- Southern Miss Golden Eagles
Infobox college athletics
name = Southern Miss Golden Eagles
university = University of Southern Mississippi
conference =Conference USA
association = Association
division = NCAADivision I FBS
director = Richard Giannini
city = Hattiesburg
state = Mississippi
stateabb = MS
teams = 14
stadium = Roberts Stadium (often called "The Rock"
arena =Reed Green Coliseum
baseballfield = Pete Taylor Park/Hill Denson Field
arena2 = Southern Miss Softball Complex
Track & Field and Soccer Complex
mascot =Seymour d'Campus
nickname =Golden Eagle s
Previous: Tigers, Normalites, Yellow Jackets, Confederates, Southerners
fightsong = "Southern to the Top"
color1 =Black
color2 =Gold
hex1 = 000000
hex2 = FFD700
pageurl = http://www.southernmiss.com/
pagename = SouthernMiss.comStudents fromThe University of Southern Mississippi compete on the athletic field as Golden Eagles, inConference USA .The school’s earliest nickname was Tigers. Thereafter came such nicknames as Normalites (from Mississippi Normal College, the early name of the University), Yellow Jackets, Confederates, and Southerners. Golden Eagles was selected in a student/alumni vote in the early 1970s.
Seymour d'Campus is the name of the modern-day mascot eagle.Southern Miss has a long history in the
NCAA , and its intercollegiate sports teams operate under the auspices of the university’s Department of Intercollegiate Athletics sponsors. Bowl games, conference championships, and All-American athletes have all been frequent occurrences at Southern Miss. Among notable alumni is formerGreen Bay Packers and currentNew York Jets quarterback,Brett Favre .Football
Rivalries
Tulane
The rivalry between Southern Miss and
Tulane is known as "The Battle for the Bell". Both teams are inConference USA and played each other every year until 2006, when the league was split into East and West divisions. Following their 2006 meeting, Southern Miss leads the series 21-7.Memphis
The rivalry between Southern Miss and Memphis is often referred to as the "Black and Blue Bowl", gaining its name from the black of Southern Miss and the blue of Memphis. Since both teams are in
Conference USA Eastern Division, they play each other every year. Following their 2007 meeting, Southern Miss leads the series 37-20-1. [cite web |url=http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/conferenceusa/southern_mississippi/opponents_records.php?teamid=1931 |title=Southern Mississippi vs Memphis |accessdate=2008-01-06 |last= |first= |coauthors= |date=November 10, 2007 |work= |publisher=College Football Data Warehouse]Recent Seasons
2006
At the end of 2006, the Golden Eagles were one of a handful of Division I schools with at least 13 consecutive winning seasons, a distinction they shared with the
University of Michigan ,Florida State University ,Virginia Tech , and theUniversity of Florida .Fact|date=January 2008 Southern Miss had also appeared in 9 bowl games in the last 10 years, 5 of them consecutively. The Golden Eagles football team has played for 5 conference titles winning 4 of them, with their most recent coming in 2003. The Golden Eagles and Coach Jeff Bower were selected as conference team and coach of the decade respectively.Fact|date=January 2008 The Golden Eagles football team boasts a 92% graduation rate among student-athletes, ranking it among the elite academic institutions in America.Fact|date=January 2008The Golden Eagle football team appeared on national television five times in 2006.Fact|date=January 2008
The team finished 9-5 in 2006 with a bowl victory over Ohio University.
2007
After 17 years as head football coach, 14 of those being consecutive winning seasons,
Jeff Bower was forced to resign.cite news |first=Al |last=Jones |title="It's going to be emotional" - Golden Eagles coach bows out with bowl game |url=http://www.sunherald.com/278/story/263495.html |work= |publisher="Biloxi Sun Herald" |date=December 22, 2007 |accessdate=2008-01-06 ] FormerOklahoma State University offensive coordinator,Larry Fedora , was named as his replacement. [cite news |first=Chris |last=Talbott |title=Southern Miss Hires Fedora As New Coach |url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g7VU_mr9WsWfEuzigHrAyzETXHrQD8TG3M4O2 |work= |publisher=AP |date=December 12, 2007 |accessdate=2008-01-06 ]easons
Basketball
The 2006-2007 men's basketball team finished 20-11 under
Larry Eustachy .Fact|date=January 2008Clarence Weatherspoon played there and he was on the original version of NBA Jam for the 76ers.
