Houston Nutt
Nutt at the 2007 SEC Media Days
Sport(s)	Football
Current position
Team	None (Resigned under pressure at both Arkansas in 2007 & Ole Miss in 2011)
Biographical details
Born	(1957-10-14) October 14, 1957 (age 54) Little Rock, Arkansas
Playing career
1976–1977 1979–1981	Arkansas Oklahoma State
Position(s)	Quarterback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1981–1982 1983 1984 1984–1989 1990–1992 1993–1996 1997 1998–2007 2008–2011	Oklahoma State (GA) Arkansas (GA) Arkansas State (assistant) Oklahoma State (assistant) Arkansas (assistant) Murray State Boise State Arkansas Ole Miss
Head coaching record
Overall	135–96
Bowls	4–5
Statistics College Football Data Warehouse
Accomplishments and honors
Championships 2 OVC (1995–1996) 3 SEC Western Division (1998, 2002, 2006)
Awards Eddie Robinson Award (1995) 2x OVC (1995–1996) 3x SEC Coach of the Year (2001, 2006, 2008) 2x AFCA Division I-AA Region 3 Coach of the Year (1995–1996) AFCA Division I-A Region 2 Coach of the Year (1998) The Football News Division I-A Coach of the Year (1998)

Houston Dale Nutt, Jr. (born October 14, 1957) is an American football coach and former player. Most recently he was the head football coach at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) from 2008 to 2011. Previously, he served as the head coach at Murray State University (1993–1996), Boise State University (1997), and the University of Arkansas (1998–2007). Nutt has served as an assistant coach under Lou Holtz and Jack Crowe. He currently works for ESPN as a college football recruiting and game analyst.

Early life and family[link]

Houston Nutt, Jr. was born in Arkansas. He is the son of the late Houston Dale Nutt, Sr., and Emogene Nutt and is the oldest of four children. Houston Nutt, Sr. briefly played basketball for the University of Kentucky under Adolph Rupp before transferring to Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State) in 1952. Nutt graduated from Little Rock Central High School.^[1] His parents taught at the Arkansas School for the Deaf at Little Rock, Arkansas for 35 years. His father also served as athletic director and head basketball coach for the school. His father was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2001. During his childhood, Houston and his brothers were daily members at the Billy Mitchell Boys and Girls Club in Little Rock.

Often referred to as the "Right Reverend" Houston Nutt because he is known for his fiery and inspirational speeches to his teams.^[2]

Wife Diana, like Nutt, graduated from Oklahoma State University. They have four children together: Houston III (born March 11, 1987), twins Hailey and Hanna (born September 26, 1988), and Haven (born March 19, 1991).

Nutt's brother Dickey Nutt was the head basketball coach at Arkansas State University until he announced his resignation on February 19, 2008. He now coaches basketball at Southeast Missouri State University. His brother Danny Nutt is currently the Assistant Athletics Director for Player Development at Ole Miss. Nutt's youngest brother Dennis Nutt, a former NBA player, is head men's basketball coach at Ouachita Baptist University.

College athletic career[link]

Nutt was the last player recruited by Arkansas head coach Frank Broyles before his retirement in 1976. Nutt was recruited as a drop-back style quarterback and started four games as a true freshman after starting quarterback Ron Calcagni was sidelined with an injury. Nutt also played that year for the Southwest Conference champion Arkansas basketball team under coach Eddie Sutton, which went 26–2 and bulled its way to a 16–0 conference mark.

With the retirement of Frank Broyles, Arkansas hired Lou Holtz as the head football coach. Holtz established an option offense that did not make use of Nutt's passing style and relegated him to the bench as a backup.

^[3]

Disappointed by his lack of playing time, Nutt transferred to Oklahoma State University and played two years as a backup quarterback. During his time at Oklahoma State he also played for the basketball team. Nutt graduated from Oklahoma State in 1981 with a degree in physical education.

