Major Applewhite

About Major Applewhite

Major Lee Applewhite (born July 26, 1978 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana) is an American football coach at the University of Texas, the school where he also played quarterback. Prior to Texas, Applewhite served as offensive coordinator at Rice University under Todd Graham in 2006, and at the University of Alabama under Nick Saban in 2007. He was the youngest offensive coordinator among Football Bowl Championship schools at that time.

Applewhite was previously the quarterbacks coach at Syracuse University in 2005. Prior to coaching, he was a college football quarterback for the Texas Longhorns from 1998 to 2001 and set 8 school records. Many of these still stand, including the longest pass play (97 yards), most touchdown passes in a career (60), career yards (8,353), consecutive passes without an interception (156) and most yards passing in a game (473).

Applewhite was a quarterback for the Texas Longhorns from 1998 to 2001. Recruited from Catholic High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana by then Texas coach John Mackovic, he was later coached by Mack Brown. Applewhite wanted to attend the University of Alabama, as he grew up an Alabama fan even being named after former Crimson Tide legend Major Ogilvie, but the university's then- head coach Mike Dubose chose to sign two other quarterbacks, neither of whom were particularly successful, over Applewhite. While at Texas, the undersized Applewhite's tenure was noted both for his often gritty heroics as well as his battle for playing time with the heralded blue chip Chris Simms, son of New York Giants legend Phil Simms. Simms had a size advantage (Simms stood 6 ft 5 in/196 cm versus Applewhite who listed at 6 ft 1 in/185 cm) as well as a strength advantage over Applewhite. However, Applewhite won over fans with amazing accuracy, the ability to take a hard hit, and an uncanny ability to rally his teammates and fans when trailing.