View source for Houston Nutt

{{Short description|American football player and coach (born 1957)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox college coach
| name = Houston Nutt
| image = HoustonNutt.png
| alt = 
| caption = Nutt at the 2007 SEC Media Days
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1957|10|14}}
| birth_place = [[Little Rock, Arkansas]], U.S.
| death_date = 
| death_place = 
| alma_mater = 
| player_years1 = 1976–1977
| player_team1 = [[Arkansas Razorbacks football|Arkansas]]
| player_years2 = 1979–1981
| player_team2 = [[Oklahoma State Cowboys football|Oklahoma State]]
| player_positions = [[Quarterback]]
| coach_years1 = 1981–1982
| coach_team1 = [[Oklahoma State Cowboys football|Oklahoma State]] ([[Graduate assistant|GA]])
| coach_years2 = 1983
| coach_team2 = [[Arkansas Razorbacks football|Arkansas]] (GA)
| coach_years3 = 1984
| coach_team3 = [[Arkansas State Red Wolves football|Arkansas State]] (QB)
| coach_years4 = 1984–1989
| coach_team4 = [[Oklahoma State Cowboys football|Oklahoma State]] (QB/WR)
| coach_years5 = 1990–1992
| coach_team5 = Arkansas (WR)
| coach_years6 = 1993–1996
| coach_team6 = [[Murray State Racers football|Murray State]]
| coach_years7 = 1997
| coach_team7 = [[Boise State Broncos football|Boise State]]
| coach_years8 = 1998–2007
| coach_team8 = Arkansas
| coach_years9 = 2008–2011
| coach_team9 = [[Ole Miss Rebels football|Ole Miss]]
| overall_record = 135–96
| bowl_record = 4–5
| tournament_record = 
| championships = 2 [[Ohio Valley Conference|OVC]] (1995–1996)<br />3 [[List of SEC conference champions#Divisional champions|SEC Western Division]] (1998, 2002, 2006)
| awards = [[Eddie Robinson Award]] (1995)<br />2× [[Ohio Valley Conference|OVC]] Coach of the Year (1995–1996)<br />3× [[Southeastern Conference football individual awards#Coach of the Year|SEC Coach of the Year]] (2001, 2006, 2008)<br />2× AFCA Division I-AA Region 3 Coach of the Year (1995–1996)<br />AFCA Division I-A Region 2 Coach of the Year (1998)<br />''The Football News'' Division I-A Coach of the Year (1998)
| coaching_records = 
}}
'''Houston Dale Nutt Jr.''' (born October 14, 1957) is an American former [[college football]] coach and player. He formerly worked for [[CBS Sports]] as a [[college football]] studio analyst. Previously, he served as the head football coach at [[Murray State University]] (1993–1996), [[Boise State University]] (1997), the [[University of Arkansas]] (1998–2007), and the [[University of Mississippi]] (2008–2011).

==Early life and family==
Houston Nutt Jr. was born in Arkansas, a distant descendant of [[Haller Nutt]] and member of the Nutt family, which is prominent in Southern society. 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 State University–Stillwater|Oklahoma A&M]] (now Oklahoma State) in 1952. Nutt graduated from [[Little Rock Central High School]].<ref>Allen, Nate. [http://www.baxterbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071127/SPORTS/711270350/1006 "Nutt resigns as Hogs' head coach"]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, ''[[The Baxter Bulletin]]'', November 27, 2007. Accessed November 27, 2007. "Broyles — who as coach recruited Nutt from Little Rock Central to the Razorbacks as a quarterback in 1976 — and White both lauded Nutt's accomplishments..."</ref> 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.

Wife Diana, like Nutt, graduated from [[Oklahoma State University – Stillwater|Oklahoma State University]]. The couple 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 was also head coach at Southeast Missouri State of the OVC, before moving on to coach at [[Stetson University]]. He is now a special assistant coach at Cleveland State. His brother [[Danny Nutt]] served as the Assistant Athletics Director for Player Development at Ole Miss during Houston's tenure as head coach. Nutt's youngest brother [[Dennis Nutt]], a former [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] player, is head men's basketball coach at Ouachita Baptist University.

