Although Southern Miss began competing in intercollegiate football in 1912,[1] the school's official record book considers the "modern era" to have begun in 1947. Records from before this year are often incomplete and inconsistent, and they are generally not included in these lists.
These lists are dominated by more recent players for several reasons:
Since 1947, seasons have increased from 10 games to 11 and then 12 games in length.
The NCAA didn't allow freshmen to play varsity football until 1972 (with the exception of the World War II years), allowing players to have four-year careers.
Bowl games only began counting toward single-season and career statistics in 2002.[2] The Golden Eagles have played in 12 bowl games since then, giving players in recent seasons an extra game to accumulate statistics.
These lists are updated through the end of the 2016 season.