

1974

Pittsburgh

7–4

1975

Pittsburgh

8–4

W Sun

1976

Pittsburgh

12–0

W Sugar

Tennessee Volunteers (Southeastern Conference) (1977–1992)

1977

Tennessee

4–7

1–5

8th

1978

Tennessee

5–5–1

3–3

T–4th

1979

Tennessee

7–5

3–3

T–5th

L Bluebonnet

1980

Tennessee

5–6

3–3

6th

1981

Tennessee

8–4

3–3

T–4th

W Garden State

1982

Tennessee

6–5–1

3–2–1

5th

L Peach

1983

Tennessee

9–3

4–2

T–3rd

W Citrus

1984

Tennessee

7–4–1

3–3

T–5th

L Sun

1985

Tennessee

9–1–2

5–1

1st

W Sugar

1986

Tennessee

7–5

3–3

6th

W Liberty

1987

Tennessee

10–2–1

4–1–1

3rd

W Peach

1988

Tennessee

5–6

3–4

T–6th

1989

Tennessee

11–1

6–1

T–1st

W Cotton

1990

Tennessee

9–2–2

5–1–1

1st

W Sugar

1991

Tennessee

9–3

5–2

3rd

L Fiesta

1992

Tennessee

5–3*

3–3*

3rd (East)*

12*

Tennessee:

116–62–8

57–40–3

Pittsburgh Panthers (Big East Conference) (1993–1996)

1993

Pittsburgh

3–8

2–5

6th

1994

Pittsburgh

3–8

2–5

7th

1995

Pittsburgh

2–9

0–7

8th

1996

Pittsburgh

4–7

3–4

5th

Pittsburgh:

45–45–1

7–21

*Three early games and the Bowl game are credited to Phillip Fulmer.

Total:

185–137–10

National Championship Conference Title Conference Division Title

^#Rankings from final Coaches’ Poll.
^°Rankings from final AP Poll.

Johnny Majors

Majors in 2009
Sport(s)	Football
Biographical details
Born	May 21, 1935 (age 76)
Place of birth	Lynchburg, Tennessee
Playing career
1954–1956 1957	Tennessee Montreal Alouettes
Position(s)	Halfback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1957 1958–1959 1960–1963 1964–1967 1968–1972 1973–1976 1977–1992 1993–1996	Tennessee (GA) Tennessee (backfield) Mississippi State (DB) Arkansas (assistant) Iowa State Pittsburgh Tennessee Pittsburgh
Head coaching record
Overall	185–137–10
Bowls	9–7
Statistics
College Football Data Warehouse
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
1 National (1976) 3 SEC (1985, 1989–1990)
Awards
All-American, 1956 2x SEC MVP (1955–1956) Walter Camp Coach of the Year (1973) AFCA Coach of the Year (1976) Sporting News College Football COY (1976) SEC Coach of the Year (1985)
College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1987 (profile)

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Also tagged frank broyles, johnny majors., paul hornung., sports information office | Comments (0)

Johnny Majors speaks at Little Rock Touchdown Club (Part 1)jh70

November 7, 2011 – 2:00 pm

Below is a picture of Lane Kiffin with Johnny Majors.

Today Johnny Majors spoke at the Little Rock Touchdown Club. Majors told several revealing stories about his time at Arkansas from 1964-1968 when he was an assistant coach under Frank Broyles. One of the funniest stories concerned fellow assistant coach Jim MacKenzie who knew how to play Broyles at times according to Majors.

One such occasion the assistant coaches were being pressed into working long hours by Broyles during a time that Broyles thought he needed to see some progress with the team. Earlier the assistant coaches had been allowed to leave at noon and go fishing or play golf when the razorbacks had been winning almost all their games.

It was in July and Majors and some of the other coaches wanted to go play golf. Coach Broyles came into the room and asked how things were going. Coach MacKenzie asked Broyles what were the shots Broyles had on the first hole on Augusta when he got that 72. Broyles went to the chalk board and erased the plays and began to draw the placement of the ball on the first hole as he outlined the birdie he got .

By the time Broyles recalled the first 5 holes, he put down the chalk and said that it appeared we were all caught up around here and we should go play some golf!!!!

Johnny Majors

Over and over today, Majors talked about his respect for Coach Broyles. In this article below Johnny Majors lists the top coaches of all time and he includes Frank Broyles who hired Majors as an assistant.

