Jim Carmody
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 24, 1933 Shreveport, Louisiana,U.S. |
| Died | January 5, 2023(aged 89) Madison, Mississippi,U.S. |
| Alma mater | Copiah-Lincoln Community College,Tulane University |
| Playing career | |
| 1954–1955 | Tulane |
| Coaching career (HCunless noted) | |
| 1964–1966 | Mississippi State(assistant) |
| 1967–1973 | North Carolina(assistant) |
| 1974–1977 | Ole Miss(assistant) |
| 1978–1980 | Southern Miss(DC) |
| 1981 | Buffalo Bills(assistant) |
| 1982–1987 | Southern Miss |
| 1989–1990 | Mississippi State(DC/DL) |
| 1992–1994 | Ole Miss(AHC/DL) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 37–29 |
James Edward Carmody Jr.(August 24, 1933–January 5, 2023) was a formerAmerican footballplayer and coach.[1]He served as the head football coach at theUniversity of Southern Mississippifrom 1982 to 1987, compiling a career record of 37–29. Carmody's 1982 Golden Eagles team went intoBryant–Denny StadiumdefeatedBear Bryant'sAlabamateam that had won 56 consecutive home games entering the contest. Carmody also served as an assistant coach atMississippi State University,theUniversity of Mississippiand theUniversity of North Carolina.
Early life
[edit]Carmody was born on August 24, 1933, inShreveport, Louisiana.[2]In high school, he received three letters in football and baseball from Holy Cross High School inNew Orleans, Louisiana,from 1948 to 1952.[2]He attended college at Copiah-Lincoln Junior College from 1952 to 1954 andTulane Universityfrom 1954 to 1955.[2]While at Tulane, Carmody was a two-year football letterman who played in the first night game atTulane Stadiumin 1954.
Assistant coach
[edit]Carmody served as an assistant coach atMississippi Statefrom 1964 to 1966 under head coachesPaul E. DavisandCharles Shira.[2]After leaving MSU, Carmody joinedBill Dooley's staff atNorth Carolinaand served as an assistant coach for seven seasons (1967–1973).[2]He then served onKen Cooper's staff atOle Missfrom 1974 to 1977,Bobby Collins' staff atSouthern Missasdefensive coordinatorfrom 1978 to 1980 (where he earned the nickname "The Big Nasty" as coordinator of the "Nasty Bunch" )[3][4]and made a stop in theNational Football Leaguewith theBuffalo Billsas an assistant coach in 1981.
Southern Miss
[edit]Carmody was hired to replace Bobby Collins as the Golden Eagles head football coach in 1982 after Collins took the head coaching position atSMU.[5]Under Carmody's tutelage, the Golden Eagles compiled a record of 37–29 with no bowl appearances.[6]
During Carmody's tenure, the Golden Eagles defeatedAlabama,38–29, inTuscaloosain 1982, snapping the Crimson Tide's 56-game home winning streak atBryant–Denny Stadium.[7][8]It was the first time since 1962 that Alabama had lost there, and 1982 proved to be the final season of coachBear Bryant's career.[9]Carmody recruited aKiln, Mississippi,high school quarterback namedBrett Favreto Southern Miss in 1987.[10]
In 1984, Southern Miss, already under NCAA sanctions for prior infractions, admitted to improper recruiting practices pertaining to freshman linebacker Don Palmer.[11]As part of the fallout, Carmody's salary was frozen. Palmer alleged he was given clothing, basketball game tickets, cash, and transportation to the campus by an USM assistant coach.[11]
Later coaching career
[edit]After leaving Southern Miss, Carmody returned to Mississippi State to serve as defensive coordinator under head coachRockey Felker,a position he held during the 1989 and 1990 seasons.[2]Under his watch, the Bulldogs defense improved from 89th nationally before he arrived to 15th.[2]He then returned to Ole Miss to serve as associate head coach and defensive line coach under head coachesBilly BrewerandJoe Lee Dunn,where the Rebels defenses ranked #6 nationally in 1992, #1 nationally in 1993 and #17 nationally in 1994.[2]New head coachTommy Tubervilledid not retain Carmody on his staff in 1995.
Head coaching record
[edit]College
[edit]| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Miss Golden Eagles(NCAA Division I-A Independent)(1982–1987) | |||||||||
| 1982 | Southern Miss | 7–4 | |||||||
| 1983 | Southern Miss | 7–4 | |||||||
| 1984 | Southern Miss | 4–7 | |||||||
| 1985 | Southern Miss | 7–4 | |||||||
| 1986 | Southern Miss | 6–5 | |||||||
| 1987 | Southern Miss | 6–5 | |||||||
| Southern Miss: | 37–29 | ||||||||
| Total: | 37–29 | ||||||||
References
[edit]- ^Rick Cleveland, "Jim Carmody, a huge part of state’s football history, is dead at age 89,"Mississippi Today(5 January 2023),[1]
- ^abcdefgh"James Edward Carmody Jr".Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.RetrievedNovember 6,2016.
- ^Clark, N. Brooks."14 SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI".
- ^Curet, Taylor."Southern Miss embraces change ahead of season".
- ^"Former Golden Eagle Coaches Jeff Bower and Jim Carmody Selected to Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame".
- ^"Jim Carmody Coaching Record - College Football at Sports-Reference.com".
- ^"Alabama Football Game Notes: Southern Miss".
- ^"100 Years of Southern Miss Athletics".
- ^Morgan, Chester M. (August 30, 2010).Treasured Past, Golden Future: The Centennial History of the University of Southern Mississippi.Univ. Press of Mississippi.ISBN9781604734645– via Google Books.
- ^"Favre's legacy began at Southern Miss in '87".
- ^ab"Southern Mississippi admits recruiting violations".UPI archives. November 14, 1984.RetrievedNovember 6,2016.
- 1933 births
- 2023 deaths
- Buffalo Bills coaches
- Mississippi State Bulldogs football coaches
- North Carolina Tar Heels football coaches
- Ole Miss Rebels football coaches
- Southern Miss Golden Eagles football coaches
- Tulane Green Wave football players
- Players of American football from Shreveport, Louisiana
- Copiah–Lincoln Wolves football players
- Players of American football from New Orleans