Johnny Majors Heisman Trophy Runner-up

1956

Johnny Majors Heisman Trophy Runner-up

1956

Johnny Majors Heisman Trophy Runner-up

Johnny Majors, a star tailback on the Vols football team, was runner up for the Heisman Trophy in 1956. He led the Vols to a 10-1 record, an appearance in the Sugar Bowl, and a final national ranking of No. 2. Majors went on to become head coach at Iowa State University in 1968, followed by the University of Pittsburgh in 1973, and he returned to take the helm at UT in 1977. As head coach of the Vols from 1977 to 1992, his teams won three Southeastern Conference championships in 1985, 1989, and 1990. UT retired Majors’s No. 45 jersey in 2012. Majors died on June 3, 2020 at 85 years old.