==College athletic career==
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 accomplished a 16–0 conference mark.

With the retirement of 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.<ref>Harris, Jim (May 31, 2007) [https://web.archive.org/web/20120302174943/http://www.arkansassports360.com/16426/11/03/2010]. arkansassports360.com.</ref>

Disappointed by his lack of playing time, Nutt transferred to  [[Oklahoma State University – Stillwater|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==

===Assistant coaching===
After graduation, Nutt became a graduate assistant at Oklahoma State under head coach [[Jimmy Johnson (American football coach)|Jimmy Johnson]]. In 1983, Nutt returned to Arkansas and became a graduate assistant coach under 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 wide receivers coach.{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}}

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 helped mentor running back [[Barry Sanders]], who won the 1988 [[Heisman Trophy]], and [[Buffalo Bills]] legend [[Thurman Thomas]].

<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Fad0139.jpg|right|thumb|Nutt before an Arkansas Razorback football game]] -->
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 later years.{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}}

===Murray State===
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===
Nutt made the step up to NCAA Division I-A the next year when [[Boise State Broncos football|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. Two years after making the Division I-AA finals in [[1994 Boise State Broncos football team|1994]], the Broncos had an interim head coach in 1996 as head coach [[Pokey Allen]] battled cancer. Boise State's first year in Division I-A had been difficult; the school was looking for a recruiter and motivator to jump start their program following Allen's death in late December.

Nutt's team posted a 5–6 record in 1997, playing at the Division I-A level with its Division I-AA players. Nutt's team beat [[Boise State–Idaho rivalry|rival]] [[Idaho Vandals football|Idaho]] on the road in overtime for the first Boise win in [[Moscow, Idaho]], since [[1981 Boise State Broncos football team|1981]]. Additionally, Boise State almost pulled off an upset against [[Wisconsin Badgers football|Wisconsin]] of the [[Big Ten Conference|Big Ten]].

===Arkansas===
Nutt became the head coach of the [[University of Arkansas]] [[Arkansas Razorbacks|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 Razorbacks had suffered through a 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.

Upon his arrival at Arkansas, Nutt invigorated the Razorback fan base with his enthusiasm and high energy. 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 were noted for a series of overtime games including the two longest overtime games in NCAA history. Off the field, some of Nutt's players were named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll 145 times<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140910215838/http://www.hogwired.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=30722&SPID=2419&DB_OEM_ID=6100&ATCLID=530219&Q_SEASON=2007 Head Coach Houston Nutt – University of Arkansas Athletics]. hogwired.com</ref> and he established a reputation as a responsible coach academically. Nutt received some criticism for a [[Southeastern Conference|SEC]] win–loss record that was just barely over .500 and because he called 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 season====
In his first season as head coach, 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 [[1998 Tennessee Volunteers football team|Tennessee Volunteers]] on Tennessee's [[Neyland Stadium|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 No. 16 after losing to [[1998 Michigan Wolverines football team|Michigan]], led by junior quarterback [[Tom Brady]]. Nutt was selected as the Football News' National Coach of the Year.

====1999 season====
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 #4 ranked [[1999 Tennessee Volunteers football team|Tennessee]], getting revenge for the loss in Knoxville the previous season due to Stoerner's fumble, and [[Mississippi State Bulldogs football|Mississippi State]] to earn a [[2000 Cotton Bowl Classic|Cotton Bowl Classic]] bid versus arch-rival [[1999 Texas Longhorns football team|Texas]]. The Razorbacks defeated Texas 27–6, becoming the first team to ever hold Texas to negative rushing yards in a bowl game. It was Arkansas' first bowl victory since the [[1985 Holiday Bowl]]. The Cotton Bowl victory, which was the first college football game played in the 21st Century, propelled Arkansas into the top 20 to end the season, finishing (8-4).

====2000 season====
The 2000 season saw the Razorbacks lose the core of their team and suffer a string of injuries, including season-ending injuries to all of the starting running backs, and injuries to three of their quarterbacks. The Razorbacks struggled throughout the season until the final two games, when they defeated ranked Mississippi State and [[2000 LSU Tigers football team|LSU]] teams to pull out another winning record and a [[Las Vegas Bowl]] appearance. Arkansas lost to UNLV in that game, finishing (6-6).

