Southern Miss Golden Eagles football

Southern Miss Golden Eagles football
2015 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team
First season	1912
Athletic director	Bill McGillis
Head coach	Jay Hopson
Stadium	M. M. Roberts Stadium
Year built	1932
Seating capacity	36,000
Field surface	Sports Exe Momentum Turf
Location	Hattiesburg, Mississippi
NCAA division	Division I FBS
Conference	Conference USA
Division	West
All-time record	564–405–27 (.580)
Bowl record	10–12 (.455)
Claimed nat'l titles	2
Conference titles	8
Consensus All-Americans	0
Current uniform
Colors	Black and Gold
Fight song	Southern Miss to the Top
Mascot	Seymour d'Campus
Marching band	Pride of Mississippi
Outfitter	Russell Athletic
Rivals	Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Mississippi State Bulldogs Ole Miss Rebels
Website	SouthernMiss.com

The Southern Miss Golden Eagles football program represents the University of Southern Mississippi in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The Eagles are members of Conference USA and play their home games at M. M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

History

Early history (1912–1930)

Southern Miss first fielded a football team in 1912, coached by Ronald Slay.^[1] That team posted a 2-1 record.^[1]

A. B. Dille coached the Golden Eagles from 1914-1916, posting a record of 6-10-1.^[1] USM did not field a football team from 1917-1919 because of World War I.

Hubert and Green (1931–1948)

Allison Hubert was the Golden Eagles head football coach for six seasons, posting a 26-24-5 record.^[2] His Golden Eagles teams were known to be fast and fierce. Hubert departed after the 1936 season to accept the head football coach position at VMI.

After Hubert came Reed Green, who coached USM for a total of nine years, from 1937-1942 and 1946 to 1948.^[1] His final record is 59-20-4.^[1] The Golden Eagles did not compete in football from 1943 to 1945 because of World War II.

Thad Vann era (1949–1968)

Thad Vann

During the coaching tenure of Thad Vann, the Golden Eagles became one of the nation's most elite football programs. Vann compiled a 139-59-2 record, had only one losing season in his 20 seasons in Hattiesburg, his last.^[1] His 1953 and 1954 Golden Eagles teams upset Alabama and posted records of 9-2 and 6-4, respectively. The Golden Eagles made it to the Sun Bowl in 1954. Vann's 1958 and 1962 teams claim a national championship. Vann retired after the 1968 season and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1987.

P. W. Underwood era (1969–1974)

P. W. Underwood returned to his alma mater from his post as an assistant coach at Tennessee. Underwood compiled a 31-32-2 record in his six seasons and engineered one of the biggest wins in school history in 1970, a 30-14 upset of fourth-ranked Mississippi.^[3]

Collins and Carmody (1975–1987)

Bobby Collins was the Golden Eagles head football coach for seven seasons, compiling a record of 48-30-2.^[1] Collins led the Golden Eagles to two bowl appearances, the Independence Bowl and the Tangerine Bowl after the 1980 and 1981 regular seasons. His 1981 team finished ranked #19 in the final Coaches' Poll. Collins left USM after the 1981 season to accept the head football coach position at SMU.

Collins was succeeded by Jim Carmody, who coached the Golden Eagles for six seasons.^[1]

Curley Hallman era (1988–1990)

Brett Favre, who played for Curley Hallman at USM

Curley Hallman came to Southern Miss from his post as defensive backs coach at Texas A&M. Hallman's .676 winning percentage at USM is the highest of any coach in Southern Miss football history. Hallman coached future NFL star quarterback Brett Favre during his tenure at USM. Hallman's record at Southern Miss is 23-11 in three seasons.^[1] Hallman departed after the 1990 season to accept the head football coach position at LSU.^[4]

Jeff Bower era (1991–2007)

Jeff Bower came back to his alma mater as head football coach following Hallman's departure. Bower led the Golden Eagles to 14 consecutive winning seasons, the fifth longest streak in college football history^[5] and to bowl games 10 of his last 11 seasons. Bower's 119 wins are the most by any head coach in USM football history. Bower led the Golden Eagles to three Liberty Bowl appearances (two wins) in 1997, 1999 and 2003. His 1997 and 1999 teams finished ranked in the top 20 of both the AP and Coaches' Polls. Bower also led the Golden Eagles to two New Orleans Bowl victories (2004 & 2005), a GMAC Bowl victory (2006) and a Mobile Alabama Bowl victory (2000). He led the Golden Eagles to three other bowl appearances, all losses. Bower was named Conference USA's "Coach of the Decade" in 2004.^[6] Bower resigned after the 2007 season with an overall record of 119-83-1.^[6]

Larry Fedora era (2008–2011)

Larry Fedora was hired away from his post as offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State as the USM head football coach on December 11, 2007.^[7] Fedora's four-year contract included a $650,000 per-year base salary, but incentives brought his yearly pay close to $900,000.^[8] Fedora made a big splash early in his tenure at USM, landing a commitment from five-star wide receiver prospect DeAndre Brown, who chose the Golden Eagles over offers from SEC members LSU, Ole Miss and Auburn.