Former Tennessee star, coach Johnny Majors says new Vols coach Derek Dooley will succeed if given time

Published: Tuesday, August 31, 2010, 7:00 AM

Derek Dooley may not have been the first choice to replace Lane Kiffin as head coach at Tennessee, but he was the right choice, said former Tennessee All-American and coach Johnny Majors.

The son of former Georgia coach Vince Dooley “knows how to coach,” Majors said, and he’ll get the job done if given the opportunity.

“I think he’ll do very well,” Majors said before speaking at the Cellular South 1st and 10 Club Monday night at Heron Lakes Country Club. “I think he was a very good pick. I’ve been an advocate of his the last two or three years since I’ve got to know him at a lot of coaching clinics.

“I’ve known him since he was a kid. … He’s got a good background, he’s intelligent, competent and … he’s learned a lot by osmosis, being around his dad and being raised up by his dad.”

The keys for Dooley are getting the time and power to turn around a program in decline, Majors said.

“It’s going to take time,” Majors said. “I think they’re going to have a very challenging struggle this year, very challenging — the most since I took over. It took us five or six years. … He’s got a tough job.

“People ask, ‘Do you think they’ll give him time?’ I tell them, ‘Frankly speaking, they don’t have a choice.’ … It’s been a mess for several years. They’ve had a tough time finding a president. They’ve had three presidents that didn’t last. So they need to learn how to hire the right person and stay with that person.

“They’ve got no choice. They’re going to have to tough it out. If you’ve got a strong back and strong spine and strong-minded, loyal person you’re working for (it’s easier). Its been a mess and they’re going to have to give him a chance to get it straightened out.”

Majors said he believes the Vols were headed in the right direction with Lane Kiffin, who led the program for one year before leaving for Southern Cal.

“Kiffin took over a bad situation,” Majors said. “After me, he took over the job in the worst situation it’s been in. No question about it. It’s been going that way, downhill, for 10 years at least, especially the last three.

“Lane Kiffin would have won there. He stopped the bleeding. He stopped a runaway truck. You don’t want a runaway truck, an 18-wheeler, going down the Sewanee Mountain. He got it braked and turned the cab sideways and was going to turn it back uphill. He would have won there, because they knew how to coach.”

Coaching drove Majors for many years, not only at Tennessee, but also at Iowa State and twice at Pitt, where he won the 1976 national championship. Before that, he was SEC MVP twice and runner-up for the Heisman Trophy his senior year.

“I don’t remember my first spoken word or my first conscious thought, but surely I can’t remember when I didn’t love football,” Majors said. “I think it’s a great game.”

Although it’s a different game than when he played or even coached, the best level of football, in his opinion, is still special.

That’s why he still loves to watch the game, why he loves watching other men coach the game, especially the great ones. One of those coaches is a Dooley mentor for whom he served as an assistant for seven years — Alabama’s Nick Saban.

“There’s no one that can coach ’em up any better than Saban can,” Majors said. “Intensity, focus, discipline, tenacious, clever, keeps his eyes on the bull’s-eye. He’s very demanding of his coaches and they have a great amount of respect for him. … Saban knows how to coach.”

Others on that list would include Frank Broyles, Vince Lombardi, Vince Dooley and Bear Bryant, among others, Majors said.

The College Football Hall of Fame member said he hopes Derek Dooley will make that list by leading Tennessee back to its glory years.

“Watching (Tennessee) practice, he’s made an impression on me,” Majors said. “He can coach. … But they’re going to have to give him a chance.”

McGill-Toolen’s E.J. May (defense) and Mary Montgomery’s Harrison Corley (offense) were recognized at the meeting as the Cellular South student-athletes of the week.

The next 1st and 10 Club meeting is on Sept. 20 with ESPN college football analyst Joe Schad as the guest speaker.

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Also tagged derek dooley, frank broyles, johnny majors., lane kiffin | Comments (0)

Johnny Majors to speak at Little Rock Touchdown Club: What is connection to Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long?

November 7, 2011 – 7:13 am

Former Tennessee Football Coach Johnny Majors is to speak at Little Rock Touchdown Club todayat the Embassy Suites hotel. Majors coached at Iowa State from 1968-1972, Pittsburgh from 1973-1976 and 1993-1996, where he led the Panthers to the 1976 national championship and at Tennessee from 1977-1992, where he won three SEC championships.

