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5 legendary college football head coaches that would’ve been fired by today’s standards

By Zach Ragan

Sep 4, 2021; College Station, Texas, USA; General picture of the SEC logo on the down marker at the game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Kent State Golden Flashes at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 4, 2021; College Station, Texas, USA; General picture of the SEC logo on the down marker at the game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Kent State Golden Flashes at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports /
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College football in 2021 is a lot different than it was 20 or 30 years ago.

And it’s not just the style of play that’s different (you know, offense over defense).

The coaching side of things is drastically different, too. Head coaches typically only get a couple of years to turn a program into a “contender”. One or two subpar seasons usually mean a head coach will be fired.

Just look at LSU football head coach Ed Orgeron for example. Orgeron won a national championship just two years ago. He went 5-5 in 2020 and was essentially fired last month after a slow start to the 2021 season.

There is no equity for coaches anymore. A national championship only buys a coach a couple of years. The amount of coaching turnover we see on a yearly basis is absolutely insane.

In the SEC, there’s only one head coach (Nick Saban) that has been at a program for over 10 years.

Eight of the 14 current SEC head coaches are in their first or second year.

This wild trend that started a little over 10 years ago got me thinking this week about which legendary coaches would’ve been fired by today’s standards.

I quickly came up with five famous coaches who probably would’ve been fired if they didn’t coach 20, 30, or 40 years ago.

This list is pretty shocking.

Date Unknown; Location Unknown, USA; Johnny Majors called the “Miracle at South Bend” wild and wooly. Mandatory Credit: Knoxville News Sentinel-USA TODAY NETWORKNews: SEC Football Archives
Date Unknown; Location Unknown, USA; Johnny Majors called the “Miracle at South Bend” wild and wooly. Mandatory Credit: Knoxville News Sentinel-USA TODAY NETWORKNews: SEC Football Archives /

Johnny Majors — Tennessee (1977-1992)

When Johnny Majors returned to Tennessee in 1977, he had just led the Pittsburgh Panthers to a national championship.

Majors’ first few seasons with the Volunteers, however, didn’t go very well.

Majors went 4-7 in his first season. Not great, but everyone gets a free pass in the first year.

Year two showed moderate improvement for Majors, as the Vols went 5-5-1.

In year three, Majors broke through with a winning season, going 7-5.

Year four is what would’ve got Majors fired in today’s world of college football.

In 1980, Majors went 5-6. If a coach in the SEC had a losing season in year four, after only one winning season in their first three years, it’s almost automatic that they’d be fired.

Majors ended up going 116-62-8 during his time at UT.

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