Coaching career[link]

Assistant coaching[link]

After graduation Nutt became a graduate assistant for Oklahoma State under head coach Jimmy Johnson. In 1983 Nutt returned to Arkansas and became an graduate assistant coach under his former coach Lou Holtz. In the spring of 1984 Nutt was hired by Arkansas State University as a full-time assistant coach but he spent only four months there before returning to Oklahoma State that summer as a receiver's coach.

Nutt spent six seasons as an assistant coach for receivers and quarterbacks at Oklahoma State and was promoted to offensive coordinator in 1989. During his years at Oklahoma State he coached legendary running backs Barry Sanders and Thurman Thomas.

In 1990 Nutt returned to the University of Arkansas as an assistant under head coach Jack Crowe and established a reputation as an excellent recruiter. Nutt remained with the Razorbacks for three seasons and established relationships with Arkansas high school football coaches that would serve him in good stead in later years.

Murray State[link]

In 1993 Nutt received his first head coaching position at NCAA Division I-AA Murray State University. The team went 4–7 and 5–6 in Nutt's first two years.

In 1995 his efforts paid off with an 11–1 record and an Ohio Valley Conference championship after reeling off an 8–0 conference mark. Nutt received Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year honors and was recognized with the Eddie Robinson National Division I-AA Coach of the Year Award.

Nutt repeated his success for the 1996 season with an 11–2 record and another undefeated run through his Ohio Valley Conference schedule. Murray State won its first round Division I-AA playoff appearance, earning Nutt the OVC Coach of the Year honors and regional Coach of the Year honors.

Boise State[link]

Nutt made the step up to NCAA Division I-A the next year when Boise State University hired him to take over their program, which was the lowest ranked of 112 Division I-A schools and had posted a 2–10 record the year before. Boise State had just made the jump to Division I-A football and was looking for a recruiter and motivator to jump start their program.

Nutt's team earned a 5–6 record in 1997 playing at the Division I-A level with its Division I-AA players. Nutt's team beat rival Idaho and almost pulled off an upset against Big Ten Conference program Wisconsin.

Arkansas[link]

Nutt became the head coach of the University of Arkansas Razorbacks on December 10, 1997 succeeding head coach Danny Ford. Nutt, during his first press conference as coach, immediately mentioned a "National Championship" as his goal and felt that Arkansas had the program to win one. The Razorback team had suffered through a long low period under a succession of head coaches in the previous years, having only received two bowl game bids in the eight seasons prior to Nutt's arrival.

Under Nutt, the Razorbacks were one of three SEC schools to play in three New Year's Day bowls within five years. Nutt's teams have been noted for a series of overtime games including the two longest overtime games in NCAA history. Off the field, some of Nutt's players have been named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll 145 times^[4] and he has established a reputation as a responsible coach academically. Some criticism has come for an SEC win record just barely over .500 and because he calls his own offensive plays during a game instead of relying on an offensive coordinator. In his first six seasons Nutt led the team to a bowl game each year and averaged eight wins per season.

1998[link]

Nutt's Razorbacks were picked to finish last in the Southeastern Conference Western Division in 1998 but ended up with a 9–3 record and a share of the division title. The Razorbacks lost to the eventual national champion Tennessee Volunteers on Tennessee's home field after quarterback Clint Stoerner fumbled while trying to run out the clock. For their efforts, the Razorbacks received their first-ever invitation to the Citrus Bowl and ended the season ranked 16th after losing to Michigan. Nutt was selected as the Football News' National Coach of the Year.

1999[link]

In 1999, Nutt's Razorbacks were picked to win the SEC Western Division, but suffered a series of setbacks during the season. They recovered to defeat nationally ranked Tennessee and Mississippi State to earn a Cotton Bowl Classic bid versus arch-rival Texas. The Razorbacks defeated Texas 27–6, becoming the first team to ever hold Texas to negative rushing yards in a game. The Cotton Bowl victory propelled Arkansas into the top 20 to end the season.

