A graveyard job.
That’s how Jason Simpson’s friends and colleagues in college football described the job of head coach at the University of Tennessee at Martin.
From 1997-2005, one could see the career tombstones of those who had tried to revive a program that was the laughing stock of its league and Division I-AA football.
Before Simpson stepped foot in Martin, four coaches posted a combined record of 14-84. UTM was just getting over the longest losing streak in Ohio Valley Conference play (45 games from 1997-2003) before Simpson, the offensive coordinator at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, was offered the job.
Simpson knew what it took to transform a program. In 2005, he was instrumental in helping Chattanooga go 6-5, its first winning season since 1997. Simpson also coached quarterback Cedric Stevens, who threw for more than 3,100 yards and completed 66 percent of his passes
Despite all of the negatives Simpson heard about the job at UTM, he took the offer because of supply and demand.
“There’s some truth to the fact people were telling me to be careful to not take a head coaching job simply for the title and the problem with that is folks weren’t exactly breaking down my door,” Simpson said. “It was an opportunity and, therefore, to me, it was a great job.”
In his first season at UTM, the Skyhawks went 9-3 and 6-1 in the OVC. The finish was the program’s best since 1988, when it advanced to the postseason in Division II. The six OVC victories were the most for the Skyhawks since they joined the league in 1992. Five of the nine victories came on the road, which marked the first time the Skyhawks won an OVC road game since 1996.
UTM was 57 seconds from its first victory in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision when Southern Illinois rallied for a 36-30 victory.
At 6:30 p.m. Saturday (CSS), Simpson will try to lead UTM to its first victory against a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent when it takes on Mississippi State at Davis Wade Stadium.
“We’ve told the guys this week if you don’t prepare and if you don’t dream about what could happen (Saturday) then it will never happen,” Simpson said.
Now in his sixth season at UTM, Simpson is third all-time in school history with 37 victories. He also owns the school’s highest winning percentage.
“What we’ve done is provided some stability in the coaching staff. That has translated into some wins and excitement,” Simpson said. “Since we’ve gotten here, we have the second highest OVC winning percentage and 4-4 is the worst we’ve been in our league.”
Part of the resurgence can be attributed to the Bob Carroll Football Building, which was dedicated in 2002 and named in honor of the school’s all-time leader in wins. The 17,000 square-foot facility in the south end zone of Graham Stadium has office space for all football personnel, meeting rooms, a locker room, a training room, an equipment room, and a multi-purpose room with a glass wall overlooking the field. Funding for the building came primarily from private donations through the “Building For the Future” campaign.
“That was huge, and then what our administration has done is find little improvements in facilities to be competitive with our league,” Simpson said. “What else can you ask for? I’m able to go into homes across the Southeast to sell the belief of UTM football. That’s all I need.”
Now the barren field that didn’t have logos or markers on it when Simpson arrived has a new $750,000 Field Turf artificial surface with orange end zones with UT Martin and Skyhawks stitched in each end zone.
All of the upgrades, including the payout for playing their annual game against a FBS opponent, have allowed Simpson and his staff to have a larger recruiting base. UTM is one of five Division I football programs in a state that doesn’t have a national reputation for producing high quality high school talent.
“When we have a 25-man signing class every year, maybe 10 or 12 of them will be in-state recruits,” Simpson said. “We have to go into North Alabama, using my connections in Mississippi with the junior colleges, and into Ohio. We need a broader base.”
Simpson is a Ellisville native and a graduate of Southern Mississippi. He also played baseball for Ron Polk at Mississippi State. His coaching career résumé includes a stop at Delta State and time as an assistant football and baseball coach at Collins High School.
UTM showed its ability to recruit in the Magnolia state when it signed Jason McNair, who is now a junior tailback. McNair, the nephew of the late NFL quarterback Steve McNair, has a team-high 615 yards and five touchdowns and is averaging 5.2 yards per carry. At Mount Olive High School, McNair set the Mississippi state record for career touchdowns (120).
“They run the ball very, very well,” MSU coach Dan Mullen said. “They’ve lost three games by a total of seven points and a heartbeat away from being undefeated, so they are a very, very dangerous football team.”
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