In 1972, Pitt thought Johnny Majors was the right choice to resuscitate its moribund football program. Now, Pitt is back where it was 20 years ago - and so is Johnny Majors.
Friday, Pitt again turned to Majors to revive a football program whose prestige and winning percentage have plunged precipitously in recent years, signing him to at least a four-year coaching contract.Majors, 57, coached Pitt to a 33-13-1 record and a national championship in 1976 before leaving for 16 seasons and a 116-62-8 record at his alma mater, Tennessee. He recently was forced to accept a contract buyout at Tennessee despite taking 14 of his last 18 teams to bowls.
Majors will be asked to do exactly what he did in 1972: take Pitt's program off the scrap heap, make it respectable, and make it win.
Winning a national championship, as he did in 1976? Maybe that's too much to ask.
"I don't have a magic wand. I'm no miracle worker," Majors said. "The schedule here is intense . . . the challenge here may be as great as any in college football. But my role has always been as a builder. I take pride that every program we've left has always been better than when we got there."
Coaches have left colleges only to return again, but the 20-year span between Majors' hirings at Pitt may be unrivaled in college football history. His rehiring on Dec. 11, 1992, came just a week before the 20-year anniversary of his initial hiring on Dec. 18, 1972.
"Twenty years ago, Johnny Majors was the perfect choice to become the head coach at the University of Pittsburgh," athletic director Oval Jaynes said. "He is again the perfect choice."
At Tennessee, Majors was fired despite a 34-9-2 record the past four seasons. At Pitt, it might earn him a contract for life.