Mark Hudspeth
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
2014 LOUISIANA RAGIN’ CAJUNS FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE 2014 mark hudspeth 32 Mark Hudspeth Fourth Season at Louisiana • 27-12 Delta State, 1992 Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns head football coach dominant on their home turf posting a 14-2 Mark Hudspeth is a winner. It’s that simple. record in three seasons. With an exciting brand From his earliest days as a coach leading of football, attendance at Cajun Field has risen Winston (Miss.) Academy to the 1997 Mississippi with seven of the top 15 single-game attendance state title to providing Ragin’ Cajun fans a thrilling marks in school history occurring since Hud- 24-21 win over Tulane for the program’s third speth’s arrival. consecutive bowl victory in as many seasons, In two of Hudspeth’s first three seasons, Hudspeth has been a champion. the Cajuns have led the Sun Belt Conference in Like football, winning is all he knows. average attendance while posting the two highest Hired as Louisiana’s 26th head coach in pro- single-season marks in school history, highlighted gram history on Dec. 13, 2010, Hudspeth quickly by a single-season average of 29,171 fans in 2011. grabbed the attention of Ragin’ Cajuns fans with Since Hudspeth’s arrival in Lafayette, 28 his dynamic personality, energy and desire. He players have been named to the All-Sun Belt tirelessly toured the Acadiana area, speaking to Conference team with two players – Alonzo Harris any group that wanted to listen to him talk about (2011) and Elijah McGuire (2013) – being named Ragin’ Cajuns football. the league’s Freshman of the Year. Individually, And for a passionate fan base that has McGuire added to a solid inaugural campaign for dreamed of a consistent winner on the gridiron, the Ragin’ Cajuns as he was named a Freshman Hudspeth has delivered from his first day on the All-American while linebacker Justin Anderson job. became the seventh player to participate in the The development of the Cajuns in three sea- Senior Bowl. sons under Hudspeth has been dramatic. With 27 While the Ragin’ Cajuns have excelled on wins in Hudspeth’s first three seasons, Louisiana the field under Hudspeth, they have also thrived has posted the best three-year record in program in the classroom. In seven semesters under Hud- history while claiming three consecutive R+L speth dating back to 2011, the Cajuns have turned Carriers New Orleans Bowl victories in the process. in six of the best team grade point averages dat- With bowl victories in each of the past three ing back to 1982. seasons, the Ragin’ Cajuns are one of six schools in In the spring of 2014, the Cajuns’ GPA of the country to accomplish that feat joining Florida 2.849 was the highest recorded in a semester State, Michigan State, Oregon, South Carolina and in school history and marked the fifth consecu- Texas A&M. tive semester of earning a team average of 2.6 2013 SUN BELT CHAMPIONS2013 SUN BELT Under Hudspeth, the Cajuns have been or better. Over 40 percent of the players on the RAGINCAJUNS.COM 2014 LOUISIANA RAGIN’ CAJUNS FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE 2014 The Mark Hudspeth File PERSONAL Hometown Louisville, Miss. Birthplace Montgomery, Ala. Family Married to the former Tyla McConnell Two sons: Gunner (17), Major (3), One daughter: Carley (14) Date Hired At Louisiana December 13, 2010 EDUCATION Winston (Miss.) Academy 1988 Delta State University 1992 B.S. in Health & Education mark hudspeth University of Central Arkansas 1993 M.S. in Secondary School Admininstration COACHING EXPERIENCE Head Coach Louisiana, 2011-present 27-12 Overall Record (Three seasons) 33 93-33 Career Record (10 Years) 2011 New Orleans Bowl Champions 2012 New Orleans Bowl Champions 2013 New Orleans Bowl Champions Visiting with legendary head coach Bill Snyder prior to the Ragin’ Cajuns 2013 game at Kansas State. 2013 Sun Belt Conference Champions squad earned a 3.0 GPA or better. Heading up After three years as an assistant coach at the academic front, four-year letterwinner Andre Delta State (1999-2000) and Navy (2001), Hud- Assistant Coach Mississippi State, 2009-10 Huval capped off an outstanding career for the speth took over as head coach at North Alabama Passing Coordinator/WR Ragin’ Cajuns by being named to the Capital One and the winning quickly commenced. He guided No. 15 Final AP Ranking, 2010 Academic All-District team for the second con- the Lions to a 66-21 record in seven seasons 2010 Gator Bowl secutive year. (2002-08), winning two Gulf South Conference From the day he arrived on campus, Hud- titles and making five appearances in the NCAA Head Coach North Alabama, 2002-08 speth