The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Hal Mumme

Followed Tony Samuel. Hal Mumme held New Mexico State at Regional Program V for 4 seasons.

The builder
31–64
1997–2008 · 2 stints
KentuckyNew Mexico State
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Career arc

His real stature score, season by season, across every program he’s coached — so a stretch that stays in one tier the whole way can still climb or sink on the line, not just flatten out. Node color marks the tier reached. Which program a stretch belongs to is carried by the shaded lane behind it.

Stature score reached, by season of his head-coaching careerKENTUCKYNEW MEXICO STATENational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelKentucky, 1997: 5-6, Regional Program II1997Kentucky, 1998: 7-5, Regional Program I1998Kentucky, 1999: 6-6, Regional Program I1999Kentucky, 2000: 2-9, Regional Program I2000+5.1New Mexico State, 2005: 0-12, Regional Program V2005New Mexico State, 2006: 4-8, Regional Program V2006New Mexico State, 2007: 4-9, Regional Program V2007New Mexico State, 2008: 3-9, Regional Program VI2008-2.5One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached Regional Program in his 1st career season — faster than 20% of the 925 FBS coaches who have ever reached Regional Program (rank #1 of 925 by seasons-to-arrival).

Kentucky, 4 seasons
+5.1
Regional Program II → Regional Program I.
New Mexico State, 4 seasons
−2.5
Regional Program V → Regional Program VI.

The big-game ledger

How he does in the games that matter most — rivalry record, performance broken out by real opponent tier, one-score games, and his toughest historical matchup.

2–10 against his rivals. Winless in 4 tries against Dick Tomey.

Rivalry record
2–10
16.7% · 3 rivals
One-score games
10–20
33.3% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
1–8
11.1%
Rivalry ledger
Louisville2–250%
Tennessee0–40%
New Mexico0–40%
The toughest matchup
vs. Dick Tomey0–4
4 meetings, 2005–2008
’05 L’06 L’07 L’08 L
0% win rate across a real, 4-meeting series — short of the bar this site uses before badging a series “Nemesis.” Shown here as the toughest matchup on record, not an algorithmic crown.
Performance by opponent class
Blue Blood
1–8 11.1%
Power Program
2–14 12.5%
National Program
4–17 19.0%
Regional Program
16–24 40.0%

Coaching career

2005–2008
New Mexico Statecaretaker
Regional Program V → Regional Program V
Hal Mumme held New Mexico State at Regional Program V for 4 seasons.

11th-best New Mexico State tenure of 20 by the numbers.

Followed Tony Samuel (1997–2004) · succeeded by DeWayne Walker (2009–2012).

11–38
1997–2000
Kentuckycaretaker
Regional Program II → Regional Program I
Hal Mumme moved Kentucky from Regional Program II to Regional Program I in 4 seasons.

15th-best Kentucky tenure of 16 by the numbers.

Followed Bill Curry (1990–1996) · succeeded by Guy Morriss (2001–2002).

9 NFL Draft picks: Van Hiles (1997), Chris Ward (1997), Kio Sanford (1998), Tim Couch (1999), Craig Yeast (1999), James Whalen (2000), Eric Kelly (2001), Marlon McCree (2001) + 1 more

20–26