2000[link]

For the 2000 season the Razorbacks lost the core of their team and suffered a string of injuries including season-ending injuries to all of the starting running backs. The Razorbacks struggled through the season as a question mark until the final two games when they defeated ranked Mississippi State and LSU teams to pull out another winning record and another bowl appearance.

2001[link]

In the 2001 season, the Razorbacks started off with three straight losses in SEC play. They then came back to win six of the last seven including victories over ranked South Carolina and Auburn teams. Based on this performance, the Razorbacks were selected to return to the Cotton Bowl Classic to face the defending national champion Oklahoma Sooners. Arkansas lost, gaining only 50 yards of total offense and just six first downs.

2002[link]

In 2002, Nutt's Razorbacks stumbled midway through the season but pulled together five straight wins, including a last second touchdown pass against LSU, often referred to as the "Miracle on Markham" to pull out a share of a Western Division title. Arkansas was defeated by the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship Game and ended the season with a loss to Minnesota in the Music City Bowl.

2003[link]

In 2003, Nutt's team started off with a 4–0 record including a win against #5 Texas on their home field. The early season success raised fans expectations sky-high and put Nutt under intense pressure when the Razorbacks lost their next three games putting them out of contention for the national championship or even the SEC Western Division crown. The Razorbacks won four of their last five games and defeated Missouri in the Independence Bowl. After the 2003 season, Nebraska was rumored to be courting Nutt to be their head coach, after the firing of Frank Solich.

2004–2005[link]

The 2004 and 2005 campaigns were widely expected to be rebuilding years due to young teams. The 2004 season ended with a 5–6 record and without a bowl invitation for the first time under Nutt.

The 2005 season was also a rebuilding year as expected. Tough losses to the USC Trojans (70–17) as well as to Vanderbilt and South Carolina showed that the season had been predicted accurately. The team was ineligible for a bowl for the second season in a row (and the second season overall under coach Nutt). This led to Razorback fans calling for coaching changes. After meeting with Frank Broyles (athletic director) at the conclusion of the season, coaching changes were made by Nutt in the offseason at the risk of being fired, the most notable of which was the addition of Gus Malzahn, previously the head coach at Springdale High School in Springdale, Arkansas, as offensive coordinator. The hiring of Malzahn allowed Nutt to sign several highly recruited Springdale players, including Springdale High School quarterback Mitch Mustain and wide receiver Damian Williams who eventually transferred to USC because of disagreements with the coaching staff and a few nasty emails from the Nutts' close friend, Teresa Prewett.

2006[link]

The 2006 season began with a new offensive coordinator in Gus Malzahn, who brought the spread offense and the wild cat formation to Arkansas. The Razorbacks started the season losing 50–14, at a home game in Fayetteville, to the USC. Following the loss to the Trojans, Nutt announced that Mustain would replace Robert Johnson as the Hogs' starting quarterback. Mustain led Arkansas to eight straight wins, including wins against #22 Alabama at home and #2 Auburn at Auburn, before losing the starting job to Casey Dick. Dick had been slotted to start at the beginning of the season but was unable to do so due to a back injury suffered in the spring. Dick led the Razorbacks to two victories out of four for a total of 10 wins, including a win over 13th ranked Tennessee. The Razorbacks moved to #7 in the BCS standings. However, the Hogs lost their last regular season game to the #8 LSU Tigers, 31–26. Despite the loss, the Hogs were still Western Division Champions of the SEC, and played the 11–1, fourth-ranked Florida Gators for the SEC Championship. Florida won, 38–28. The Razorbacks then lost to the #5 Wisconsin Badgers on New Year's Day, 2007 in the Capital One Bowl. A highlight of the season was the second place finish of do-everything tailback Darren McFadden in the Heisman Trophy voting.