oftball
The Southern Miss Lady Eagles softball team made it to the College World Series in 1999 and 2000 behind the arm of Courtney Blades.Fact|date=January 2008
Traditions
"Eagle Fever", "Anyone. Anywhere. Anytime." and "Go Gold!" are the rallying cries that Golden Eagle students and fans have used to help create such traditions as Homecoming and EagleFest, tailgating in "The District", "Friday Night at the Fountain" pep rallies, the "Eagle Walk at The Rock", the game-day Eagle Walk parade, the Painting of the Eagle Walk, the Junior Eagle Club Tunnel, the band’s Fifth Quarter Concert, featuring a hallmark rendition of "Amazing Grace".
The Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team participates as a member of
Conference USA and plays its home games inM.M. Roberts Stadium . In 2008, after 17 years at the helm of the USM Football program,Jeff Bower was replaced byLarry Fedora . Fedora is charged with continuing a tradition that has seen Southern Miss be the model of consistancy for the past 20 + years. WhileThe University of Mississippi andMississippi State University have had of seasons finishing last in their divisions various times, Southern Miss has put together 14 straight winning seasons as well as reached a bowl game 10 of the last 11 years. The football program has seen two players come through that have gone on to become known as the best to ever play their professional position withBrett Favre andRay Guy .easons
:{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%"{| class="wikitable"
- bgcolor="#efefef"! Season !! Conference !! Coach (#) !! Final Record !! Bowl Game !! Season Results/Notables
-
1912 || Independent || Ronald J. Slay (1) ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|2-1 || ||
-
1913 || Independent || M. J. "Blondie" Williams (2)|| 1-5-1 || ||
-
1914 || Independent || A. B. Dillie (3)||2-3-1 || |
-
1915 || Independent || A. B. Dillie ||4-4 || ||
-
1916 || Independent || A. B. Dillie ||0-3 || ||
-
1917 || Independent || || || || No Team
-
1918 || Independent || || || || No Team
-
1919 || Independent || Cephus Allen Anderson (4)|| style="background: #96CDCD;"|4-1-2 || ||
-
1920 || Independent || B. B. Omara (5)|| style="background: #96CDCD;"|5-2-1 || |
-
1921 || Independent || O. V. "Spout" Austin (6)||3-4 || ||
-
1922 || Independent || O. V. "Spout" Austin ||2-6 || ||
-
1923 || Independent || O. V. "Spout" Austin ||3-3 || |
-
1924 || Independent || William Herschel Bobo (7)||3-3-2 || ||
-
1925 || Independent || William Herschel Bobo ||0-6 || ||
-
1926 || Independent || William Herschel Bobo ||3-4-1 || ||
-
1927 || Independent || William Herschel Bobo ||3-4-1 || ||
-
1928 || Independent || William H. Saunders (8)||4-5 || ||
-
1929 || Independent || William H. Saunders ||2-6-1 || |
-
1930 || Independent || Josh Lumpkin (9)|| 3-5-1 || ||
-
1931 ||SIAA || Allison "Pooley" Hubert (10)||2-5 || ||
-
1932 ||SIAA || Allison "Pooley" Hubert ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|5-4 || |
-
1933 ||SIAA || Allison "Pooley" Hubert ||3-5-2 || ||
-
1934 ||SIAA || Allison "Pooley" Hubert ||3-4-2 || ||
-
1935 ||SIAA || Allison "Pooley" Hubert ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|6-4 || ||
-
1936 ||SIAA || Allison "Pooley" Hubert ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|7-2-1 || ||
-
1937 ||SIAA || Reed Green (11)||style="background: #96CDCD;"|7-3 ||Won Postseason game vs. Appalachain State 7-0||Appalachain State was undefeated and unscored upon prior
-
1938 ||SIAA || Reed Green ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|7-2 || |
-
1939 ||SIAA || Reed Green ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|4-2-3 || ||
-
1940 ||SIAA || Reed Green ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|7-4 || ||
-
1941 ||SIAA || Reed Green ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|9-0-1 || |