1976 Sugar Bowl National Championship – Pitt vs. Georgia

Did you know that Jeff Long and Johnny Majors have a close connection? Below is a story from the June 12, 2007 edition of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette:

Johnny Majors returning to his home again — in Tennessee

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

By Shelly Anderson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

It was 1972. President Nixon made historic trips to Beijing and Moscow. The Oakland A’s made a splashy trip to the World Series.

And a man named Joe Mason (wink) made a little fact-finding trip to Pittsburgh.

	Post-Gazette archives
	Johnny Majors Former Pitt coach

Except that it was really Joe Majors, brother and confidant of Johnny Majors, an up-and-coming college football coach who was skeptical about pursuing a job with the University of Pittsburgh in a big city.”I would have never come to Pittsburgh if not for Joe,” Johnny Majors said yesterday. “He came in and scouted the area first. He said, ‘John, they’re ready to make a move. The drive from the airport to downtown Pittsburgh in November is not very exciting, but it’s the job for you. They want to get things done, and you’re the guy who can get it done.’ ”

So Majors, who always had preferred small college towns, interviewed with Pitt, took the job and in four seasons guided the Panthers to the 1976 national championship, recruiting Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett along the way.

For Majors, Pittsburgh was love at first fortnight.

“I came here two weeks and I felt at home,” he said. “It was the easiest adjustment I’ve ever made.”

It’s a feeling that persisted, even when he left after that title season to return to his home state of Tennessee and coach at his alma mater, even when he came back to Pitt in 1993 for four rough seasons, and especially in the past decade while remaining in Pittsburgh and on the Pitt athletic staff.

Now, though, Majors and his wife, Mary Lynn, are going home once more.

In the past couple of weeks, they closed on a sale of their Oakland house — the one they bought from Pitt, the one with a wonderfully landscaped corner lot — and found a place in Knoxville, Tenn.

They’ll make the move before the end of July.

This uprooting is all about family.

Joe is gone. He died in January after a battle with cancer and heart problems. But Majors has a sister, Shirley Ann, and a brother, Bob, in Chattanooga and another brother, Larry, near Sewanee.

The Majors’ son, John Ireland Majors, and daughter, Shirley Ann, are in Tennessee, along with seven grandchildren, including Brandon, 20, who is in junior college after being raised in Pittsburgh by Johnny and Mary Lynn.

This is not about giving up on life.

“I’m in the fourth quarter of my life. I’m not ready to make the final play yet,” said Majors, 72, a Heisman Trophy finalist in 1956 and a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.

Although the move makes sense to him, it has caused a great deal of internal conflict.

“People say, ‘Why are you leaving?’ Well, I wonder myself sometimes. I’ve wondered a lot about it,” he said. “Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania are uniquely special. I have so many friends here, I’m talking about really, really great friends. And such a diverse group.”

Majors and his wife are determined to maintain strong ties here. They are considering renting a place so they can make frequent visits for football and basketball games and other events.

He will have to give up his seat on the Pittsburgh Symphony Board, but they’re keeping their symphony tickets. He’ll keep in touch with friends at the Pittsburgh Athletic Association and the Pittsburgh Field Club and with those at Calvary Episcopal Church. Mary Lynn no doubt will remain tight with those at the Garden Club of Allegheny County, where she served as president until about six months ago.

And, of course, Pitt will always be close to Majors’ heart.

“The University of Pittsburgh has been great to me twice,” said Majors, who has been a special assistant to the athletic director and chancellor since his coaching career ended after the 1996 season.

“I’m very appreciative and indebted to the University of Pittsburgh. I told [athletic director] Jeff Long, ‘I’m at your beck and call. I’ll do anything I can because this is a great school and a great town.’ ”

That includes what Majors has done best for the athletic department in recent years — shake hands, share a round of golf over some great storytelling and spread goodwill about Pitt.

Some might find it curious that Majors is returning to Knoxville after his bitter departure from Tennessee in 1992 following what many considered a coup by Phil Fulmer, one of his assistants. For several years after he returned to Pitt, Majors was reluctant to utter the word, “Tennessee,” instead calling it “the place I used to work.”

Those feelings have faded. Not that he’s necessarily going to hang around the Volunteers.

“I’m going to play that by ear,” Majors said. “I can say this: The athletic director [Mike Hamilton] wasn’t there when I was there, and he’s been very pleasant to me. I have some friends who still work at the university. I don’t have any animosity.”

Nor does Majors bemoan the state of the Panthers’ football program in the 1990s, when budgetary and other commitments at Pitt Stadium were lacking and he went 12-32.

