SMU Mustangs football
| SMU Mustangs | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| File:SMUMustangs.png | |||
| First season | 1915 | ||
| Head coach | 3rd season, 16–22–0 (.421) | ||
| Stadium | Gerald J. Ford Stadium (capacity: 32,000) | ||
| Year built | 1999 | ||
| Field surface | FieldTurf | ||
| Location | Dallas, Texas | ||
| League | Division I | ||
| Division | West | ||
| Past conferences | Southwest Conference Western Athletic Conference | ||
| All-time record | 439–477–54 (.480) | ||
| Bowl record | 5–6–1 (.458) | ||
| Claimed national titles | 3 | ||
| Conference titles | 11 | ||
| Colors | Harvard red and Yale blue | ||
| Mascot | Peruna | ||
| Website | SMUMustangs.com | ||
The SMU Mustangs football program is a college football team that represents Southern Methodist University (more commonly "SMU"). The team competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) as a member Conference USA. The Mustangs have competed in the West Division of Conference USA since 2005.
History
Former Coach Ron Meyer came to SMU after his success as an assistant with the Dallas Cowboys in the 1970's including a superbowl win and a stint with UNLV before coming to SMU in 1976. Coach Meyer was infamous for his recruiting tactics including going to over 70 of the top recruits homes per year, in the late 70's and early 80's, something that had never been done before that time. His most notable recruits were runningbacks Eric Dickerson and Craig James who were recruited the same season in 1979, as both their high school teams went 15-0 and won state championships. Combined with another blue chip RB Charles Waggoner the three backs were nicknamed the "Pony Express" running attack and shredded opposing defenses in the option offense along with quarterback Lance McIlhenny. Prior to the 1982 season, Coach Meyer left to become the head coach of the New England Patriots and was replaced by Bobby Collins who was the Head Coach at the time at Southern Mississppi. Dickerson finished 3rd in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1982 and went on to be drafted by the Rams in the first round and set the single season rushing mark of 2,105 yards in a single season a that still stands as an NFL record. James went on to play for the Patriots and was a part of the Superbowl XX team that lost to the Bears in 1985-86 season and was selected to play in the 1986 pro bowl. In SMU's prime they went 45-5-1 from 1980-1984 which was the highest win percentage over that span.
Death penalty
In 1987, SMU football became the first, and currently only, football program in collegiate athletic history to receive the NCAA's "Death Penalty", that is, having a sports program terminated for a determined amount of time. SMU's football program was terminated for the 1987 season because the University was making approximately $61,000 in booster payments from 1985 to 1986. It later emerged that a "slush fund" had been used to pay players as early as the mid-1970s, and athletic officials had known about it as early as 1981.
SMU was eligible for the "death penalty" because it had been placed on probation in 1985 for recruiting violations. Since many players were poor, boosters would pay for rent or other bills for the parents of the athletes, and several key boosters and administration officials felt it would be unethical to cut off payments. When the sanctions were handed down, SMU had only three players - all seniors about to graduate - receiving payments.
Not long afterward, SMU announced that its football team would stay shuttered for the 1988 season as well after school officials received indications that they wouldn't have enough experienced players to field a viable team.[1] As it turned out, new coach Forrest Gregg was left with an undersized and underweight lineup; he was taller and heavier than virtually all of his players.
Return to relevance
The Mustangs struggled for 20 years to recover from the effects of the scandal. Gregg compiled a 3-19 record in two seasons as coach. He became Athletic Director for SMU in 1990 and held that job until 1994.
The Mustangs had 3 more head coaches and only one winning season until the school hired June Jones away from Hawaii in 2008. In Jones first season the team had a 1-11 record. In his second season, they were the most improved team in Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), compiling a regular season record of 7-5. On December 24, 2009, the team defeated the Nevada 45-10 in the 2009 Hawaii Bowl, its first bowl game in 25 years.
In 2010, the Mustangs went 6-2 in-conference to win the West Division of Conference USA. This earned them a berth in the Conference USA Championship against hosts UCF, giving SMU their first chance at winning a conference title since 1984. Three years prior, SMU had hired UCF's athletic director, Steve Orsini, who hired Jones. SMU ultimately lost the title game, 17-7, but got their second consecutive bowl game bid, to the 2010 Armed Forces Bowl.
National championships
The NCAA's website states that "the NCAA does not conduct a national championship in Division I-A football and is not involved in the selection process." It goes on to say that "a number of polling organizations provide a final ranking of Division I-A football teams at the end of each season." SMU officially claims three national championships (1935, 1981 & 1982). (The NCAA officially changed the "I-A" designation to the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) in 2006.)
