Stretch the Cornfield

“In the insular world of college football, Hal Mumme is the Yoda of the air raid passing attack. . . . If Cam Newton or Johnny Manziel ever did something that made you jump off your couch, you have Mumme to thank.”—ESPN The Magazine

Iowa Wesleyan College was looking to snap a 100-year tradition of gridiron mediocrity when it hired Texas high school football coach Hal Mumme to breathe some life into its program in January of 1989. Mumme arrived at the tiny National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) school with an innovative approach to the game that promptly delivered a winning football team with help from assistant coach Mike Leach, wide receiver Dana Holgorsen, and other unforgettable characters that woke up a quiet farming community to an offensive revolution in its infancy. In the process, the team’s coaches and players overcame formidable opponents on and off the field en route to the NAIA playoffs. The success of Iowa Wesleyan’s football team during Mumme’s tenure in Mount Pleasant paved the way for his continual climb up the coaching ladder and the gradual acceptance of his offensive scheme to the college football schematic mainstream.

Freelance writer ROB KISER saw college football from the inside as the video coordinator for New Mexico State University’s football team. Stretch the Cornfield, the author’s first book, is a sprightly look back to the humble origins of Hal Mumme’s Air Raid offense. A recovering vagrant and incurable sports enthusiast, he lives in New Jersey with his wife Kaitlin.