-
1942 || Independent || Reed Green ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|4-0 || ||
-
1943 || Independent || || || || No Team
-
1944 || Independent || || || || No Team
-
1945 || Independent || || || || No Team
-
1946 || Independent || Reed Green ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|7-3 || ||
-
1947 || Independent || Reed Green ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|7-3 || |
-
1948 || style="background: #CCFFFF;"|Gulf States || Reed Green ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|7-3 || ||Gulf States Conference Champions
-
1949 || Gulf States || Thad "Pie" Vann (12)||style="background: #96CDCD;"|7-3 || ||
-
1950 || style="background: #CCFFFF;"|Gulf States || Thad "Pie" Vann ||5-5 || ||Gulf States Conference Champions
-
1951 || style="background: #CCFFFF;"|Gulf States || Thad "Pie" Vann ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|6-5 || ||Gulf States Conference Champions
-
1952 || Independent || Thad "Pie" Vann ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|10-2 || ||2nd Consecutive Winning Season
-
1953 || Independent || Thad "Pie" Vann ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|9-2 ||LostSun Bowl vs. Pacific 7-26||3rd Consecutive Winning Season
-
1954 || Independent || Thad "Pie" Vann ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|6-4 ||LostSun Bowl vs. Texas Western(UTEP) 14-37 ||4th Consecutive Winning Season
-
1955 || Independent || Thad "Pie" Vann ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|9-1 || ||5th Consecutive Winning Season
-
1956 || Independent || Thad "Pie" Vann ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|7-2-1 || ||6th Consecutive Winning Season
-
1957 || Independent || Thad "Pie" Vann ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|8-3 ||LostTangerine Bowl vs. West Texas State 13-20 ||7th Consecutive Winning Season
-
1958 || style="background: #FFE6BD;"|Independent || Thad "Pie" Vann ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|9-1 ||LostTangerine Bowl vs. East Texas State 9-10 ||8th Consecutive Winning Season
Voted College Division National Champion
(SeeNCAA Division II National Football Championship )
-
1959 || Independent || Thad "Pie" Vann ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|6-4 || ||9th Consecutive Winning Season
-
1960 || Independent || Thad "Pie" Vann ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|6-4 || ||10th Consecutive Winning Season
-
1961 || Independent || Thad "Pie" Vann ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|8-2 || ||11th Consecutive Winning Season
-
1962 || style="background: #FFE6BD;"|Independent || Thad "Pie" Vann ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|9-1 || ||12th Consecutive Winning Season
Voted College Division National Champion
(SeeNCAA Division II National Football Championship )
-
1963 || Independent || Thad "Pie" Vann ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|5-3-1 || ||13th Consecutive Winning Season
-
1964 || Independent || Thad "Pie" Vann ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|6-3 || ||14th Consecutive Winning Season
-
1965 || Independent || Thad "Pie" Vann ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|7-2 || ||Defeated Auburn 3-0 in Auburn, AL
15th Consecutive Winning Season
-
1966 || Independent || Thad "Pie" Vann ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|6-4 || ||16th Consecutive Winning Season
-
1967 || Independent || Thad "Pie" Vann ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|6-3 || ||17th Consecutive Winning Season
-
1968 || Independent || Thad "Pie" Vann ||4-6 || ||
-
1969 || Independent || P.W. "Bear" Underwood (13)||5-5 || ||
-
1970 || Independent || P.W. "Bear" Underwood ||5-6 || ||
-
1971 || Independent || P.W. "Bear" Underwood ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|6-5 || |