In Fedora's first game as head coach, the Golden Eagles set the USM all-time record for yards in a game with 633. Southern Miss would go on to notch its four most explosive offensive seasons in program history in Fedora's four seasons. His players also graduated at the highest rate in USM history.^[9] In what turned out to be Fedora's final season, the Golden Eagles upset sixth-ranked and undefeated Houston in the Conference USA championship game en route to a Hawaii Bowl victory and rankings of #19 and #20 in the final Coaches' and AP Polls, respectively. Fedora also led the Golden Eagles to two New Orleans Bowl appearances (one win, one loss) in his first two seasons and a loss in the Beef O'Brady's Bowl to Louisville in his third. Fedora's record year-by year was back-to-back 7-6 records in 2008 and 2009, 8-5 in 2010 and a USM record 12-2 in 2011. The 2011 season was the first time USM had ever won 12 games in a single season.^[10]

Fedora left after the 2011 season to accept the head football coach position at North Carolina, leaving Southern Miss with a 34-19 overall record.^[10]

Ellis Johnson era (2012)

Following Fedora's departure, Ellis Johnson was hired as head coach at USM away from South Carolina, where he served as defensive coordinator.^[11] A long-time and well-respected defensive coordinator of the SEC and ACC, Johnson's hire was met with praise by most USM fans. However, the Golden Eagles success seen under Johnson's predecessors turned south quickly, as USM went 0-12 in what turned out to be Johnson's only season as head coach. The drop from 12-2 to 0-12 is among the largest single season drops in college football history.^[12] USM was also the only team in the nation to fail to win a single game in 2012.^[12] Fan support and attendance fell, and Johnson was fired after the disastrous season.^[13]

Todd Monken era (2013–2015)

Todd Monken was hired as the head football coach at USM from his post as offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State to turn around the suddenly lowly Golden Eagles football program.^[14] Monken's Golden Eagles lost their first 11 games of the 2013 season but broke a 23-game losing streak in November 2013, a 62-27 victory over UAB, their first victory since the 2011 Hawaii Bowl, Fedora's final game.^[15]

Classifications and Conference afilliations

Classifications

• 1937–1959: NCAA College Division
• 1960: NCAA University Division
• 1961–1962: NCAA College Division
• 1963–1972: NCAA University Division
• 1973–1977: NCAA Division I
• 1978–present: NCAA Division I-A/FBS

Conference affiliations

• 1912–1930: Independent
• 1931–1941: Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
• 1942–1947: Independent
• 1948–1951: Gulf States Conference
• 1952–1995: Independent
• 1996–present: Conference USA

Championships

National championships

Conference championships

Bowl history

Seasons

All-time record vs. C-USA teams

Official record (including any NCAA imposed vacates and forfeits) against all current C-USA opponents:

Home stadium

M. M. Roberts Stadium

M. M. Roberts Stadium - "The Rock"

Carlisle-Faulkner Field at M. M. Roberts Stadium is nicknamed "The Rock at Southern Miss" and boasts a seating capacity of 36,000. The stadium history dates back to October 29, 1932 when the State Teachers College defeated Spring Hill College, 12-0, as some 4,000 fans looked on from wooden bleachers. On this homecoming date, the playing field was dedicated as "Faulkner Field" in honor of local businessman L. E. Faulkner, who provided the materials and equipment to build the original facility. The stadium was dedicated on September 25, 1976, with Southern Miss hosting intrastate-rival Ole Miss. Since the opening of M. M. Roberts Stadium in 1976, Southern Miss has accumulated a winning percentage of 73% at home. In 1989, the playing field had a new irrigation system installed. The Robert "Ace" Cleveland Press Box and president's box was renovated and chairback seating was added to the west side of the stadium. In 2002, the lighting system was upgraded to provide brighter lighting and two new poles were added, one in each end zone. The playing field at Roberts Stadium underwent a name change in the 2004 summer when it was renamed Carlisle-Faulkner Field at M.M. Roberts Stadium in honor of entrepreneur Gene Carlisle who provided the contribution for the installation of a new playing surface, Momentum Turf by Sportexe. A new state-of-the-art scoreboard was installed prior to the 2007 season. Other renovations and additions include such major projects as luxury suites, club-level seating, elevators on each side of the south end zone, and a visiting team locker room.

Rivalries

Active rivalries

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

Inactive rivalries

East Carolina Pirates

Memphis Tigers

Tulane Green Wave

Players

Golden Eagles to have played in the NFL, AFL and AAFC

Retired numbers

The Eagles have retired three numbers to date.^[16]

Coaches

Traditions

Southern Miss to the Top

The Southern Miss to the Top! Response Cheer is used among Southern Miss alumni, students and supporters. The initiator of the cheer says “Southern Miss!” The responder says “To the Top!” Hand signals accompany the cheer, which are two gestures upward with the index finger, done by both the initiator and responder.

The District

The District is located near the intersection of US Hwy 49 and Hardy Street. The historic district of campus is anchored by the five original buildings of the campus: Ogelee Tree Alumni House, The Honor House, College Hall, Forrest Hall, and Hattiesburg Hall. It is also the traditional tailgating site for students during football season. It is home to Lake Byron, which has served as a focal point for many university activities and several weddings.

Eagle Walk

The Eagle Walk is found underneath the upper deck of M. M. Roberts Stadium. Two hours prior to football game day, a cannon is fired, which begins the procession. ROTC, The Pride of Mississippi Marching Band, University officials, and football players make a march through this street to the cheers of thousands of fans. Every fall, the incoming freshman give the walls and street a "fresh coat of paint" as they have done for half a century.

Pride of Mississippi Marching Band

Seymour d'Campus

Over the years, Southern Miss has experienced an evolution of nicknames from Normalites to Tigers to Yellow Jackets to Confederates to Southerners. In 1972, alumni, faculty, students and staff were asked to submit new names for the athletic teams, and an ad hoc committee appointed by the Alumni Association voted on the submissions. The present mascot, the Golden Eagles, was chosen as the athletic teams’ name, and the new mascot was eventually named Seymour, an individual in a golden eagle costume. Seymour’s full name is Seymour d’Campus (a pun on "see more [of] the campus"). The name was inspired by the 1984 World's Fair mascot, Seymour d’Fair (a pun on "see more [of] the Fair"), who was played by former Southern Miss mascot Jeff Davis ’83.

Future non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of October 21, 2015

^[17]

References