| Southern Miss Golden Eagles Football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Current season
| |||
| |||
| First season | 1912 | ||
| Athletic director | Richard Giannini | ||
| Head coach | Larry Fedora | ||
| Home stadium | M. M. Roberts Stadium | ||
| Year built | 1932 | ||
| Stadium capacity | 36,000 | ||
| Stadium surface | Sports Exe Momentum Turf | ||
| Location | Hattiesburg, Mississippi | ||
| League | NCAA Division I FBS | ||
| Conference | Conference USA | ||
| All-time record | 548–371–27 (.594) | ||
| Postseason bowl record | 9–8 (.529) | ||
| Claimed national titles | 2 | ||
| Conference titles | 7 | ||
| Consensus All-Americans | 0 | ||
| Colors | Black and Gold | ||
| Fight song | Southern Miss to the Top | ||
| Mascot | Seymour d'Campus | ||
| Marching band | Pride of Mississippi | ||
| Outfitter | Nike | ||
| Rivals | Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Memphis Tigers Tulane Green Wave | ||
| 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 player their home games at M. M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The team's current head coach is Larry Fedora, who has held the position since the 2008 season.
History[]
Football 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
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[]
| Year | Overall Record | Coach | Selector |
| 1958 | 9–0 | Thad Vann | United Press International College Division |
| 1962 | 9–1 | Thad Vann | United Press International College Division |
Conference championships[]
| Year | Overall Record | Conference Record | Coach | Conference |
| 1948 | 7–3 | 4–0 | Reed Green | Gulf States Conference |
| 1950 | 5–5 | 3–1 | Thad Vann | Gulf States Conference |
| 1951 | 6–5 | 4–0 | Thad Vann | Gulf States Conference |
| 1996† | 8–3 | 4–1 | Jeff Bower | Conference USA |
| 1997 | 9–3 | 6–0 | Jeff Bower | Conference USA |
| 1999 | 9–3 | 6–0 | Jeff Bower | Conference USA |
| 2003 | 9–4 | 8–0 | Jeff Bower | Conference USA |
| † Denotes co-champions | ||||
Bowl history[]
Seasons[]
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[]
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs[]
| Games played | First meeting | Last meeting | USM wins | USM losses | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43 | November 28, 1935 (lost 0–27) | September 25, 2010 (won 13–12) | 30 | 13 | 69.8% |
Memphis Tigers[]
| Games played | First meeting | Last meeting | USM wins | USM losses | Ties | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 61 | October 26, 1935 (won 12–0) | October 16, 2010 (won 41–19) | 39 | 21 | 1 | 64.8% |
Tulane Green Wave[]
| Games played | First meeting | Last meeting | USM wins | USM losses | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | October 13, 1979 (lost 19–20) | November 6, 2010 (won 46–30) | 23 | 7 | 76.7% |
Players[]
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.