-
1972 || Independent || P.W. "Bear" Underwood ||3-7-1 || ||
-
1973 || Independent || P.W. "Bear" Underwood ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|6-4-1 || ||
-
1974 || Independent || P.W. "Bear" Underwood ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|6-5 || ||
-
1975 || Independent || Bobby Collins (14)||style="background: #96CDCD;"|8-3|| ||
-
1976 || Independent || Bobby Collins ||3-8 || ||
-
1977 || Independent || Bobby Collins ||6-6 || |
-
1978 || Independent || Bobby Collins ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|7-4 || ||
-
1979 || Independent || Bobby Collins ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|6-4-1 || ||
-
1980 || Independent || Bobby Collins ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|9-3||style="background: #FFCCCC;"|WonIndependence Bowl vs. McNeese State 16-14||DefeatedOle Miss 28-22
DefeatedMississippi State 42-14
First Bowl Win in School History
-
1981 || Independent || Bobby Collins ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|9-2-1 ||LostFlorida Citrus Bowl vs. Missouri 17-19 ||DefeatedFlorida State 58-14 in Tallahassee, FL
Final Ranking UPI #19
-
1982 || Independent || Jim Carmody (15)||style="background: #96CDCD;"|7-4 || ||Defeated Alabama 38-29 in Tuscaloosa, ALBear Bryant 's last home game at Alabama
-
1983 || Independent || Jim Carmody ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|7-4|| ||DefeatedOle Miss 27-7
DefeatedMississippi State 31-6
-
1984 || Independent || Jim Carmody ||4-7 || ||
-
1985 || Independent || Jim Carmody ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|7-4 || ||
-
1986 || Independent || Jim Carmody ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|6-5 || ||
-
1987 || Independent || Jim Carmody ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|6-5 || ||
-
1988 || Independent || Curly Hallman (16)||style="background: #96CDCD;"|10-2 ||style="background: #FFCCCC;"|WonIndependence Bowl vs. UTEP 38-18||DefeatedVirginia Tech 35-13 inHattiesburg , MS
-
1989 || Independent || Curly Hallman || 5-6 || ||DefeatedFlorida State 30-26 in Tallahassee, FL
-
1990 || Independent || Curly Hallman ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|8-4 ||LostAll-American Bowl vs. North Carolina State 27-31||Brett Favre 's last gameJeff Bower 's first game as Head Coach (Bowl Game Coach)
-
1991 || Independent ||Jeff Bower (17)||4-7 || ||
-
1992 || Independent ||Jeff Bower ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|7-4 || ||
-
1993 || Independent ||Jeff Bower ||3-7-1 || ||
-
1994 || Independent ||Jeff Bower ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|6-5 || ||
-
1995 || Independent ||Jeff Bower ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|6-5 || || 2nd Consecutive Winning Season
-
1996 ||style="background: #CCFFFF;"| C-USA ||Jeff Bower ||style="background: #96CDCD;"| 8-3|| || 3rd Consecutive Winning SeasonC-USA Co-Champions
Defeated Georgia in Athens, GA
-
1997 ||style="background: #CCFFFF;"| C-USA ||Jeff Bower ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|9-3||style="background: #FFCCCC;"|WonLiberty Bowl vs. Pittsburgh 41-7|| 4th Consecutive Winning SeasonC-USA Champions
Final Ranking AP #19, USA Today #19
-
1998 || C-USA ||Jeff Bower ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|7-5 ||LostHumanitarian Bowl vs. Idaho 35-42|| 5th Consecutive Winning Season
-
1999 ||style="background: #CCFFFF;"| C-USA ||Jeff Bower ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|9-3 ||style="background: #FFCCCC;"|WonLiberty Bowl vs. Colorado State 23-17|| 6th Consecutive Winning SeasonC-USA Champions
Final Ranking AP #14, USA Today #13
-
2000 || C-USA ||Jeff Bower ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|8-4 ||style="background: #FFCCCC;"|WonMobile Bowl vs. #13 TCU 28-21|| 7th Consecutive Winning Season
-
