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Tennessee football: Comparing Josh Heupel’s fourth year of career to other Vols head coaches

By Caleb Calhoun

Nov 6, 2021; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel motions to his team during the fourth quarter against the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 6, 2021; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel motions to his team during the fourth quarter against the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports /
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George Amundson, Iowa State, tailback and quarterback: Amundson rushed for a then-school record 1,260 yards and 15 touchdowns in 1971, helping Iowa State reach its first bowl, the Sun Bowl. He set a Big Eight record with 2,387 yards of total offense as a senior to earn conference Player of the Year honors. Amundson, left, is pictured with ISU coach Johnny Majors before their flight to the school’s first bowl game in 1971. LSU beat the Cyclones in that year’s Sun Bowl, 33-15.Amundson01
George Amundson, Iowa State, tailback and quarterback: Amundson rushed for a then-school record 1,260 yards and 15 touchdowns in 1971, helping Iowa State reach its first bowl, the Sun Bowl. He set a Big Eight record with 2,387 yards of total offense as a senior to earn conference Player of the Year honors. Amundson, left, is pictured with ISU coach Johnny Majors before their flight to the school’s first bowl game in 1971. LSU beat the Cyclones in that year’s Sun Bowl, 33-15.Amundson01 /

Iowa State Cyclones. Johnny Majors. 7. 837. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 1971. player

8-4 (4-3 Big 8)

Sun Bowl; No. 17 Coaches

Before taking over Tennessee football in 1977, Johnny Majors had a reputation as a program builder who was a great player for the Vols. This was actually the season that cemented his status as a program builder, which would stay with him throughout his career.

Majors, after playing for the Vols, cut his teeth as an assistant on Rocky Top under Bowden Wyatt before coaching under Wade Walker and Paul E. Davis with the Mississippi State Maroons/Bulldogs. However, he really developed under Frank Broyles with the Arkansas Razorbacks from 1964 to 1967, where he won a national title and two Southwest Titles.

Anyway, the Iowa State Cyclones took a chance on him in 1968. They hadn’t had a winning season since 1960. However, after two straight 3-7 years, they improved to 5-6 in 1970. Then they roared off to a 5-1 start in 1971. Three of their four losses were to the top three ranked teams to end the season: the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oklahoma Sooners and Colorado Buffaloes.

The other was to an LSU Tigers team in the Sun Bowl that finished in the top 10. It was Iowa State’s first bowl appearance in school history. Majors led them to a second bowl in 1972 before taking over the Pittsburgh Panthers, where he restored them to a national championship program, winning it in 1976, before heading to Rocky Top.

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