====2001 season====
In the 2001 season, the Razorbacks started off with a revenge victory over UNLV, but then suffered three straight losses in conference play. They then came back to win six of the last seven, including victories over ranked [[2001 South Carolina Gamecocks football team|South Carolina]] and [[2001 Auburn Tigers football team|Auburn]] teams. Based on this performance, the Razorbacks were selected to return to the [[2002 Cotton Bowl Classic|Cotton Bowl Classic]] to face the defending national champion [[2001 Oklahoma Sooners football team|Oklahoma Sooners]].  Arkansas lost, gaining only 50 yards of total offense and just six first downs. Nutt was named SEC coach of the year by the Associated Press and by the SEC coaches. Arkansas finished (7-5).

====2002 season====
In 2002, Nutt's Razorbacks (9-5) stumbled midway through the season but rallied to pull 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 [[2002 Georgia Bulldogs football team|Georgia Bulldogs]] in the [[2002 SEC Championship Game|SEC Championship Game]] and ended the season with a loss to [[2002 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team|Minnesota]] in the [[2002 SEC Championship Game|Music City Bowl]].

====2003 season====
In 2003, Nutt's team started off with a 4–0 record including a win against #5 [[2003 Texas Longhorns football team|Texas]] in Austin (Arkansas' first victory at Texas since 1988). The early season success raised fan expectations sky-high and put Nutt under intense pressure when the Razorbacks lost their next three games, to include controversial losses to Auburn and Florida, putting them out of contention for the national championship or even the SEC Western Division crown. The Razorbacks won four of their final five games and defeated [[2003 Missouri Tigers football team|Missouri]] in the [[Independence Bowl]] to finish with a record of (9-4). After the 2003 season, [[Nebraska Cornhuskers football|Nebraska]] was rumored to be courting Nutt to be their head coach, after the firing of [[Frank Solich]].

====2004 season====
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.

====2005 season====
The 2005 season was also a rebuilding year as expected. Tough losses to [[2005 USC Trojans football team|USC]] (70–17) as well as to [[2005 Vanderbilt Commodores football team|Vanderbilt]] and [[2005 South Carolina Gamecocks football team|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 forced 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 (wide receiver)|Damian Williams]], both of whom eventually transferred to USC.

====2006 season====
The 2006 season began with a new offensive coordinator in [[Gus Malzahn|Malzahn]]. The Razorbacks started the season losing 50–14 in a home game to [[2006 USC Trojans football team|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 victories against No. 22 [[2006 Alabama Crimson Tide football team|Alabama]] at home and No. 2 [[2006 Auburn Tigers football team|Auburn]] at Auburn, before losing the starting job to Casey Dick during the South Carolina game. Dick had been slotted to start at the beginning of the season but was unable to do so because of 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 No. 13 Tennessee in Fayetteville when ESPN's College Gameday crew was in attendance. The Razorbacks moved to No. 7 in the BCS standings. However, the Hogs lost their last regular season game to the No. 8 [[2006 LSU Tigers football team|LSU Tigers]], 31–26. Despite the loss, the Hogs were still Western Division Champions of the SEC and played the 11–1 fourth-ranked [[2006 Florida Gators football team|Florida Gators]] for the SEC Championship. Florida won, 38–28.  The Razorbacks then lost to the No. 5 [[2006 Wisconsin Badgers football team|Wisconsin Badgers]] on New Year's Day 2007 in the [[2007 Capital One Bowl|Capital One Bowl]], finishing the season with a (10-4) record. It was Arkansas' first 10-win season since 1989.
A highlight of the season was the second-place finish of sophomore tailback [[Darren McFadden]] in the [[Heisman Trophy]] voting. Nutt was named SEC coach of the year by the Associated Press and by the SEC coaches for the second time.

