SOUTHEAST LIPS MUM ON MUMFORD

Southeast Missouri State University's football team had barely concluded its season Saturday with a 32-27 loss to Tennessee State when already the question was posed to John Mumford.

Does Mumford think he will be back next year for his ninth season as the Indians' head coach?

He said he certainly would like to be. But he is in the final year of his contract, which expires in January, and there was plenty of speculation after last season's disappointing 3-8 record that Southeast needed some pretty dramatic improvement in order for Mumford's contract to be renewed.

University officials have said simply that all programs and coaches are reviewed once the season is over and that's going to be the case with the football program.

Mumford, whose team ended the year with a 4-7 record -- and a 1-6 Ohio Valley Conference mark -- said he has not been approached by anyone within the Southeast administration regarding his status as the Indians' head coach.

"I have not talked to anybody about it," he said. "I'm appreciative of (Southeast interim athletic director) Carroll Williams, who I deal with. He's been very supportive of me.

"If they want me back, I'll be more than happy to stay."

Asked if he thought his contract would be renewed, Mumford said, "That's a tough question. I don't know. I've tried my best not to think about it. But it's in the back of my mind, in any coach's mind."

Mumford said he did not enter this season feeling like he needed a certain amount of victories in order to return as Southeast's coach.

"Nobody has ever set me down saying you have to do this," he said. "But I put pressure on myself. All coaches do. Take the contract out of it, but in my mind, I felt like we needed six, seven plus wins this season from a program standpoint."

Mumford came to Southeast in 1989 as the program's defensive coordinator under head coach Bill Maskill when the Indians still competed in Division II. Southeast went 7-4 that season, then Mumford was elevated to head coach the following year when Maskill left.

In their final Division II season -- and Mumford's first year as Southeast's head coach -- the Indians went 7-3.

Southeast made the move up to the Division I-AA level in 1991 and since that time the Indians have posted just one winning record in seven seasons, a 7-5 mark in 1994 when Mumford was named OVC Coach of the Year.

Overall in eight seasons as Southeast's head coach, Mumford has a 34-54 record. He is 27-51 since the Indians moved up to Division I-AA.

In fairness to Mumford, Southeast is below the Division I-AA maximum scholarship level and doesn't give out as many scholarships as most of the top programs in the OVC.

Also, Southeast football is certainly not up to par with other OVC programs when it comes to facilities, namely antiquated Houck Stadium, which pales in comparison to most of the other newer stadiums in the league. Facilities -- namely nice ones -- play a major role in recruiting.

Asked if he has been given the things necessary at Southeast in order to build a competitive I-AA and OVC program, Mumford said, "I don't want to make excuses. Those are things we can address. That's for me to discuss with the administration."

Mumford did say that it would be best for everybody involved -- particularly in the area of all-important recruiting -- that his up-in-the-air status be resolved one way or the other as soon as possible. He acknowledges that a hot topic of local conversation these days is whether or not he will return as the Indians' coach.

"It has to be (resolved quickly), from a recruiting standpoint," he said. "You can't drag it out."

In the meantime, Mumford and his assistants will go about their business.

"My focus right now is on recruiting," he said. "I can't worry about the other things."