“I can say I was not at my best,” he said. “But I’ve always said I felt like we — our staff, our families — could be remembered for leaving a program in better shape when we left than when we came, and they were able to go to a bowl game the year after we left.”

Certainly, Pitt was infinitely better, a national powerhouse, when Majors left the first time in the 1970s.

“The first four years I was here, I never had a more exciting time in my life,” Majors said. “They called when I needed them. I needed that opportunity.”

And now he needs to go home.

First published on June 11, 2007 at 11:22 pm

Shelly Anderson can be reached at shanderson@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1721.

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Also tagged college football coach, http www youtube, johnny majors., pittsburgh post gazette | Comments (0)

News of Pat Summerall’s conversion brought a smile to Tom Landry’s face jh38

October 17, 2011 – 2:45 pm

I got to ask Pat Summerall a question at the Little Rock Touchdown Club meeting back in October of 2010. Summerall had pointed out that Tom Landry was the defensive coordinator and Vince Lombardi was the offensive backfield coach when he played for the Giants. Summerall had shared how he had recovered from his drinking habit and put his faith in Christ and was baptized.

I simply asked him if he had a chance to interact with any Christian Coaches like Tony Dungy or Tom Landry about his conversion. He said that he told Landry about his conversion and that was the only time he ever saw Landry smile. Walt Garrison told Summerall that he never saw Landry smile but he only played for him for 9 years.

Pat Summerall: A Divine Intervention

CBN.com – A LEGEND IS BORN

Pat Summerall was the signature voice of sports broadcasting in America. Over the years, millions of viewers have welcomed him into their homes, as the voice of NFL football. He’s been part of televised football from its early days. Though he broadcast from the first Superbowl, and many since, he’s had a love for the game well before the “Superbowl” even existed. As a professional football player, he is best known as the kicker for the legendary New York Giants of the late ’50s and ’60s. He started playing football in his small hometown in Florida. He actually played multiple sports and was good at all he tried. When he headed off for college, he turned down a few offers because they wouldn’t let him play both football and basketball, and he didn’t want to choose between his two loves. In college, he played both, but after a while he decided to stick with football and see where it took him. It’s taken him from the Detroit Lions, to the New York Giants, to the Sportscaster’s Hall of Fame, with numerous stops along the way.

Pat’s broadcast career was something he hadn’t planned on pursuing, but rather something that just kind of happened. He “walked-on” for an audition with CBS radio and got the part. Just that easy, his broadcasting career took off and he was launched into stardom. He went from radio to television, even hosting the morning news for a stint on CBS. Through his career, Pat encountered and interacted with numerous celebrities and professional athletes who are legends themselves. Pat continued his broadcast career with CBS for 32 years. In addition to his coverage of football, he was also the network’s signature voice for its golf coverage, including the Masters, the U.S. Open Tennis Championships, the NBA and five Heavyweight Championship Fights. In 1999, Summerall was inducted into the American Sportscaster’s Association’s Hall of Fame.

OFF-AIR AND OUT OF CONTROL

With fame and money, came opportunity and that opportunity for Pat was to live in a self-indulgent way. Though he had a wife and children waiting at home, Pat spent much of his time on the road with other athletes and broadcasters. He was sucked in by the seductive world around him. He spent much of his time in bars, and when he wasn’t in a bar, alcohol was widely available at sporting events. Over time, Pat became an alcoholic. His behavior wasn’t only hurting himself, it was hurting his family. When his family and friends staged an intervention, one of his daughters wrote a letter saying she was ashamed to share his last name. Pat agreed to go to rehab at the Betty Ford Clinic in 1992.

A NEW THIRST

While in rehab, Pat spent much of his time reading one of the two books available in his room, the Bible. He found that the thirst for knowledge about God and faith was replacing his thirst for alcohol. He found Jesus and gave up alcohol. He was later baptized and now shares his faith with others. His spirit was renewed, but years of drinking took a toll on his body. He has battled through serious health issues, including liver failure and the subsequent liver transplant, but continues to trust God through it all.

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Also tagged new york giants, professional football player, tom landry., tony dungy | Comments (0)

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Former Tennessee star, coach Johnny Majors says new Vols coach Derek Dooley will succeed if given time

Published: Tuesday, August 31, 2010, 7:00 AM

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1976 Sugar Bowl National Championship – Pitt vs. Georgia

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