2001 || C-USA ||Jeff Bower ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|6-5 || || 8th Consecutive Winning Season
-
2002 || C-USA ||Jeff Bower ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|7-6 ||LostHouston Bowl vs. Oklahoma State 23-33|| 9th Consecutive Winning SeasonRod Davis ,Conerly Trophy Award Winner
-
2003 ||style="background: #CCFFFF;"| C-USA ||Jeff Bower ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|9-4 ||LostLiberty Bowl vs. #25 Utah 0-17|| 10th Consecutive Winning SeasonC-USA Champions
-
2004 || C-USA ||Jeff Bower ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|7-5 ||style="background: #FFCCCC;"|WonNew Orleans Bowl vs. North Texas 31-10|| 11th Consecutive Winning SeasonMichael Boley ,Conerly Trophy Award Winner
-
2005 || C-USA ||Jeff Bower ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|7-5 ||style="background: #FFCCCC;"|WonNew Orleans Bowl vs. Arkansas State 31-19|| 12th Consecutive Winning Season
-
2006 ||style="background: #D0E7FF;"| C-USA ||Jeff Bower ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|9-5 ||style="background: #FFCCCC;"|WonGMAC Bowl vs. Ohio 28-7|| 13th Consecutive Winning SeasonC-USA East Division Champions
-
2007 || C-USA ||Jeff Bower ||style="background: #96CDCD;"|7-6||LostPapaJohns.com Bowl vs. Cincinatti || 14th Consecutive Winning SeasonDamion Fletcher ,Conerly Trophy Award Winner
-
2008 || C-USA ||Larry Fedora (18)|| || ||Rivals.com #37 Recruiting Class
Scout.com #48 Recruiting Class
Top Non-BCS Conference Recruiting Class by both websites
-
Totals ||SIAA
Gulf States
C-USA ||18 Coaches||526-353-27 ||8-10 Bowl Record || 63 Winning Seasons
7 Conference Championships
8 Bowl Wins
2 Division II National Championships
###@@@KEYEND@@@###Rivalries
Tulane
The rivalry between Southern Miss and
Tulane is known as "The Battle for the Bell". Both teams are inConference USA and played each other every year until 2006, when the league was split into East and West divisions. Following their 2006 meeting, Southern Miss leads the series 21-7.Memphis
The rivalry between Southern Miss and Memphis is often referred to as the "Black and Blue Bowl", gaining its name from the black of Southern Miss and the blue of Memphis. Since both teams are in
Conference USA , they play each other every year. Following their 2007 meeting, Southern Miss leads the series 37-20-1.Notable Alumni
*
Michael Boley - NFL Linebacker,Atlanta Falcons
*Jeff Bower - Former head football coach,The University of Southern Mississippi
*Jeremy Bridges - NFL Lineman,Carolina Panthers
*Mack Brown - (Grad Degree '76) Head Football Coach -University of Texas Longhorns
*Mitch Craft - NFL Linebacker,Buffalo Bills
*Rod Davis - NFL Linebacker,Minnesota Vikings
*John Eubanks - NFL Defensive back/Return Man,Washington Redskins
*Brett Favre - Most wins all time for a quarterback in NFL historyNew York Jets
*Don Fuell - CFL Defensive Back,Toronto Argonauts
*Ray Guy ’78 - NFL punter and college football hall of famer
*Bobby Hamilton - NFL Defensive End,New York Jets
*Louis Lipps - Former NFL Pro-Bowl Wide Receiver and 1984 AFC Rookie of the Year,Pittsburgh Steelers
*Derrick Nix - Running Back Coach,Atlanta Falcons
*Tyrone Nix - Defensive Coordinator,University of Mississippi
*Todd Pinkston - NFL Wide Receiver,Philadelphia Eagles
*Jeff Posey - NFL Linebacker,Washington Redskins
*Patrick Surtain '98 - NFL Defensive Back,Kansas City Chiefs
*Adalius Thomas - NFL Pro-Bowl Linebacker,New England Patriots
*Chad Williams - NFL Defensive Back,Kansas City Chiefs
*Sammy Winder - Former NFL Pro-Bowl Running Back,Denver Broncos References
* [http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/conferenceusa/southern_mississippi/opponents_records.php?teamid=1931 College Football Data Warehouse - Southern Mississippi vs Memphis]
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