2007[link]

The 2007 season began with the Razorbacks ranked 21st by the AP Poll. The Hogs opened at home with a victory over Troy. However, early losses to Alabama and the Kentucky Wildcats knocked Arkansas out of the rankings and made the remaining SEC schedule an uphill struggle, even with Darren McFadden, Felix Jones, and Peyton Hillis in the Razorback backfield. A non-official flyover was made hours before the Auburn home game with a small airplane holding a banner, which read: "Fire Houston Nutt. Players and fans deserve better".

On November 23, 2007 in Baton Rouge, Nutt's Razorbacks beat the top-ranked football team in the nation. In a game that lasted into three overtime periods, Arkansas defeated eventual national champion LSU Tigers, 50–48, returning the Golden Boot back to Arkansas.

Resignation[link]

Three days later, Nutt resigned as head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks amid several controversies and allegations^[5], which had come prior to and throughout the 2007 season.^[6][7] He left the school with a 75–48 record, which is second on the school's all-time win list, behind only Broyles.

Ole Miss[link]

On November 27, 2007 Nutt was hired as the new head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels, replacing former head coach Ed Orgeron, who was fired after three consecutive losing seasons.^[8] Nutt's move to Ole Miss has served to stoke the long-standing Arkansas – Ole Miss rivalry.

It was announced on April 16, 2009 that Nutt and his wife, Diana, had committed to give a gift of $100,000 to Ole Miss, evenly divided between the university's indoor practice facility and the creation of student-athlete scholarships.^[9]

2008[link]

After a 41–24 victory over border rival Memphis to open the season, the Rebels suffered a loss to the then-ranked Wake Forest Demon Deacons, 30–28, on a last-second field goal. After defeating Samford, Ole Miss lost to the Vanderbilt Commodores at home. After the loss, the Rebels traveled to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida, where they defeated the #4-ranked, and eventual national champion, Florida Gators, 31–30, after blocking Florida's attempt at a tying extra point and a defensive stop of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow on 4th-and-1. The next weekend, the Rebels lost to South Carolina.

Next on the schedule was Alabama, ranked #2 in the nation at the time. During the game, Ole Miss became the first team Alabama trailed in the 2008 season. Alabama ultimately prevailed, however, in the final series of the game, winning, 24–20. Then came Arkansas. This was a turning point in the Arkansas-Ole Miss matchup. People started paying more attention to it from that point on. Following an echoing rumble of boos, Ole Miss came onto the field motivated. It was rumored that Houston Nutt's brother and son were flipping fans off and mouthing phrases like "f**k you". Nutt, facing his old team, came out victorious, 23–21. However, it was barely one to a 5-7 team that year (Bobby Petrino's first year at Arkansas was a rebuilding season). After leading 23-7, the Hogs started to rally halfway through the 4th quarter. After scoring two quick touchdowns, the Hogs actually managed to recover an onside kick. A big pass -play followed, which could've put the Hogs in field goal range. However, an Offensive Pass-Interference call was made against the WR who caught the pass. Arkansas' OC (Petrino's brother) was furious at the call, saying the push-off contact with the corner was very mild (making the call ridiculous in his mind). He also argued that contact is part of the game, and just a little can be allowed/usually is. Even though the win was controversial, the score showed Ole Miss victorious and there's no guarantee that Alex Tejada (who often struggled under pressure) would've come through with the kick. The range was close, however, and the Offense still would've had time for a few more plays prior to that. The Rebels followed that with a 17–7 home win against Auburn. On November 15, Ole Miss beat ULM, 59–0, to push their record to 6–4 and become bowl eligible for the first time since 2003. Ole Miss next beat #18 LSU, 31–13, in Baton Rouge, snapping a six-game losing streak to the Tigers, earning the Rebels an Associated Press ranking of 25, first time in four years Ole Miss had been ranked, and putting them in position for a possible bid to the Cotton Bowl Classic in Dallas, Texas.^[10] The Rebels went on to beat SEC West and in-state rival Mississippi State, 45–0, in the Egg Bowl to finish the regular season at 8–4. The win over the Bulldogs moved the Rebels up to #22 in the AP Poll and landed the team their first ranking of the year in the Coaches' Poll, coming in at #25. Ole Miss defeated the #7-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders, 47–34, in the Cotton Bowl Classic.