====2007 season====
The 2007 season began with the Razorbacks ranked No. 21 by the [[AP Poll]].  The Hogs opened at home with a victory over [[2007 Troy Trojans football team|Troy]]. However, early losses to [[2007 Alabama Crimson Tide football team|Alabama]] and [[2007 Kentucky Wildcats football team|Kentucky]] 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. Fan frustration boiled over, with some fans wearing all black T-shirts with anti-Nutt statements, radicals made death threats against the Nutt family, and one fan bought an entire page in a local Little Rock newspaper calling for Nutt to be fired. A non-official flyover was made hours before the Auburn home game with a small airplane towing a banner which read: "Fire Houston Nutt. Players and fans deserve better."

On November 23, 2007, in [[Baton Rouge]], Nutt's Razorbacks beat the #1 football team in the nation. In a game that lasted three overtimes, Arkansas defeated eventual national champion [[2007 LSU Tigers football team|LSU Tigers]], 50–48, returning the [[Arkansas–LSU football rivalry|Golden Boot]] back to Arkansas.

Darren McFadden would finish his career at Arkansas as the school's all-time leading rusher, was a consensus first team All-American, and finished runner-up in the Heisman voting for the second year in a row.

====Resignation====
Three days after defeating LSU, Nutt resigned as head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks amid several controversies and rumors, which had come prior to and throughout the [[2007 Arkansas Razorbacks football team|2007 season]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 22, 2007 |title=SI.com – The Razor's edge – Feb 22, 2007 |work=CNN |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/stewart_mandel/02/22/arkansas.nutt/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070224112531/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/stewart_mandel/02/22/arkansas.nutt/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 24, 2007 |access-date=May 4, 2010}}</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120207222746/http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/18321489/ SN: Time for Nutt to bolt Arkansas – College football]. NBCSports. April 26, 2007</ref>  He left the school with a 75–48 record, which is second on the school's all-time win list, behind only Broyles.
The 2007 team would go on to lose to Missouri in the [[2008 Cotton Bowl Classic]] under interim head coach [[Reggie Herring]], finishing (8-5).

===Ole Miss===
On November 27, 2007, Nutt was hired as the new head coach of the [[Ole Miss Rebels football|Ole Miss Rebels]], replacing former head coach [[Ed Orgeron]], who was fired after three consecutive losing seasons.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2007-11-27 |title=Ole Miss snags ex-Arkansas coach Nutt |url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/news/story?id=3129559 |access-date=2024-06-20 |website=ESPN.com|agency=Associated Press |language=en}}</ref> Nutt's move to Ole Miss served to stoke the long-standing [[Arkansas–Ole Miss football 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.<ref>Recek Travis (April 16, 2009) [https://web.archive.org/web/20090909232857/http://www.fox40now.com/sports/43124022.html Houston Nutt and Wife Diana Donate To Ole Miss]. ''Fox40 News''</ref>

====2008 season====
{{Main|2008 Ole Miss Rebels football team}}
After a 41–24 victory over border rival [[2008 Memphis Tigers football team|Memphis]] to open the season, the Rebels suffered a loss to the then-ranked [[2008 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team|Wake Forest Demon Deacons]], 30–28, on a last-second field goal. After defeating [[Samford Bulldogs football|Samford]], Ole Miss lost to the [[2008 Vanderbilt Commodores football team|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, [[2008 Florida Gators football team|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 [[2008 South Carolina Gamecocks football team|South Carolina]].

Next on the schedule was [[2008 Alabama Crimson Tide football team|Alabama]], ranked No. 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 [[2008 Arkansas Razorbacks football team|Arkansas]].  Nutt, facing his old team, came out victorious, 23–21. The Rebels followed that with a 17–7 home win against [[2008 Auburn Tigers football team|Auburn]]. On November 15, Ole Miss beat [[2008 ULM Warhawks football team|ULM]], 59–0, to push their record to 6–4 and become bowl eligible for the first time since 2003. Ole Miss next beat No. 8 [[2008 LSU Tigers football team|LSU]], 31–13, in Baton Rouge, snapping a six-game losing streak to the Tigers, earning the Rebels an Associated Press ranking of No. 25, the 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]]. The Rebels went on to beat SEC West and in-state rival [[2008 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team|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 No. 22 in the AP Poll and landed the team their first ranking of the year in the [[Coaches' Poll]], coming in at No. 25. Ole Miss defeated the No. 7 [[2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team|Texas Tech Red Raiders]], 47–34, in the [[2009 Cotton Bowl Classic|Cotton Bowl Classic]].