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Conference championships
Southwest Conference championships: 1923, 1926, 1931, 1935, 1947, 1948, 1966, 1981, 1982, 1984 (Co-champions with Houston)
Individual achievements
- Doak Walker: 1948
- Doak Walker: 1947
- Chuck Hixson: 1968
College Football Hall of Fame Inductees
| Name | Position | Years at SMU | Year Inducted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ray Morrison | Coach | 1915-1916, 1922-1934 | 1954 |
| Gerald "Little Red Arrow" Mann | Quarterback | 1925-1927 | 1969 |
| Bobby Wilson | Halfback | 1933-1935 | 1973 |
| Matty "Moanin' Matty" Bell | Coach | 1935–1941, 1945–1949 | 1955 |
| Doak "The Doaker" Walker | Halfback | 1945, 1947-1949 | 1959 |
| Kyle "The Mighty Mustang" Rote | Halfback | 1948-1950 | 1964 |
| Don "Dandy Don" Meredith | Quarterback | 1957-1959 | 1982 |
| Hayden Fry | Coach | 1962-1972 | 2003 |
| Jerry Rhome | Quarterback | 1961 | 1998 |
| Jerry LeVias | Wide Receiver | 1966-1968 | 2003 |
Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductees
| Name | Position | Team(s) | Years | Year Inducted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lamar Hunt | League Founder, Owner | Dallas Texans Kansas City Chiefs |
1960-1962 1963-2006 |
1972 |
| Raymond Berry | End | Baltimore Colts | 1955-1967 | 1973 |
| Forrest Gregg | Offensive Tackle | Green Bay Packers Dallas Cowboys |
1956, 1958-1970 1971 | 1977 |
| Doak Walker | Halfback | Detroit Lions | 1950-1955 | 1986 |
| Eric Dickerson | Running Back | Los Angeles Rams Indianapolis Colts Los Angeles Raiders Atlanta Falcons |
1983–1987 1987–1991 1992 1993 |
1999 |
Bowl appearances
| Season | Bowl Game | Opponent | W/L | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | Dixie Classic | West Virginia Wesleyan | L | 7 | 9 |
| 1935 | Rose Bowl | Stanford | L | 0 | 7 |
| 1947 | Cotton Bowl Classic | Penn State | T | 13 | 13 |
| 1948 | Cotton Bowl Classic | Oregon | W | 21 | 13 |
| 1963 | Sun Bowl | Oregon | L | 14 | 21 |
| 1966 | Cotton Bowl Classic | Georgia | L | 9 | 24 |
| 1968 | Bluebonnet Bowl | Oklahoma | W | 28 | 27 |
| 1980 | Holiday Bowl | BYU | L | 45 | 46 |
| 1982 | Cotton Bowl Classic | Pittsburgh | W | 7 | 3 |
| 1983 | Sun Bowl | Alabama | L | 7 | 28 |
| 1984 | Aloha Bowl | Notre Dame | W | 27 | 20 |
| 2009 | Hawaiʻi Bowl | Nevada | W | 45 | 10 |
| 2010 | Armed Forces Bowl | Army |
Coaches
| Name | Years | Overall Record (W-L-T) |
|---|---|---|
| Ray Morrison | 1915-1916 | 2-13-3 |
| J. Burton Rix | 1917-1921 | 16-19-7 |
| Ray Morrison | 1922-1934 | 83-31-20 |
| Matty Bell | 1935-1941 | 47-24-3 |
| James Stewart | 1942-1944 | 10-18-2 |
| Matty Bell | 1945-1949 | 32-16-5 |
| Harvey Russell | 1950-1952 | 13-15-2 |
| Chalmer Woodard | 1953-1956 | 19-20-1 |
| William Meek | 1957-1961 | 17-29-4 |
| Hayden Fry | 1962-1972 | 49-66-1 |
| Dave Smith | 1973-1975 | 16-15-2 |
| Ron Meyer | 1976-1981 | 34-32-1 |
| Bobby Collins | 1982-1986 | 43-14-1 |
| Forrest Gregg | 1989-1990 | 3-19-0 |
| Tom Rossley | 1991-1996 | 15-48-3 |
| Mike Cavan | 1997-2001 | 22-34-0 |
| Phil Bennett | 2002-2007 | 18-52-0 |
| June Jones | 2008-2010 | 16-22-0 |
Future non-conference opponents
SMU has released a partial list of non-conference opponents for the near future:
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
| Sep. 3 at Texas A&M | Sep. 1 at Baylor | Aug. 31 vs. Texas Tech | Aug. 30 at Baylor | Sep. 5 vs. Baylor | Sep. 3 at North Texas | at. Navy | vs. Navy |
| Sep. 17 vs. Northwestern State | Sep. 8 vs. Stephen F. Austin | Sep. 14 vs. Baylor | Sep. 6 at North Texas | Sep. 12 vs. North Texas | Sep. 10 vs. Navy | vs. North Texas | |
| Oct. 01 at TCU | Sep. 15 vs. Texas A&M | Sep. 21 at Texas A&M | Sep. 13 vs. TCU | Sep. 19 at TCU | Sep. 17 at. Baylor | at. TCU | |
| Nov. 05 vs. Navy | Sep. 29 vs. TCU | Sep. 28 at TCU | Sep. 20 vs. Texas A&M | Sep. 26 at Navy | Sep. 24 vs. TCU |
Rivalries
- Rice Owls, in the Battle for the Mayor's Cup.
- TCU Horned Frogs, in the Battle for the Iron Skillet.
- North Texas Mean Green, in the Safeway Bowl.
- Navy Midshipmen, for the Gansz Trophy.
Home Fields
- Ownby Stadium, 1926-1948
- Cotton Bowl, 1932-1978
- Texas Stadium, 1979–1986
- Ownby Stadium, 1989-1994
- Cotton Bowl, 1995-2000
- Gerald J. Ford Stadium, 2000-Present
References
- ^ Frank, Peter (1987-04-11). "'88 football season canceled by SMU". New York Times.
- ^ [1]
- Southern Methodist Historical Data, College Football Data Warehouse.