2009[link]

The Ole Miss Rebels began the 2009 season rated highly by the media. After beating Memphis, 45–14, and Southeastern Louisiana, 52–6, which gave Ole Miss the second longest winning streak in the nation at eight games dating back to the 2008 season, Ole Miss climbed as high as #4 in the AP Poll before losing their 2009 SEC opener, 10–16, on the road at South Carolina in a Thursday night game on September 24. After the loss, Ole Miss fell 17 spots in the AP Poll, down to #21. Ole Miss went on the road again and beat Vanderbilt the next week, 23–7. After a disappointing start of their 2009 season and pair of conference losses, they managed to rebound against Arkansas, winning 30-17. The Hogs had just come off a devastating loss to Florida, the outcome of which was potentially influenced by several controversial calls during the game; after the game, the officiating crew was suspended by the league office. After this promising victory, Ole Miss was able to beat #8-ranked LSU, 25–23, at Oxford. Ole Miss lost to in-state and SEC rival Mississippi State on November 28 in the Egg Bowl at Starkville, 41–27. Ole Miss was picked to play in the Cotton Bowl Classic for the second year in a row, where they defeated Oklahoma State, 21–7, to end the 2009 season.

2010[link]

The Ole Miss Rebels finished 4-8 overall in the 2010 season, including 1-7 in the Southeastern Conference. Among the worst of these losses was to FCS-member Jacksonville State, which was Ole Miss' first loss to a lower division team since 1945. In an ironic twist, the HC of Jacksonville State at this time was Jack Crowe, who had resigned under pressure one game into the 1992 season as HC at Arkansas after a season opening loss to FCS-member The Citadel. Houston Nutt was an assistant on Crowe's staff at this time.

2011[link]

Nutt set an Ole Miss coaching record with his 12th straight Southeastern Conference loss. On November 7, 2011, Nutt was fired by the University of Mississippi, but was allowed to coach through the end of the season. His final game was a 31-3 loss to Mississippi State.

Head coaching record[link]

Notes[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Ole Miss profile
• Houston Nutt at the College Football Data Warehouse
• Houston Nutt at the Internet Movie Database

Houston
—  City  —
City of Houston
Flag Official seal of Houston Seal
Nickname(s): Space City (official), more. . .
Houston's location and city limits in Harris County, Texas
Houston Location in the United States of America
Coordinates: 29°45′46″N 95°22′59″W / 29.76278°N 95.38306°W / 29.76278; -95.38306Coordinates: 29°45′46″N 95°22′59″W / 29.76278°N 95.38306°W / 29.76278; -95.38306
Country	United States
State	Texas
Counties	Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery
Incorporated	June 5, 1837
Government
• Type	Mayor–council
• Mayor	Annise Parker
Area
• City	1,699.81 km2 (656.3 sq mi)
• Land	1,642.05 km2 (634.0 sq mi)
• Water	57.7 km2 (22.3 sq mi)
Elevation	13 m (43 ft)
Population (2010 US Census)[1][2]
• City	2,099,451(4th U.S.)
• Density	1,505/km2 (3,623/sq mi)
• Urban	3,822,509 (10th U.S.)
• Metro	5,946,800 (5th U.S.)
• Demonym	Houstonian
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Area code(s)	713, 281, 832
FIPS code	48-35000[3]
GNIS feature ID	1380948[4]
Website	houstontx.gov

Houston ( /ˈhjuːstən/) (Alibamu: Yosti ^[5]) is the largest city in the state of Texas, and the fourth-largest city in the United States. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of 656.3 square miles (1,700 km²).^[1][6] Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown, which is the fifth-largest metropolitan area in the United States, with 6.08 million people as of July 1st, 2011.^[7]

