| Hal Mumme |
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PLAYING CAREER Mumme played football as a receiver for Thomas Jefferson High School in Dallas, Texas , the New Mexico Military Institute, the University Of Texas At Arlington and at Tarleton State University . EARLY COACHING CAREER Mumme’s coaching career began as the offensive coordinator at Moody High School in Corpus Christi, Texas from 1976 through 1978. In 1979 he was the head coach at Aransas Pass, Texas High School. Mumme was an assistant coach (quarterbacks and receivers) at West Texas State University in 1980 and 1981, offensive coordinator at UTEP from 1982 through 1985, and head coach at Copperas Cove, Texas High School from 1986 through 1988. During his time as a high school and college assistant coach Mumme developed an unorthodox, pass-oriented offensive attack that proved very successful at moving the ball, gaining yardage and scoring points. The unusual attack, utilizing short passes to multiple receivers and backs out of the backfield, allowed Mumme’s teams to compete against more talented and athletic opponents. BYU head coach LaVell Edwards was a major influence on Mumme’s offensive strategy. IOWA WESLEYAN Mumme became head coach at Iowa Wesleyan College in 1989 and was there through 1991. The year before Mumme’s arrival, Iowa Wesleyan finished 0-10. Mumme inherited a roster with only three returning players. His records there were 7-4 in 1989, 8-4 in 1990 and 10-2 in 1991. The 1991 squad was the first in school history to make the national playoffs, losing in the national quarterfinals. Mumme’s 1990 team led the nation in passing offense and the 1989 and 1991 squads finished second nationally in that category. Mumme finished at Iowa Wesleyan with a 25-10 record and was the NAIA District Coach of the Year in 1989 and 1991. VALDOSTA STATE Mumme took over as head coach at Valdosta State University in 1992 and led the team to records of 5-4-1 in 1992, 8-3 in 1993, 11-2 in 1994, 6-5 in 1995 and 10-3 in 1996. Mumme’s record at Valdosta State was 40-17-1. In both 1994 and 1996 he led the team to the NCAA Division II playoff quarterfinals; Valdosta State had never made the playoffs previously. The team was consistently ranked in the Division II top 20 and was ranked #1 in the nation in Division II for part of the 1996 season when they won their first Gulf South Conference championship. In 1994 Valdosta State defeated the University Of Central Florida 31-14, an upset over the team picked by Sports Illustrated in the preseason to win the NCAA Division I-AA national championship. Quarterback Chris Hatcher won the Harlon Hill Award as player of the year in NCAA Division II football. UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY In 1997 the University Of Kentucky hired Mumme to replace fired head coach Bill Curry . Curry’s seven years at Kentucky had all resulted in losing seasons except for his 1993 team which finished 6-6 after losing to Clemson in the Peach Bowl . Curry’s recent teams had been among the very worst in the nation in most offensive categories. Fans had deserted the team, closing the 1996 season with some of the smallest crowds in the history of Commonwealth Stadium . The team had not been in a New Year’s Day bowl since the 1952 Cotton Bowl . Before Mumme took the reigns, several players from the previous year’s squad became academically ineligible and running back Derick Logan, the 1996 Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year on offense, was dismissed from the team over a shoplifting incident. Kentucky opened the 1997 season against archrival Louisville , who had won two straight against Kentucky. With Mumme’s passing attack (now called the Air Raid offense, complete with wailing air sirens as part of the pregame activities) Kentucky jumped out to a 21-0 lead en route to an exciting 38-24 victory. Sophomore quarterback Tim Couch passed for a (then) school record 398 yards in the game. Kentucky then lost a road game at Mississippi State , 35-27, before winning 49-7 as an underdog at Indiana . A 55-28 loss to #1 ranked Florida was followed by an exciting 40-34 overtime victory over a ranked Alabama team, at the end of which the Kentucky fans tore down the goalposts in celebration for the first time ever. The victory was Kentucky’s first against Alabama since 1922 and first against a Top 20 team since 1988. Kentucky closed the season in a wild 59-31 loss to Tennessee in which dueling quarterbacks Tim Couch and Peyton Manning combined for over 1,000 yards of passing offense and a new Commonwealth Stadium attendance record of 61,076 was set. Fan interest in Kentucky football was at levels not seen in years thanks to the new, effective offense and unexpected victories. Kentucky finished the 1997 season with 5 wins and 6 losses and a slew of new school records on offense. Commonwealth Stadium was packed for home games. Fans were excited by the action on offense and the gambling decisions made by the staff, including frequent fake punts on fourth down. Kentucky opened the 1998 season in the first game at Louisville’s new Papa John's Cardinal Stadium . Kentucky jumped out to a 62-12 lead and won in