The facts are clear: John Majors is a Hall of Fame coach

A year ago, the College Football Hall of Fame adjusted the criteria for coaches to qualify for induction into the Hall. 

The adjustment on winning percentage has paved the way for the late Mike Leach to be eligible for the Hall of Fame, which is why he’s on the current ballot. 

If Mike Leach is a hall of fame coach then John Majors’ arrival into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach is way past due. 

Leach was an innovative coach. His air raid offense has changed the game. Leach’s postgame press conferences and half time interviews – that ranged from mascot battles, to wedding advice, and ranking Halloween candy – was entertaining and a must-watch. The myth of Mike Leach—-perpetrated by a national media who apparently never had a crazy uncle—-is much greater than his actual resume. 

By the way, Majors had personality too. 

“Every coach has a relationship with their players, but the difference of the great coaches, i.e. Coach Majors, Coach Bryant, Coach Neyland, is that they had a personal relationship with the players. That’s something Coach Majors did,” former assistant Jackie Sherrill said on the Beyond the T podcast.

Leach was a successful coach at hard-to-win places. Majors was a championship coach who won titles at hard-to-win places. 

Majors led independent Pittsburgh in 1976, through a formidable schedule, undefeated and won the national championship with a Sugar Bowl victory over Georgia.

Leach never got close to a season like that. 

And then Majors returned to his alma mater, Tennessee, and took over a program that had fallen years behind in recruiting, facilities and cache. He got Tennessee back into bowls by Year 3, had the Vols winning consistently (including over Alabama) by Year 5 and by Year 9 in 1985, he led the Vols to their first SEC championship in 16 years and massive upset win in the Sugar Bowl upset over No. 2 Miami. Tennessee finished No. 4 in the polls. 

Mike Leach never had a season like that. 

Two years later, the Vols won double-digit games for the first time in 15 years. 

Two years after that in 1989, Tennessee had its first 11-1 season since 1970, won another SEC championship, notched a Cotton Bowl win and another top 10 final ranking. 

Mike Leach never had a season like this. 

In 1990, the Vols won another SEC championship. 

Mike Leach never…you get it. 

In his last 12 seasons at Tennessee, Majors’ record was 95-39-7 with a winning percentage of 67%. In his final four seasons, Majors was 34-9-2 (76%). 

Leach never had stretches like that.

Leach is praised for his coaching tree that includes current Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel. Majors had 36 assistants coaches who went on to be college of NFL head coaches, including names like Jon Gruden and Jimmy Johnson.

John Majors was a championship coach. A national champ at Pitt. A three-time SEC champion in the greatest conference in America, at one of the nation’s blue bloods where you if you started talking about pirates during Alabama or Florida or Georgia week, your butt would been run out of town. 

So, if concessions in winning percentages are going to be made, I urge the College Football Hall of Fame members to dig deeper into the numbers. 

Leach grew the game in popularity. Majors helped develop the game we love.

Mike Leach is a good story. John Majors is a fact.