Major Lee Applewhite (born July 26, 1978) is an American football coach and former player who is currently the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the South Alabama Jaguars. He served as head coach at the University of Houston from 2017 to 2018, where he previously served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. In 2013, he was the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Texas under his head coach as a player, Mack Brown. Prior to Texas, Applewhite served as offensive coordinator at Rice University under Todd Graham in 2006 and at Alabama under Nick Saban in 2007. He was the youngest offensive coordinator among Division I-A schools at that time.
Applewhite was 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 eight school records. Many of these still stand, including the longest pass play (97 yards), and most yards passing in a game (473). He previously held the record for career yards (8,353) and consecutive passes without an interception (156).
Playing career
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. 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 recruit Chris Simms, son of New York Giants legend Phil Simms. Applewhite led Texas to two Big 12 Championship games, to victory in 2 Bowl games, and set 48 school records along the way.
After redshirting the 1997 season, an injury to starting quarterback Richard Walton catapulted Applewhite into the starting job two games into his redshirt freshman season in 1998. Applewhite went 8–2 as a starter, including upsets of #7 Nebraska 20–16, which broke the Cornhuskers' 47-home game winning streak, and #6 Texas A&M. In a blowout victory over Oklahoma, Applewhite threw a 97-yard touchdown pass to Wane McGarity, the longest pass in Texas history. He capped the season by leading the Longhorns to a 38–11 victory over the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the Cotton Bowl Classic. It was Texas' first Cotton Bowl victory since 1982.
In 1999, Applewhite started almost every game, leading Texas to a 9–4 record, a Big 12 South Championship and the Cotton Bowl. Going into the Texas A&M game (often referred to as the Bonfire Game, as it followed the death of 12 students during construction of A&M's annual bonfire). Texas was ranked #5, but after Applewhite and backup quarterback Chris Simms was unable to produce Texas fell behind. It was during the last six minutes when Applewhite fumbled on their last possession losing the game for the Longhorns. That was followed by losses to Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship Game and to Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl. Applewhite suffered a knee injury in the 4th quarter of the Cotton Bowl and was replaced by Simms.
The next season Applewhite was again the starter, but after a loss to Stanford in the second game, Simms was given the start the following game against Houston. Simms struggled early and Applewhite got the majority of the snaps in what turned out to be a rout, thus regaining the starting job. He lost it again following a season-ending knee injury in the Texas Tech game. At that point Texas was 7–2 and ranked #19. Texas went 2–1 with Simms as quarterback, and Mack Brown was impressed enough to name Simms the starter before spring practice began.
Applewhite was the backup for Simms for the entirety of the 2001 regular season and Simms led Texas to a #3 ranking and a trip to the Big 12 Championship against #10 Colorado. But in that game Applewhite got the opportunity to go out as a starter and a hero. Because of an upset loss by Florida earlier in the day, Texas went into that game knowing that a win would put them in the BCS Championship Game. But Simms had a disastrous game and was responsible for four turnovers (three interceptions and a fumble) in the first half of play. Meanwhile, Major was seen attempting to rally the offense before they took to the field, even as the restless Texas fans booed Simms. Two plays later, Simms injured his finger and Applewhite entered the game with Texas down 29–10. His second pass was completed for a 79-yard touchdown and he baited the University of Colorado bench in an attempt to rally the Texas fans. He led Texas back to within two points, but eventually Texas would come up short losing 39–37 after an onside kick attempt failed.