Curley Hallman
Encyclopedia
Hudson "Curley" Hallman (born September 3, 1947) is a former American football
player and coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Southern Mississippi (1988–1990) and Louisiana State University
(1991–1994), compiling a career record of 39–39.
, Hallman aspired to play for Alabama
under head coach Bear Bryant
. Alabama did not recruit him, although Gene Stallings
at Texas A&M
did. He played on the Aggies' 1967 squad, which garnered a Southwest Conference championship and a Cotton Bowl Classic win. In the bowl game, Hallman intercepted two passes by Alabama quarterback Ken Stabler
. Hallman graduated from the school in 1970.
As an assistant coach, Hallman served four seasons (1973–1976) under the legendary Bear Bryant at Alabama, and six seasons (1982–1987) under Jackie Sherrill
at his alma mater
coaching the defensive backs of the famed Wrecking Crew before being offered a head coaching position at Southern Miss. He coached linebackers (1979–1980) and defensive backs (1981) at Clemson University
under Danny Ford
.
star quarterback, Brett Favre
.
Hallman coached the Golden Eagles
to a 23–11 record in three seasons. In his first year, he guided the team to a 1988
Independence Bowl
victory over the UTEP Miners
. Over the next two seasons, Southern Miss gained a reputation as "giant killers", thanks to victories over national powers such as Florida State, Alabama, and Auburn
, all on the road.
. During four seasons in Baton Rouge, he compiled the lowest winning percentage (min. 10 games) in school history at .364. His overall record was 16–28.
During Hallman's first season in 1991, several of Hallman's football players were accused of instigating a fight with LSU men's basketball players, including All-American Shaquille O'Neal
, in Broussard Hall, LSU's athletic dormitory, two days prior to the Tigers' contest with Mississippi State
. LSU started the 1991 season with one-sided losses to Georgia
(31–10) and Hallman's alma mater, Texas A&M (45–7), and finished 5–6. The season marked the second time LSU suffered three consecutive losing seasons and the first time since 1954 to 1956.
The 1992 season included being shut out 32–0 by Ole Miss
on Halloween
, and beaten 30–6 at Arkansas
in the season finale, which was the first meeting between the Tigers and the Razorbacks
upon Arkansas joining the SEC
. The Tigers finished 2–9, still the worst in school history.
In 1993, LSU's centennial football season, the Tigers lost 58–3 to the Florida Gators
in Tiger Stadium
, the worst loss in school history. Amazingly, just four weeks after that, the Tigers stunned the Alabama Crimson Tide, 17–13, at Bryant-Denny Stadium
in Tuscaloosa, ending the Tide's 31-game unbeaten streak. LSU entered the season finale at 5–5, with a chance at its first bowl bid since the end of the 1988 season. However, the Tigers gave up 412 yards rushing in a 42–24 loss to Arkansas at home.
The beginning of the end for Hallman came on September 17, 1994 at Jordan-Hare Stadium
against Auburn. LSU led 23–9 early in the fourth quarter, and the Bayou Bengals were in good position to end Auburn's 13-game winning streak. But LSU quarterback Jamie Howard threw two interceptions that were returned for Auburn touchdowns, tying the game. LSU regained the lead with a field goal, but when the Bayou Bengals were trying to run out the clock, Howard threw his fifth interception of the game, and incredibly, Auburn returned the pick for another touchdown, giving the home team a 30–26 lead. LSU drove into Auburn territory in the game's waning seconds, but Howard's sixth interception sealed the win for Auburn.
Three days after a 20–18 loss to Southern Miss in front of a half-empty Death Valley, LSU athletic director
Joe Dean
fired Hallman after he refused to resign. Despite this, Hallman coached the Tigers in the final two games of 1994, beating Tulane and Arkansas to finish at 4–7 for the year.
and Mississippi State. From 2004 to 2007, he served as head coach at Muscle Shoals High School
in Muscle Shoals, Alabama
. His first season at Muscle Shoals resulted in a 3–7 record. At the conclusion of the 2007 regular season, the Muscle Shoals Trojans had compiled another dismal 4–6 record, their fourth straight losing season under Hallman. On January 14, 2008, the Muscle Shoals Board of Education accepted Hallman's resignation as head coach. He was replaced by Cordova High School's former head coach Scott Basden.
Hallman is married to Alabama State Representative
Tammy Irons
of Florence
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player and coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Southern Mississippi (1988–1990) and Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
(1991–1994), compiling a career record of 39–39.
Early years
Growing up near Tuscaloosa, AlabamaTuscaloosa, Alabama
Tuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama . Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010...