====2009 season====
{{main|2009 Ole Miss Rebels football team}}
The Ole Miss Rebels began the 2009 season rated highly by the media. After beating [[2009 Memphis Tigers football team|Memphis]], 45–14, and [[Southeastern Louisiana Lions football|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 No. 4 in the AP Poll before losing their 2009 SEC opener, 16–10, on the road at [[2009 South Carolina Gamecocks football team|South Carolina]] in a Thursday night game on September 24.  After the loss, Ole Miss fell 17 spots in the AP Poll, down to No. 21.  Ole Miss went on the road again and beat [[2009 Vanderbilt Commodores football team|Vanderbilt]] the next week, 23–7. After a disappointing start and pair of conference losses, they managed to rebound against Arkansas, winning 30–17.  Ole Miss went on to beat No. 8 [[2009 LSU Tigers football team|LSU]], 25–23, at Oxford.  Ole Miss lost to in-state and SEC rival [[2009 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team|Mississippi State]] on November 28 in the Egg Bowl at [[Starkville, Mississippi|Starkville]], 41–27.  Ole Miss was picked to play in the [[2010 Cotton Bowl Classic|Cotton Bowl Classic]] for the second year in a row, where they defeated [[2009 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team|Oklahoma State]], 21–7, to end the season.

=====The Houston Nutt Rule=====
Nutt recruited 37 players in February 2010, leading the SEC to enact the Houston Nutt Rule: effective August 1, 2010, "SEC teams will be limited to signing 28 football recruits, with the usual maximum of 25 allowed to enroll in the fall."<ref name="Nutt rule">[http://blog.al.com/solomon/2010/02/sec_teams_adjust_to_houston_nu.html SEC teams adjust to 'Houston Nutt rule' | AL.com]. Blog.al.com. Retrieved on July 19, 2015.</ref>

ESPN recruiting analyst Tom Luginbill said:<ref name="Nutt rule" />

{{blockquote|Ole Miss was trying to create a farm league.  I think what the cap does is make you have to make tougher choices. Before you could say, ''We can get all three of these guys.'' Now you say, ''We can fit one in and which one do we want?''"}}

====2010 season====
{{main|2010 Ole Miss Rebels football team}}
The Ole Miss Rebels finished 4–8 overall in the 2010 season, including 1–7 in the Southeastern Conference.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2010 Ole Miss Rebels Schedule and Results |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/mississippi/2010-schedule.html |access-date=2024-10-29 |website=College Football at Sports-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> 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 head coach of Jacksonville State at the time was Jack Crowe, who was fired by athletic director [[Frank Broyles]] one game into the 1992 season as head coach at Arkansas, after a season-opening loss to FCS-member [[The Citadel Bulldogs football|The Citadel]]. Houston Nutt was an assistant on Crowe's staff at that time. Nutt and Ole Miss lost to Arkansas this season, 38-24, and many Razorback fans jeered Nutt after the game.

All four victories were vacated in 2019 as punishment for recruiting violations committed by members of Nutt's staff, leaving the team officially winless.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Ole Miss to vacate 33 FB wins after violations |url=https://www.si.com/college-football/2019/02/12/ole-miss-vacates-wins-ncaa-violations |access-date=July 22, 2019 |website=SI.com |date=February 12, 2019 |language=en}}</ref> It was Ole Miss' first winless record in modern times.

====2011 season====
{{main|2011 Ole Miss Rebels football team}}
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.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-11-07 |title=Nutt resigning, will finish season at Mississippi |url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/7202990/houston-nutt-mississippi-rebels-resign-end-season |access-date=2024-10-29 |website=ESPN.com|agency=Associated Press |language=en}}</ref> His final game was a 31–3 loss to Mississippi State in the annual [[Egg Bowl]]. Nutt also lost for the second straight year to his former team, the University of Arkansas, as the Razorbacks held on for a 29–24 victory in Oxford.
Ole Miss finished winless in conference play.