a 68-34 rout. Kentucky opened the season 3-0 and entered some top 25 polls for the first time since 1984. Season highlights included an exciting 39-36 victory in Baton Rouge against a ranked LSU team and a lopsided 55-17 home finale against Vanderbilt . Kentucky botched an end-of-game field goal attempt in losing 28-26 to #11 ranked Georgia but finished with a 7-4 record and invitation to the Outback Bowl , Kentucky’s first New Year’s Day bowl game in 46 years. In the Outback Bowl Kentucky jumped out to a 14-3 lead against #22 Penn State but ultimately lost 26-14. Several new school records were set on offense, and quarterback Tim Couch was the #1 overall pick in the NFL draft. Resurgent fan support led to the expansion of Commonwealth Stadium, increasing it to approximately 68,000 seats. 1999 was expected to be a down year for the Wildcats due to the loss of Couch, star receiver Craig Yeast and a veteran offensive line. Also, Kentucky’s offensive coordinator in 1997 and 1998, Mike Leach (now the successful head coach at Texas Tech ) departed to become the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma . However, Kentucky finished the season with a 6-5 record and a 4-4 mark in the Southeastern Conference. Season highlights included a 31-20 victory over #20 Arkansas and a one point loss due to a last second field goal at #8 Mississippi State. Tight end James Whalen Jr. was a first team All American including on the Associated Press All American team. Kentucky was invited to the Music City Bowl and jumped out to an early lead against Syracuse but lost Whalen to injury and ultimately lost a close game 20-13. With the close of the 1999 season some problems began to emerge. Kentucky’s offense, incredibly prolific in Mumme’s first two seasons, had slowed significantly in the latter half of the season as coaches adjusted better against it. The lack of a deep pass threat (due in part to quarterback limitations) allowed defenses to stack the box and play up hard on Kentucky; often the remarkable performances of tight end Whalen were what kept the Wildcats moving the ball. The gambling, blitzing defense, conceived to compliment the offensive style, consistently gave up big plays and broke down in third and long situations. During the off season Kentucky landed a surprising string of commitments from several very highly regarded recruits from various areas of the country. However, as the 2000 season commenced, questions and investigations concerning NCAA rules violations emerged. Mumme’s preseason announcement that talented but untested freshman Jared Lorenzen would replace popular starter Dusty Bonner at quarterback caused consternation among some of the players. The season began with Kentucky squandering a lead at Louisville after a long lightning storm delayed game and losing in overtime after botching a short field goal attempt at the end of regulation. Jinxed on and off the field, Kentucky finished 2-9 despite playing some very close games and producing some gaudy numbers on offense. By the end of the season it was becoming apparent that the coaching staff had committed significant NCAA rules violations. After announcing the termination of his recruiting coordinator and unpopular defensive coordinator, Mumme resigned on national signing day in February 2001 and, leaving Lexington under a cloud due to the NCAA investigation, he was replaced as head coach by his offensive line coach Guy Morriss . Kentucky was placed on a three year probation and sanctioned with a loss of scholarships and ban on postseason play during those three years. The penalties kept Kentucky’s 2002 team from a bowl appearance despite a 7-5 record. SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA After a hiatus of 18 months Mumme returned to football as the head coach at Southeastern Louisiana . The school had terminated its football program in 1985 but decided to compete again and did so in 2003 at the NCAA Division I-AA level. The team finished its first season 5-7 and posted a 7-4 mark in 2004. The program posted a 51-17 win over #6 McNeese State and entered the Top 25 in the national I-AA rankings. Southeastern Louisiana ranked first among NCAA Division I-AA teams in total offense per game (537.1 yards) and passing offense per game (408 yards) in 2003. NEW MEXICO STATE In December 2004 Mumme was named the head coach at Division I-A New Mexico State University , replacing Tony Samuel. Samuel had run an option offense at the school and the transition to Mumme’s passing offense was difficult. New Mexico State finished 0-12 in Mumme’s first season (2005). The season also saw a minor controversy when the American Civil Liberties Union charged that a Muslim player had left the team because of questions Mumme asked about his religion. An investigation determined that no discrimination had occurred. Entering the 2006 season Mumme’s career record as a collegiate head coach is 97-76-1. COACHING INFLUENCE In the late 1990s many coaches were interested in emulating Mumme’s successful Air Raid offense. Several Mumme assistant coaches have gone on to success in their own right including:
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