Shirley Majors did not like farming, but that seemed to be right where he was heading. Judging by the man, chances are he would have made a great one. Luckily for Tennessee football, however, Majors took a coaching job at Lynchburg High School in 1942, and he never looked back. In fourteen years at Lynchburg and at Huntland High School, where he coached some of his sons, his teams compiled a 108-24-2 mark. “I don’t like to lose,” Majors once said. “We intend to teach winning. But I can console myself some if we compete to the best of our ability.” And that is certainly what his teams did. Majors then left high school football in 1957 to coach for twenty-one more years on the college level at the University of the South, where he recorded an impressive record of 93-74-5. During his tenure, he had two undefeated seasons and was the Football Writers Association Coach of the Year in 1974. As impressive as his coaching career was, Majors’ most significant contribution to Tennessee football came as a father! Sons John, Bill, Bob, Larry, and Joe; daughter Shirley Ann; and wife Elizabeth make up the most influential football family in Tennessee history. Shirley Majors passed away in 1981, leaving a legacy of football pride and excellence, and the state of Tennessee is blessed to have had one less farmer.
