Tennessee football: 5 assistant hires that got a Vols head coach fired

3. Larry Marmie – 1992

Head Coach: Johnny Majors

Position: Defensive Coordinator

Yes, Johnny Majors lost his job in 1992 because of two hires. Phillip Fulmer is an obvious one. But getting Larry Marmie to return to Tennessee football that year is one nobody talks about, as it backfired miraculously.

Remember, what got Majors fired was not the loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide that year. It was the two losses surrounding it, the Arkansas Razorbacks and South Carolina Gamecocks. And although the Vols’ defense was elite that year, it was super inconsistent.

Those were two games where that inconsistency showed. Arkansas beat the Vols 25-24. They only scored more than 24 points one other time all year. It was their last game against the LSU Tigers, who were 2-9 and may have had the worst defense in the SEC.

Then they gave up 24 points in their loss to South Carolina. That was tied for the most points they scored all year with their 24 against the Clemson Tigers. However, before scoring 24 against Tennessee, they scored single digits in four of seven games and failed to break 20 in five of seven.

So it was a defensive collapse against two bad teams that cost Majors in 1992. However, this specific collapse is not a reflection on on Marmie, who is a longtime elite defensive coordinator. It’s actually a reflection on keeping continuity in place.

In 1990 and 1991, the Vols were led on defense by Larry Lacewell. An early architect of what would become the attacking 4-3 blitz defense after coaching under Barry Switzer with the 1970s Oklahoma Sooners dynasties, Lacewell’s defense attacked first and reacted later.

Marmie, however, ran base cover-2 defense that would inspire the likes of Lovie Smith. So it was a total change in scheme for the Vols, and yes, that was going to bring some inconsistencies. Those inconsistencies cost Tennessee football two key games that year.