Two wins in non-conference play were vacated in 2019 as punishment for recruiting violations committed by members of Nutt's staff, leaving the team officially winless.<ref name=":0" />

==Allegations of misconduct in recruiting==
In January 2016, the NCAA notified Nutt's former university, Mississippi, of 13 compliance violations alleged to have occurred under both Nutt and then-head coach [[Hugh Freeze]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ole Miss NCAA Reckoning could come by November |url=https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2017/8/9/16122988/ole-miss-ncaa-coi-hearing-date |access-date=September 21, 2019 |website=sbnation.com |date=August 10, 2017 |language=en}}</ref> Nutt was alleged to have cheated by allowing ineligible students to play in Ole Miss games in 2011 and 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ole Miss to vacate 33 FB wins after violations |url=https://www.si.com/college-football/2019/02/12/ole-miss-vacates-wins-ncaa-violations |access-date=July 22, 2019 |website=SI.com |date=February 12, 2019 |language=en}} {{verify source |date=September 2019 |reason=This ref was deleted Special:Diff/907379963 by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot from the original cite located at Special:Permalink/907378743 cite #14 - verify the cite is accurate and delete this template. [[User:GreenC bot/Job 18]]}}</ref>  However, Nutt filed suit against Ole Miss, and the suit was later settled with the university and Nutt issuing this official statement:
<blockquote>"Certain statements made by University employees in January 2016 appear to have contributed to misleading media reports about Coach Nutt. To the extent any such statements harmed Coach Nutt’s reputation, the University apologizes, as this was not the intent. The NCAA’s Notice of Allegations dated January 22, 2016, did not name or implicate Coach Nutt in any misconduct, and it would have been inappropriate for any University employee to suggest otherwise."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ole Miss and Houston Nutt reach Settlement on Lawsuit |url=https://www.si.com/college-football/2017/10/16/ole-miss-houston-nutt-lawsuit-settlement |access-date=2019-09-21 |website=SI.com |date=October 16, 2017 |language=en}}</ref></blockquote> Apparently, two assistants under Nutt had conspired to fix certain players' ACT scores to make them eligible to play and those assistants under Nutt were found guilty of academic fraud.  These were the only two violations which occurred under Nutt's administration; of the 21 total NCAA findings, the remaining 19 violations were under Freeze's administration.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Houston Nutt Relieved by Results of Ole Miss Investigation |url=https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/ole-miss-football/houston-nutt-relieved-results-ole-miss-investigation/t |access-date=September 21, 2019 |website=saturdaydownsouth.com |date=January 21, 2019 |language=en}}</ref>

