MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2023 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Michel, Hickman, Polk, Boyd, Carter, Fillingane, Parks, Harkins, Johnson, DeBar, Barnett, Butler (38th), Caughman, Hopson, Horhn, Seymour
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION EXTENDING THE CONDOLENCES OF THE LEGISLATURE TO THE SURVIVING FAMILY OF RENOWNED MISSISSIPPI FOOTBALL DEFENSIVE COACH JIM CARMODY AND REMEMBERING HIS LEGACY IN THE FOOTBALL HISTORIES OF OLE MISS, SOUTHERN MISS, MISSISSIPPI STATE AND THE NFL.
WHEREAS, Coach Jim "Big Nasty" Carmody, 89, a renowned defensive football mastermind and a prominent figure in the football histories of Southern Miss, Ole Miss and Mississippi State, passed away on January 5, 2023; and
WHEREAS, "Big Nasty" was Carmody's nickname given to him by his defensive players at Southern Miss, but the moniker had more to do with the way his defenses played. His players swarmed to the football and hit hard, whether he was coaching at Mississippi State, Ole Miss or Southern Miss, or in the NFL. At Southern Miss, where he was first the Defensive Coordinator (1978-1980) and then the Head Coach (1982-1987), his defenses were called "The Nasty Bunch" (a nickname that endures to this day); and
WHEREAS, Jim Carmody was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, on August 24, 1933, to Mr. and Mrs. James Edward Carmody, Sr. He spent most of his youth in New Orleans. Jim graduated from Holy Cross High School. After high school, he played football at Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Wesson, Mississippi, and went on to finish his college football career at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, after graduating from Tulane, Jim enlisted in the U.S. Army. In 1956, he was stationed in Korea, where he had his first coaching opportunity. In an effort to boost unit morale, the Army advertised for a football coach. Jim Carmody was the man for the job, and subsequently, his love for coaching the game of football was awakened. After his honorable discharge from the Army, he returned to coach at Holy Cross High School. Jim then took on the role as Graduate Assistant Football Coach at Tulane, where he received his master's degree; and
WHEREAS, Coach Carmody served two different stints at all three of the state's largest universities, and he was part of monumental victories at each. Perhaps the most memorable of all was in October of 1982 when he was the Head Coach of the Southern Miss Team that defeated Alabama and the legendary Bear Bryant 38-29 at Tuscaloosa, thus ending Bryant's 59-game home winning streak. It was the first time a visiting team had won at Alabama in 19 seasons. Southern Miss had winning seasons in five of Carmody's six years as Head Coach, playing most of the more difficult games on the road; and
WHEREAS, Coach Carmody was also part of program-defining victories at Ole Miss and State. A sampling follows:
· In 1977, when he was the Defensive Coordinator at Ole Miss, the Rebels defeated eventual National Champion Notre Dame 20-13 at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in extreme afternoon heat. Coach Carmody was the architect of a defensive game plan that stymied the heavily favored Fighting Irish in one of the signature football victories in Ole Miss history;
· In 1989, two years after leaving Southern Miss, Coach Carmody was the Coordinator of the Mississippi State Team that defeated nationally ranked Southern Miss and Brett Favre 26-23 before a standing room only crowd at Hattiesburg. Southern Miss had defeated Florida State the week before and had defeated Mississippi State eight consecutive times. While Coach Carmody was at Southern Miss, the Golden Eagles won eight of 10 games against State. When Carmody moved to State, the Bulldogs were 2-0 against USM;
· In 1992, still later in his career, Coach Carmody came back to haunt State, this time at Ole Miss. The Rebels won that Egg Bowl 17-10 when Coach Carmody's defensive front held State out of the end zone on three consecutive goal line stands, 11 plays, all from inside the 10-yard line; and
WHEREAS, Coach Carmody was part of Mississippi sports history in other ways. In 1987, Coach Carmody's USM team was the first historically white university to play against one of state's historically black universities. Southern Miss defeated W.C. Gorden-coached Jackson State 17-7 before an overflow crowd in Hattiesburg. Coach Carmody had pushed for the game to be played and afterward had nothing but praise for the JSU Tigers, of whom he said, "were well-coached and talented and could defeat a lot of the better teams on our schedule." Early in his career, Coach Carmody coached on Paul Davis' staff at Mississippi State (1964-1966) and helped the Bulldogs to their first victory over a John Vaught-coached Ole Miss Team 20-17 at Oxford in 1964, which was a big deal in those days; and
WHEREAS, Coach Carmody's well-known and respected career also lead him to the NFL where he was an Assistant Coach for the Buffalo Bills and a scout for the Arizona Cardinals. Jim Carmody coached the late, great Ben Williams both at Ole Miss and then with the Buffalo Bills of the NFL. When Williams was playing for the Bills, the team had an opening for a Defensive Coach and Williams told Buffalo Head Coach Chuck Knox, "You hire Jim Carmody and we will win our division next season." Knox hired Carmody away from Southern Miss, and the Bills led the league in defense and sacks and won their division. Ben Williams made All-Pro; and
WHEREAS, many awards were given to Coach Carmody throughout his career. Most notably, admission to: Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, Southern Miss Hall of Fame, Copiah-Lincoln Community College Athletic Hall of Fame, and the Mississippi Community College Sports Hall of Fame; and
WHEREAS, Jim was married to the former Earlyn "Noonie" Regouffre for 63 years. Together, they raised four sons: Steve Carmody (Nena), Brian Carmody (Bridget), Keith Carmody (Kelly) and Chris Carmody. They were blessed with six grandchildren: Chase Carmody (Shannon), Caitlin Carmody Cox (Justin), Mackenzie Carmody, Connor Carmody, Caroline Carmody and Mary Blair Carmody; four great-grandchildren; a host of beloved nieces and nephews; and an abundance of loved ones. Coach Jim Carmody was preceded in death by his parents, James and Bema Carmody; and his sister, Elizabeth Carmody Gonzalez; and
WHEREAS, we pay tribute and cherish fondly the memory of this most renowned Mississippi sports icon who leaves a legacy of sports history and excellence which has brought honor to the State of Mississippi:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby extend the condolences of the Legislature to the surviving family of renowned Mississippi Football Defensive Coach Jim Carmody and remember his legacy in the football histories of Ole Miss, Southern Miss, Mississippi State and the NFL.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to the surviving family of Coach Jim Carmody, forwarded to the President of USM, the Chancellor of Ole Miss, the President of MSU, the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, and be made available to the Capitol Press Corps.