The Greatest USM Football Season of All Time: Sweet Sixteen Matchup

The Southern Miss Golden Eagles on SI Team has been working this summer to determine the greatest season in the 109-year history of Southern Miss Football, with the help of you, the fans.

Our previous matchup saw an overwhelming win for the 1997 Golden Eagles over the 2006 Golden Eagles, with 94 percent of the total vote going to the '97 squad. Today's matchup is between the No. 5 seed 1988 season and the No. 12 seed 1937 season.

Remember, you can vote in these matchups over on the Southern Miss Golden Eagles on SI Facebook, through comments and polls. We only have two Sweet Sixteen matchups remaining before we jump into the Elite Eight of our summer bracket challenge, so get your votes in to help determine which season gets those final two spots!

Today's Matchup: No. 5 1988 vs. No. 12 1937

No. 5 - 1988 Southern Miss Golden Eagles

Former Southern Miss head coach Curley Hallman during his tenure at LSU after leaving Southern Miss. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Following a 37-29 overall record after the 1987 season, famed defensive mind Jim "Big Nasty" Carmody resigned as head coach of the Golden Eagles. Coach Carmody's time was not that of a disappointing nature, featuring some of USM's most explosive defensive squads, earning them the name "The Nasty Bunch." His 1982 team defeated Alabama in Bear Bryant's final home game, ending a 57-game win streak in Tuscaloosa that Alabama had started back in 1963.

In 1987, Coach Carmody's Golden Eagles hosted W.C. Gordon's Jackson State Tigers in the first-ever game featuring one of Mississippi's PWIs against one of Mississippi's HBCUs*. The Golden Eagles would win 17-7 in front of a then-record crowd of 33,687**. 1987 was also the beginning of NFL Hall of Famer Brett Favre's career.

But now, with '87 over, a new coach was needed for 1988. Curley Hallman, defensive backs coach for Texas A&M, was hired in Carmody's place.

The 1988 season finished as the Golden Eagles' second 10-win season in history, tallying up wins over teams such as Virginia Tech, Louisville, and Mississippi State. The Golden Eagles then earned their first bowl invite since the 1981 Tangerine Bowl, but this one was to the Independence Bowl, where they took on the runners-up of the Western Athletic Conference, the 10-2 UTEP Miners. Southern Miss, with Favre at the helm, made short work of the Miners in a 38-18 win. Since then, UTEP has not had another 10-win season, and Southern Miss would not reach that mark until 2011.

Record: 10-2 (Independent)
Independence Bowl Champions over UTEP
Notable Players: Brett Favre (QB), Shelton Gandy (RB), Chris Seroka (K)
Notable Wins: vs. Virginia Tech (35-13) & vs. Mississippi State (38-21)

No. 12 - 1937 Mississippi State Teachers Yellow Jackets

A football game in the early 1930s at Faulkner Field. | MageeNews.com

The name Reed Green is mostly synonymous with the University of Southern Mississippi. Serving as athletic director of USM for 24 years, and the namesake of the university's basketball stadium, Reed Green lettered in football at Mississippi State Teachers College*** in the early 1930s, before becoming an assistant to Coach Pooley Hubert's staff in 1935. After Hubert's departure for Virginia Military Institute following the 1936 season, Reed Green was elevated to head coach in 1937.

The 1937 spread saw the Yellow Jackets, as USM was represented on the field at the time, finish 6-3 in the regular season, earning them their first trip to the postseason after 26 seasons of football play. Facing an undefeated, unscored-upon squad from Appalachian State, led by Kidd Brewer, the Yellow Jackets ended the Mountaineers' streak with a 7-0 win in Gulfport. Kind of like the Mountaineers, MSTC, despite three losses, had all seven of its wins this season be shutouts. The Yellow Jackets' season ended with an impressive scoring margin of 223-24.

Record: 7-3 (5-2 SIAA)
Doll & Toy Charity Game Champions over Appalachian State
First Postseason Appearance & Win In Program History
Notable Players: Andy Webb (LB), George Westerfield (E), Thomas “Scoop” Howard (T)
Notable Wins: vs. Jacksonville State (58-0) & vs. Troy (54-0)

This matchup carries a lot of weight. On the one hand, you have a team that broke ground in USM history with the program's first-ever postseason appearance, while 1988 led a team of now-legends in the Golden Eagle books. But the decision is up to you. Remember to check out the Southern Miss Golden Eagles on SI Facebook to vote for which you think is better of these two. And as always: Southern Miss, To the Top!

*: PWI- Predominantly White Institution, HBCU- Historically Black College/University

**: Today, this record stands at 7th all time in M.M. Roberts Stadium history.

***: The University of Southern Mississippi was known as "Mississippi State Teachers College" from 1924 to 1940.

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