==Head coaching record==
{{CFB Yearly Record Start  | type = coach  | team =  | conf =  | bowl =  | poll = both }}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
 | name      = [[Murray State Racers football|Murray State Racers]]
 | conf      = [[Ohio Valley Conference]]
 | startyear = 1993
 | endyear   = 1996
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1993 NCAA Division I-AA football season|1993]]
 | name         = [[1993 Murray State Racers football team|Murray State]]
 | overall      = 4–7
 | conference   = 4–4
 | confstanding = 4th
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = 
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1994 NCAA Division I-AA football season|1994]]
 | name         = [[1994 Murray State Racers football team|Murray State]]
 | overall      = 5–6
 | conference   = 4–4
 | confstanding = 4th
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = 
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = conference
 | year         = [[1995 NCAA Division I-AA football season|1995]]
 | name         = [[1995 Murray State Racers football team|Murray State]]
 | overall      = 11–1
 | conference   = 8–0
 | confstanding = 1st
 | bowlname     = [[1995 NCAA Division I-AA football season|NCAA Division I-AA First Round]]
 | bowloutcome  = L
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = 
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = conference
 | year         = [[1996 NCAA Division I-AA football season|1996]]
 | name         = Murray State
 | overall      = 11–2
 | conference   = 8–0
 | confstanding = 1st
 | bowlname     = [[1996 NCAA Division I-AA football season|NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal]]
 | bowloutcome  = L
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = 
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
 | name       = Murray State
 | overall    = 31–16
 | confrecord = 24–8
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
 | name      = [[Boise State Broncos football|Boise State Broncos]]
 | conf      = [[Big West Conference]]
 | startyear = 1997
 | endyear   = single
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1997 NCAA Division I-A football season|1997]]
 | name         = [[1997 Boise State Broncos football team|Boise State]]
 | overall      = 5–6{{refn|[[Cal State Northridge Matadors football|Cal State Northridge]]'s 63–23 win over Boise State on August 30 was forfeited for infractions.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110708095818/http://www.broncosports.com/SportSelect.dbml?SPSID=48555&SPID=4061&DB_OEM_ID=9900&KEY=&Q_SEASON=1997 Football – 1997 Schedule – Boise State]. broncosports.com</ref>|group=n|name=1997season}}
 | conference   = 3–2
 | confstanding = 3rd
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = 
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
 | name       = Boise State
 | overall    = 5–6
 | confrecord = 3–2
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
 | name      = [[Arkansas Razorbacks football|Arkansas Razorbacks]]
 | conf      = [[Southeastern Conference]]
 | startyear = 1998
 | endyear   = 2007
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = division
 | year         = [[1998 NCAA Division I-A football season|1998]]
 | name         = [[1998 Arkansas Razorbacks football team|Arkansas]]
 | overall      = 9–3
 | conference   = 6–2
 | confstanding = T–1st <small>(Western)</small>
 | bowlname     = [[1999 Florida Citrus Bowl|Florida Citrus]]
 | bowloutcome  = L
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = 17
 | ranking2     = 16
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1999 NCAA Division I-A football season|1999]]
 | name         = [[1999 Arkansas Razorbacks football team|Arkansas]]
 | overall      = 8–4
 | conference   = 4–4
 | confstanding = 3rd <small>(Western)</small>
 | bowlname     = [[2000 Cotton Bowl Classic|Cotton]]
 | bowloutcome  = W
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = 19
 | ranking2     = 17
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[2000 NCAA Division I-A football season|2000]]
 | name         = [[2000 Arkansas Razorbacks football team|Arkansas]]
 | overall      = 6–6
 | conference   = 3–5
 | confstanding = T–5th <small>(Western)</small>
 | bowlname     = [[2000 Las Vegas Bowl|Las Vegas]]
 | bowloutcome  = L
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = 
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[2001 NCAA Division I-A football season|2001]]
 | name         = [[2001 Arkansas Razorbacks football team|Arkansas]]
 | overall      = 7–5
 | conference   = 4–4
 | confstanding = 3rd <small>(Western)</small>
 | bowlname     = [[2002 Cotton Bowl Classic|Cotton]]
 | bowloutcome  = L
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = 
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = division
 | year         = [[2002 NCAA Division I-A football season|2002]]
 | name         = [[2002 Arkansas Razorbacks football team|Arkansas]]
 | overall      = 9–5
 | conference   = 5–3
 | confstanding = T–2nd <small>(Western)</small>{{#tag:ref|In 2002, [[2002 Alabama Crimson Tide football team|Alabama]] finished first in Western Division of the [[Southeastern Conference]] (SEC) with a conference record of 6–2, but was ineligible for the division title or postseason play as part of a penalty for [[National Collegiate Athletic Association]] (NCAA) violations.  Arkansas, [[2002 Auburn Tigers football team|Auburn]], and [[2002 LSU Tigers football team|LSU]] tied for second place, each with a 5–3 mark in the conference, and were named co-champions.  Arkansas was awarded a berth in the [[2002 SEC Championship Game|SEC Championship Game]] by virtue of their head-to-head wins over Auburn and LSU.|group=n|name=2002season}}