, Hallman aspired to play for Alabama
Alabama Crimson Tide football
|TeamName = Alabama football |Image = Alabama Crimson Tide Logo.svg |ImageSize = 110 |Helmet = Alabama Football.png |ImageSize2 = 150 |CurrentSeason = 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team...
under head coach Bear Bryant
Bear Bryant
Paul William "Bear" Bryant was an American college football player and coach. He was best known as the longtime head coach of the University of Alabama football team. During his 25-year tenure as Alabama's head coach, he amassed six national championships and thirteen conference championships...
. Alabama did not recruit him, although Gene Stallings
Gene Stallings
Eugene Clifton Stallings, Jr. is a former American football player and coach. He played college football at Texas A&M University , where he was one of the "Junction Boys", and later served as the head coach at his alma mater from 1965 to 1971. Stallings was also the head coach of the St...
at Texas A&M
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
did. He played on the Aggies' 1967 squad, which garnered a Southwest Conference championship and a Cotton Bowl Classic win. In the bowl game, Hallman intercepted two passes by Alabama quarterback Ken Stabler
Ken Stabler
Kenneth "Kenny" Michael Stabler , is a former American football quarterback in the NFL for the Oakland Raiders , the Houston Oilers , and the New Orleans Saints...
. Hallman graduated from the school in 1970.
As an assistant coach, Hallman served four seasons (1973–1976) under the legendary Bear Bryant at Alabama, and six seasons (1982–1987) under Jackie Sherrill
Jackie Sherrill
Jackie Sherrill is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Washington State University , the University of Pittsburgh , Texas A&M University , and Mississippi State University , compiling a career college football record of 180–120–4...
at his alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
coaching the defensive backs of the famed Wrecking Crew before being offered a head coaching position at Southern Miss. He coached linebackers (1979–1980) and defensive backs (1981) at Clemson University
Clemson University
Clemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
under Danny Ford
Danny Ford
Danny Lee Ford is a former American football player and coach. He played college football at the University of Alabama from 1967 to 1969. He served as the head football coach at Clemson University in South Carolina from 1978 to 1989 and at the University of Arkansas from 1993 to 1997, compiling...
.
Southern Miss
In 1987, Hallman became the head coach at Southern Miss, where he proceeded to compile the highest winning percentage in school history with the help of future NFLNational Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
star quarterback, Brett Favre
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons , Green Bay Packers , New York Jets and Minnesota...
.
Hallman coached the Golden Eagles
Southern Miss Golden Eagles
The Southern Miss Golden Eagles represent The University of Southern Mississippi in Division I athletics. The teams compete in Conference USA....
to a 23–11 record in three seasons. In his first year, he guided the team to a 1988
1988 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with Notre Dame winning the national championship. The Fighting Irish won the title via a 34-21 defeat of previously unbeaten West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Arizona....
Independence Bowl
Independence Bowl
The Independence Bowl is a post-season NCAA-sanctioned Division I college football bowl game that is played annually at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana, so named because it was inaugurated in the United States bicentennial year, 1976....
victory over the UTEP Miners
University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso is a four-year state university, and is a component institution of the University of Texas System. Its campus is located on the bank of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas. The school was founded in 1914 as The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy,...
. Over the next two seasons, Southern Miss gained a reputation as "giant killers", thanks to victories over national powers such as Florida State, Alabama, and Auburn
Auburn University
Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...
, all on the road.
LSU
On November 28, 1990, Hallman was hired to coach the LSU TigersLSU Tigers football
The LSU Tigers football team, also known as the Fighting Tigers or Bayou Bengals, represents Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States in NCAA Division I FBS college football. Current head coach Les Miles has led the team since 2005. Since 1999 when Nick Saban took over as...
. During four seasons in Baton Rouge, he compiled the lowest winning percentage (min. 10 games) in school history at .364. His overall record was 16–28.
During Hallman's first season in 1991, several of Hallman's football players were accused of instigating a fight with LSU men's basketball players, including All-American Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal , nicknamed "Shaq" , is a former American professional basketball player. Standing tall and weighing , he was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA...
, in Broussard Hall, LSU's athletic dormitory, two days prior to the Tigers' contest with Mississippi State
Mississippi State University
The Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science commonly known as Mississippi State University is a land-grant university located in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States, partially in the town of Starkville and partially in an unincorporated area...
. LSU started the 1991 season with one-sided losses to Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
(31–10) and Hallman's alma mater, Texas A&M (45–7), and finished 5–6. The season marked the second time LSU suffered three consecutive losing seasons and the first time since 1954 to 1956.
