Former Arkansas defensive coordinator Joe Lee Dunn died earlier this week. He was 75.
Dunn ran the Arkansas defense for only a single season in 1995, but with defensive players like defensive end Steve Conley and linebacker Mark Smith, the Hogs won the SEC West with a 6-2 record in conference play.
Dunn, a native of Alabama, is largely considered the pioneer of the 3-3-5 defense. Arkansas, this season, runs a variation of it at times with three defensive linemen, three linebackers and five defensive backs.
It was truly an honor to play for one of the best defensive coordinators college FB has ever seen. Coach Joe Lee Dunn, demanded that you play hard and if you weren’t mentally and physically tough, you couldn’t play for him. His mentality helped to mold many men. RIP Coach 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/8cLx1UXWRB
— Derek Jones (@CoachdjCheetah) October 27, 2021
Dunn spent most of his career as defensive coordinator at schools across the South. His longest single tenure was at Mississippi State from 1996-2002 where he ran the Bulldogs defense. He concluded his college coaching career at Division III McMurray with his friend Hal Mumme (former Kentucky and New Mexico State coach) from 2009-2012.