| Hal Mumme was 11-38 at New
Mexico State, with just six wins against D-I FBS schools in his
four seasons. McMurry athletics photo |
McMurry athletic director Ron Holmes announced Hal Mumme as the 20th coach in the program's history Wednesday morning at a news conference.
Mumme, who coached Division I FBS New Mexico State to a 3-9 record before he was fired last fall, and his new staff of McMurry assistant coaches start their duties April 16.
He replaces Donny Gray, under whom McMurry went 0-10.
"Hal Mumme's track record of turning struggling football programs around was a strong factor in our hiring decision," McMurry president John Russell said. "He is a Texas native with strong ties all over the state as well as throughout the nation. We feel his hiring rejuvenates the McMurry football program and brings excitement to the McMurry family and Big Country football fans."
"Coach Mumme's impressive resume stood out when we were filing through the applicants," Holmes said. "He has extensive coaching experience in nearly all levels of collegiate football."
"We're going to go to work," Mumme said. "It's going to take an entire campus community effort to get this job done. We're in a conference with a lot of good coaches. ... We'll be out recruiting tomorrow morning."
Mumme was 11-38 in four seasons at New Mexico State before he was let go. Five of those wins came against Division I FCS schools, formerly known as Division I-AA. Before NMSU, Mumme revived several programs. At NAIA Iowa Wesleyan, he inherited a squad of three players and took them to a 7-4 record his first year and 25-10 in three seasons. He moved to Division II Valdosta State and went 40-7-1, including the program's first trips to the NCAA playoffs. Moving to Kentucky, he took over a program that had not had a winning record in the past seven seasons and led them to a 17-15 mark in three years before a 2-9 mark in 2000, a year after which he resigned. Kentucky was placed on probation, losing scholarships and postseason eligibility.
After 18 months, Mumme was hired to restart Southeastern Louisiana football at the I-AA level and took the Lions to a 12-11 mark in two seasons before moving to New Mexico State. In 18 seasons as a head coach, Mumme has a record of 108-102-1 and has taken teams to the postseason seven times.
Mumme is known as an offensive innovator who rewrites offensive record books wherever he coaches. His "Air Raid" attack will be a change of pace for a McMurry football program that last year finished last in the American Southwest Conference in points scored (13.0 points per game), last in total offense (253.1 yards per game), and last in passing yards per game (111.4).
He also coached Texas high school ball in Corpus Christi, Copperas Cove and Aransas Pass, and was an assistant coach at West Texas State and Texas-El Paso.