began educating the Ragin’ Cajuns on how Division II Championship, advancing to the semi- 66-21 Overall Record (Seven Years) to win on a consistent level. Inheriting a team that finals three times (2003, 2005, 2008). Gulf South Champions (2003, 2006) was coming off a 3-9 record in 2010, Hudspeth Inheriting a program that had three con- NCAA Division II Semi-Finals led the Ragin’ Cajuns to a school-record tying nine secutive losing records, Hudspeth turned things (2003, 2005, 2007, 2008) wins and a bowl victory in his first season at the around quickly, helping UNA to a 13-1 record in NCAA Division II Quarter-Finals (2006) helm. just his second season (2003). UNA claimed the 2003, 2006 Gulf South Coach of the Year One of the first lessons he gave came when league title with a perfect 9-0 mark and advanced he had the offense and defense engage in an old- to the NCAA Championship for the first time in Assistant Coach Navy, 2001 fashioned tug of war. As the rope went back and seven years, defeating Southern Arkansas and Offensive Coordinator forth with neither team generating enough force Carson-Newman before falling at North Dakota in to win the battle, Hudspeth stopped the Cajuns the national semi-finals. Assistant Coach Delta State, 1999-2000 and had both teams move to the same side of the For his effort, Hudspeth was named the Gulf Offensive Coordinator rope, pointing out how much easier it is to move South Coach of the Year while also being voted 2000 NCAA Division II National Champs the rope when everyone was on the same side the NCAA Division II Region 2 Coach of the Year by and fighting for the same thing. the American Football Coaches Association. Assistant Coach Nicholls State, 1994-95 Months later in New Orleans against San The winning didn’t stop there as the Lions WR/TE (1994), Running Backs (1995) Diego State, with Louisiana down a point with 35 went 11-3 and advanced to the NCAA semis in seconds left and a seemingly endless length of 2005, the first of four straight 10-win campaigns. Graduate Assistant Central Arkansas, 1992-93 Superdome turf away from even having a chance UNA went 11-1 in 2006, including 8-0 in 1992 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference Champs to win, the Ragin’ Cajuns remembered that lesson league play to claim its second Gulf South title, by digging in and driving 49 yards in five plays with Hudspeth earning his second coach of the PLAyiNG EXPERIENCE to set up Brett Baer’s game-winning 50-yard field year award while also being selected as the NCAA Delta State University, 1987-91 goal as time expired. Division II Region 2 Coach of the Year again. The Four Letters (1988-91) The NFL has also paid attention to what Lions followed that up with a 10-2 record and an Started at Safety (1990) & QB (1991) is happening with the Ragin’ Cajuns. In 2011, appearance in the NCAA Division II quarterfinals Dwight Bentley (Detroit) and Ladarius Green (San in 2007. HONORS AND AwARDS Diego) were selected in the NFL Draft. In 2012, Hudspeth capped off his tenure at North Finalist, Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year, 2011 seven Cajuns seniors earned invitations to NFL Alabama by guiding the Lions to a 12-2 record in Finalist, Paul “Bear” Bryant Award, 2011 preseason camps while five former Cajuns earned 2008 and making their fourth straight NCAA ap- EW ORLEANS BOWL CHAMPIONS 2003, 2006 Gulf South Coach of the Year spots after the 2013 campaign. pearance, falling in the semifinals. N A 22-year coaching veteran, Hudspeth Born on Nov. 10, 1968 in Montgomery, Ala., carries a 93-33 career record in 10 seasons as a Hudspeth moved to Louisville, Miss., before the collegiate head coach, winning 10 or more games age of one. In a town with a population of just five times and having winning records in nine 7,000, he quickly became one of the towns’ most straight campaigns. notable young men. Hudspeth, 45, came to Lafayette after serv- Success came to Hudspeth at Winston Acad- ing as the passing game coordinator at Missis- emy as he helped the Patriots to the state title sippi State for two seasons (2009-10), helping the game as a senior in football 1987. He went on to Bulldogs end eight years of football frustrations earn all-county honors three times and play in the by making a Gator Bowl appearance in his final Mississippi High School All-Star game as a senior. 2011-2012-2013 season. After graduating from Delta State with a #GEAUXCAJUNS 2014 LOUISIANA RAGIN’ CAJUNS FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE 2014 degree in health and education in 1992, Hudspeth as head coach, guiding the team to a 25-1 record began his coaching career as a graduate assistant and the 1997 state title during his two seasons.