 | bowlname     = [[2002 Music City Bowl|Music City]]
 | bowloutcome  = L
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = 
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[2003 NCAA Division I-A football season|2003]]
 | name         = [[2003 Arkansas Razorbacks football team|Arkansas]]
 | overall      = 9–4
 | conference   = 4–4
 | confstanding = 4th <small>(Western)</small>
 | bowlname     = [[Independence Bowl|Independence]]
 | bowloutcome  = W
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = 
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[2004 NCAA Division I-A football season|2004]]
 | name         = [[2004 Arkansas Razorbacks football team|Arkansas]]
 | overall      = 5–6
 | conference   = 3–5
 | confstanding = 3rd <small>(Western)</small>
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = 
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[2005 NCAA Division I-A football season|2005]]
 | name         = [[2005 Arkansas Razorbacks football team|Arkansas]]
 | overall      = 4–7
 | conference   = 2–6
 | confstanding = 4th <small>(Western)</small>
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = 
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = division
 | year         = [[2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season|2006]]
 | name         = [[2006 Arkansas Razorbacks football team|Arkansas]]
 | overall      = 10–4
 | conference   = 7–1
 | confstanding = 1st <small>(Western)</small>
 | bowlname     = [[2007 Capital One Bowl|Capital One]]
 | bowloutcome  = L
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = 16
 | ranking2     = 15
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season|2007]]
 | name         = [[2007 Arkansas Razorbacks football team|Arkansas]]
 | overall      = 8–4{{refn|Nutt resigned after the regular season.  [[Reggie Herring]] coached Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl.|group=n|name=2007season}}
 | conference   = 4–4
 | confstanding = 3rd <small>(Western)</small>
 | bowlname     = [[2008 Cotton Bowl Classic|Cotton]]<ref name=2007season group=n/>
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = 
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
 | name       = Arkansas
 | overall    = 75–48
 | confrecord = 42–38
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
 | name      = [[Ole Miss Rebels football|Ole Miss Rebels]]
 | conf      = [[Southeastern Conference]]
 | startyear = 2008
 | endyear   = 2011
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season|2008]]
 | name         = [[2008 Ole Miss Rebels football team|Ole Miss]]
 | overall      = 9–4
 | conference   = 5–3 
 | confstanding = 2nd <small>(Western)</small>
 | bowlname     = [[2009 Cotton Bowl Classic|Cotton]]
 | bowloutcome  = W
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = 15
 | ranking2     = 14
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season|2009]]
 | name         = [[2009 Ole Miss Rebels football team|Ole Miss]]
 | overall      = 9–4
 | conference   = 4–4
 | confstanding = 3rd <small>(Western)</small>
 | bowlname     = [[2010 Cotton Bowl Classic|Cotton]]
 | bowloutcome  = W
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = 21
 | ranking2     = 20
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season|2010]]
 | name         = [[2010 Ole Miss Rebels football team|Ole Miss]]
 | overall      = 4–8
 | conference   = 1–7
 | confstanding = 6th <small>(Western)</small>
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = 
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season|2011]]
 | name         = [[2011 Ole Miss Rebels football team|Ole Miss]]
 | overall      = 2–10
 | conference   = 0–8
 | confstanding = 6th <small>(Western)</small>
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = 
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
 | name       = Ole Miss
 | overall    = 24–26
 | confrecord = 10–22
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record End
 | overall  = 131–96
 | bowls    = no
 | poll     = two
 | polltype = 
}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=n}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{IMDb name|3675754}}
*[https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/coaches/houston-nutt-1.html Coaching statistics] at [[Sports Reference]]

{{Navboxes
|list =
{{Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback navbox}}
{{Murray State Racers football coach navbox}}
{{Boise State Broncos football coach navbox}}
{{Arkansas Razorbacks football coach navbox}}
{{Ole Miss Rebels football coach navbox}}
{{Eddie Robinson Award}}
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nutt, Houston}}
[[Category:1957 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American men's basketball players]]
[[Category:American football quarterbacks]]
[[Category:Arkansas Razorbacks football coaches]]
[[Category:Arkansas Razorbacks football players]]
[[Category:Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball players]]
[[Category:Arkansas State Red Wolves football coaches]]
[[Category:Boise State Broncos football coaches]]
[[Category:Murray State Racers football coaches]]
[[Category:Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball players]]
[[Category:Oklahoma State Cowboys football coaches]]
[[Category:Oklahoma State Cowboys football players]]
[[Category:Ole Miss Rebels football coaches]]
[[Category:Little Rock Central High School alumni]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Little Rock, Arkansas]]
[[Category:Basketball players from Arkansas]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]