Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Johnny Majors Collection at State Library and Archives Doubles in Size

In 1986, the University of Tennessee Volunteers football team pulled one of the school’s most shocking upsets by beating the University of Miami in the Sugar Bowl. For longtime Vols fans who would like to know the inside story of how their team accomplished that feat, details are now available at the Tennessee State Library and Archives.

Johnny Majors, a star football player at UT before becoming one of the school’s most successful coaches, has donated more of his personal papers to the State Library and Archives - more than doubling the amount of information that had previously been available.


Coach Majors entertained a large crowd with recollections of his coaching days at the University of Tennessee during a press conference at the Tennessee State Library and Archives on Monday, August 12th. Several media members, former players, and dignitaries were on hand for the event.

Coach Majors originally donated some of the papers documenting his life and career to the State Library and Archives in 2004. However, the new addition increases the amount of materials included in the collection from about 30 cubic feet to more than 67 cubic feet. That material is available for the public to inspect during the library’s regular operating hours.

The addition includes many of Coach Majors' game plans, letters to and from fans, personal calendars, photographs, scrapbooks, game programs, media guides, newspaper clippings and other game day materials.

The John T. Majors Collection is available for review at the library building, which is located at 403 Seventh Avenue North, directly west of the State Capitol in downtown Nashville.

Portions of Coach Majors’ collection are also available in an online exhibit at: http://www.tn.gov/tsla/exhibits/majors/exhibit_majors.htm.

Read more from the Secretary of State's Press Release announcing the collection addition.


The State Library and Archives is a division of the Tennessee Department of State and Tre Hargett, Secretary of State.