Houston was founded in 1836 on land near the banks of Buffalo Bayou.^[8] It was incorporated as a city on June 5, 1837, and named after then-President of the Republic of Texas—former General Sam Houston—who had commanded at the Battle of San Jacinto, which took place 25 miles (40 km) east of where the city was established. The burgeoning port and railroad industry, combined with oil discovery in 1901, has induced continual surges in the city's population. In the mid-twentieth century, Houston became the home of the Texas Medical Center—the world's largest concentration of healthcare and research institutions—and NASA's Johnson Space Center, where the Mission Control Center is located.^[9]

Rated as a global city, Houston's economy has a broad industrial base in energy, manufacturing, aeronautics, and transportation. It is also leading in health care sectors and building oilfield equipment; only New York City is home to more Fortune 500 headquarters.^[10][11] The Port of Houston ranks first in the United States in international waterborne tonnage handled and second in total cargo tonnage handled.^[12] The city has a population from various ethnic and religious backgrounds and a large and growing international community. It is home to many cultural institutions and exhibits, which attract more than 7 million visitors a year to the Museum District. Houston has an active visual and performing arts scene in the Theatre District and offers year-round resident companies in all major performing arts.^[13]

History[link]

Sam Houston

In August 1836, two real estate entrepreneurs—Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen—from New York, purchased 6,642 acres (26.88 km²) of land along Buffalo Bayou with the intent of founding a city.^[14] The Allen brothers decided to name the city after Sam Houston, the popular general at the Battle of San Jacinto,^[14] who was elected President of Texas in September 1836.

Houston was granted incorporation on June 5, 1837, with James S. Holman becoming its first mayor.^[15] In the same year, Houston became the county seat of Harrisburg County (now Harris County) and the temporary capital of the Republic of Texas.^[16] In 1840, the community established a chamber of commerce in part to promote shipping and waterborne business at the newly created port on Buffalo Bayou.^[17]

Houston, circa 1873

By 1860, Houston had emerged as a commercial and railroad hub for the export of cotton.^[16] Railroad spurs from the Texas inland converged in Houston, where they met rail lines to the ports of Galveston and Beaumont. During the American Civil War, Houston served as a headquarters for General John Bankhead Magruder, who used the city as an organization point for the Battle of Galveston.^[18] After the Civil War, Houston businessmen initiated efforts to widen the city's extensive system of bayous so the city could accept more commerce between downtown and the nearby port of Galveston. By 1890, Houston was the railroad center of Texas.

Union Station, Houston, Texas (postcard, circa 1911)

In 1900, after Galveston was struck by a devastating hurricane, efforts to make Houston into a viable deepwater port were accelerated.^[19] The following year, oil discovered at the Spindletop oil field near Beaumont prompted the development of the Texas petroleum industry.^[20] In 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt approved a $1 million improvement project for the Houston Ship Channel. By 1910 the city's population had reached 78,800, almost doubling from a decade before. An integral part of the city were African Americans, who numbered 23,929 or nearly one-third of the residents.^[21] They were developing a strong professional class based then in the Fourth Ward.

President Woodrow Wilson opened the deepwater Port of Houston in 1914, seven years after digging began. By 1930, Houston had become Texas's most populous city and Harris the most populous county.^[22]

Downtown Houston, circa 1927

When World War II started, tonnage levels at the port decreased and shipping activities were suspended; however, the war did provide economic benefits for the city. Petrochemical refineries and manufacturing plants were constructed along the ship channel because of the demand for petroleum and synthetic rubber products during the war.^[23] Ellington Field, initially built during World War I, was revitalized as an advanced training center for bombardiers and navigators.^[24] The M.D. Anderson Foundation formed the Texas Medical Center in 1945. After the war, Houston's economy reverted to being primarily port-driven. In 1948, several unincorporated areas were annexed into the city limits, which more than doubled the city's size, and Houston proper began to spread across the region.^[15][25]