Johnny Majors, a star running back for the University of Tennessee who later coached the Vols for 15 years, has died a few days after his 85th birthday.
His wife, Mary Lynn, said, "It's with a sad heart that we make this announcement. John passed away this morning.
He spent his last hours doing something he dearly loved: looking out over his cherished Tennessee River."
Majors coached from 1977 to 1992 at Tennessee after winning a national championship at Pittsburgh. He started his coaching career at Iowa State.
Senator Lamar Alexander said, “As a teenager, I rode the White Star Lines bus from Maryville to Knoxville and sold all my UT programs before the game started so I could watch every Johnny Majors run and pass and punt and quick kick. When he played the game, he WAS Tennessee football, and the Majors family became the First Family of Tennessee football.
"I got to know Johnny well when he was coach of the Volunteers, and I was university president. That friendship continued for many years. Honey and I send our sympathy and our great respect for Johnny’s life to Mary Lynn and to the entire Majors family.”