The 1992 season included being shut out 32–0 by Ole Miss
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the...
on Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
, and beaten 30–6 at Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
in the season finale, which was the first meeting between the Tigers and the Razorbacks
Arkansas Razorbacks
The Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the names of college sports teams at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The term Arkansas Razorbacks properly applies to any of the sports teams at the university. The Razorbacks take their name from the feral pig of the same name...
upon Arkansas joining the SEC
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
. The Tigers finished 2–9, still the worst in school history.
In 1993, LSU's centennial football season, the Tigers lost 58–3 to the Florida Gators
Florida Gators football
The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...
in Tiger Stadium
Tiger Stadium (LSU)
Tiger Stadium is an outdoor stadium located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is best known as the home stadium of the Louisiana State University football team.Tiger Stadium opened with a capacity of 12,000 in 1924...
, the worst loss in school history. Amazingly, just four weeks after that, the Tigers stunned the Alabama Crimson Tide, 17–13, at Bryant-Denny Stadium
Bryant-Denny Stadium
Bryant–Denny Stadium, located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, is the home stadium for the University of Alabama football team. The stadium opened in 1929, and was originally named Denny Stadium, in honor of former Alabama president George Hutchenson Denny...
in Tuscaloosa, ending the Tide's 31-game unbeaten streak. LSU entered the season finale at 5–5, with a chance at its first bowl bid since the end of the 1988 season. However, the Tigers gave up 412 yards rushing in a 42–24 loss to Arkansas at home.
The beginning of the end for Hallman came on September 17, 1994 at Jordan-Hare Stadium
Jordan-Hare Stadium
Jordan–Hare Stadium is the playing venue for Auburn University's football team located on campus in Auburn, Alabama, USA. The stadium is named for Ralph "Shug" Jordan, the University's winningest football coach, and Cliff Hare, a member of Auburn's first football team as well as Dean of the Auburn...
against Auburn. LSU led 23–9 early in the fourth quarter, and the Bayou Bengals were in good position to end Auburn's 13-game winning streak. But LSU quarterback Jamie Howard threw two interceptions that were returned for Auburn touchdowns, tying the game. LSU regained the lead with a field goal, but when the Bayou Bengals were trying to run out the clock, Howard threw his fifth interception of the game, and incredibly, Auburn returned the pick for another touchdown, giving the home team a 30–26 lead. LSU drove into Auburn territory in the game's waning seconds, but Howard's sixth interception sealed the win for Auburn.
Three days after a 20–18 loss to Southern Miss in front of a half-empty Death Valley, LSU athletic director
Athletic director
An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...
Joe Dean
Joe Dean
Joe Dean was an All-SEC basketball player for Louisiana State University from 1950–52 and later became the school's athletic director, serving in the role from 1987–2000.-Early life and playing career:...
fired Hallman after he refused to resign. Despite this, Hallman coached the Tigers in the final two games of 1994, beating Tulane and Arkansas to finish at 4–7 for the year.
Later years
Hallman continued working at the college level as a position coach and coordinator for another decade, with stops at SEC schools AlabamaUniversity of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
and Mississippi State. From 2004 to 2007, he served as head coach at Muscle Shoals High School
Muscle Shoals High School
Muscle Shoals High School is the sole public secondary education institution in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. MSHS was recently awarded the Blue Ribbon Lighthouse Award for Excellence.- Academics :Traditionally. Muscle Shoals students excel academically...
in Muscle Shoals, Alabama
Muscle Shoals, Alabama
Muscle Shoals is a city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. As of 2007, the United States Census Bureau estimated the population of the city to be 12,846. The city is included in The Shoals MSA. It is famous for its contributions to American popular music.-Geography:Muscle Shoals is located...
. His first season at Muscle Shoals resulted in a 3–7 record. At the conclusion of the 2007 regular season, the Muscle Shoals Trojans had compiled another dismal 4–6 record, their fourth straight losing season under Hallman. On January 14, 2008, the Muscle Shoals Board of Education accepted Hallman's resignation as head coach. He was replaced by Cordova High School's former head coach Scott Basden.
Hallman is married to Alabama State Representative
Alabama House of Representatives
The Alabama House of Representatives is the lower house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alabama. The House is composed of 105 members representing an equal amount of districts, with each constituency containing at least 42,380 citizens. There are no term...
Tammy Irons
Tammy Irons
Tammy Irons is a Democratic member of the Alabama State Senate, representing the 1st District since a special election in 2006. The district includes Florence.-Personal:Irons received her B.S...
of Florence
Florence, Alabama
Florence is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States, in the northwestern corner of the state.According to the 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the city's population was 36,721....
.