LEXINGTON – Hal Mumme still remembers the jerky.
Having recently made the jump from Division II power Valdosta State to Kentucky in December 1996, Mumme and his longtime assistant coach Mike Leach were still adjusting to life with a SEC coaching salary.
The move had close to doubled Leach’s Valdosta State salary to around $60,000, but there were even more perks to be found.
Interest in the new coaching staff was high in Lexington, so endorsement deals were available even for Leach, then an assistant coach working with the wide receivers and quarterbacks. Leach loved beef jerky, so when a jerky company approached him about offering his endorsement, it seemed a natural fit.