Johnny Majors estate is on sale – including his Tennessee football, Pittsburgh memorabilia

The estate of Tennessee football icon Johnny Majors is being auctioned, and you won’t believe what’s available for fans and collectors to purchase.

Trophies, plaques, autographed photos and other sports memorabilia from his legendary college football career are open for online bids, which started at $10 an item in most cases. But those prices are sure to rise.

It's an online-only auction through Furrow Auction Co. To bid on items and get more information, go to Furrow.com. The auction is open for bids through June 7. Potential buyers can inspect items of the estate on June 2 (9 a.m.-4 p.m.) at 4207 Beechwood Dr., Knoxville, TN 37920.

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The collection isn’t just from Majors' time as a Hall of Fame player and coach at Tennessee. There are historic and personal items from his stints coaching at Mississippi State, Iowa State, Pittsburgh and more.

Majors, 85, died in 2020. He was a high school football star at Huntland and then the 1956 Heisman Trophy runner-up for the Vols. He retired in 1996 as a legendary coach at two schools, Tennessee and Pitt. His estate is a treasure trove for those who cherished his kind-hearted southern drawl and championship resume.

There are 164 items available for online bids. It’s a staggering mixture of items you’d normally find in an estate sale along with eye-popping sports memorabilia.

Dozens of antique furniture pieces and grandfather clocks are listed next to Majors’ Sugar Bowl Hall of Fame trophy and an autographed photo of Majors and actor Burt Reynolds.

There’s a set of sterling silver flatware and an enormous thimble collection alongside a Pitt Panthers liquor decanter and Majors’ framed 1956 All-America certificate.

Here are some of the best sports items available from Majors’ estate auction.

Photos of Johnny Majors with celebrities, coaches

Burt Reynolds autographed the photo of him and Majors. They met on the set of the 2017 film “The Last Movie Star,” which was mostly shot in Knoxville.

A separate bid can be made on framed photos of Majors with NFL coaches Mike Ditka, Jon Gruden and Dave Wannstedt.

But if photos of Majors with college coaches is what you’re looking for, take your pick. There are several options in the catalog.

Oldest memorabilia are from his playing days

Majors played at Tennessee from 1953-56 as a star tailback. He was an All-American, a two-time SEC Player of the Year and led the Vols to an undefeated regular season in 1956.

Majors’ estate includes framed items like clippings of feature stories about him in Life magazine, a photo collage of his best plays as a Vol, various newspaper clippings of his playing career and much more.

Quite a collection items as Tennessee coach

Majors coached his beloved Vols from 1977-92. He compiled 116 wins, three SEC titles and several awards that are part of the catalog.

There’s a Sugar Bowl Hall of Fame trophy, Peach Bowl trophy, College Football Hall of Fame trophy, Pop Warner plaque and 2017 Doak Walker Legends collectable football. They're small, about the right size to fit on a mantel or bookshelf.

Boxes are filled with vintage football figures, pins and buttons collected from awards banquets, a commemorative Majors portrait autographed by his players and a few Tennessee footballs autographed by the coach. Some footballs are saturated with autographs of other iconic Vols.

Many of the items are available in bulk under a single bid, so look closely for the treasures.

Things only Johnny Majors would have

If you’re looking for a rare item that only Majors would have, there are options in the catalog.

Majors was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1966, and his medal commemorating that honor is available to purchase. So is a trophy he got from a golf tournament.

There’s a personalized drawing of Majors as a player and a caricature drawing of him from a roast. And he had hundreds of books on sports, war and other topics in his personal library, which is up for bids.

His Pitt coaching career is part of collection

Majors coached two stints at Pitt from 1973-76 and 1993-96. He led the Panthers to the 1976 national title before returning to Tennessee, his alma mater.

The Pitt liquor decanter is a unique item in the estate. But there’s also a 1976 Pitt Panthers national championship lamp in the shape of a Panther and a framed collage of Majors’ coaching highlights as Pitt’s coach.

A few things from Iowa State, Mississippi State

Majors coached at Iowa State from 1968-72. His first bowl appearance as a head coach was the 1971 Sun Bowl, and a plaque commemorating that game is available.

There’s also a photo of his first coaching staff at Iowa State in 1968.

Majors’ first coaching job outside of Tennessee was as a Mississippi State assistant from 1960-63. There are framed photos from those coaching staffs in the catalog.

To find more, you'll need to show up to inspect the items.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. Twitter @AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.  

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Johnny Majors estate is on sale. Bid on Tennessee, Pitt memorabilia