SMU Mustangs football
| SMU Mustangs | |||
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| File:SMU Mustangs football.PNG | |||
| First season | 1915 | ||
| Head coach | 3rd season, 16–22 (.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
1910s: Father of the Forward Pass
On the morning of Sept. 14, 1915, coach Ray Morrison held his first practice, thus marking the birth of the SMU football program. Morrison came to the school in June of 1915 when he became the coach of the University’s football, basketball, baseball and track teams, as well as an instructor of mathematics. A former All-Southern quarterback at Vanderbilt, Morrison immediately installed the passing game at SMU. A local sportswriter nicknamed the team “the Parsons” because the squad was composed primarily of theology students. SMU was a member of the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association, which ruled that neither graduate nor transfer students were eligible to play. Therefore, the first SMU team consisted entirely of freshmen. The Mustangs played their first game Oct. 10, 1915, dropping a 43-0 decision to TCU in Fort Worth. SMU bounced back in its next game, its first at home, to defeat Hendrix College, 13-2. Morrison came to be known as “the father of the forward pass” because of his use of the passing game on first and second downs instead of as a last resort.
During the 1915 season, the Mustangs posted a record of 2-5 and scored just three touchdowns while giving up 131 points. SMU recorded the first shutout in school history with a 7-0 victory over Dallas University that year. SMU finished the 1916 season 0-8-2 and suffered its worst loss ever, a 146-3 drubbing by Rice. The Mustangs were outscored, 455-27, by their opponents while managing ties against Austin College (0-0) and Southwestern (9-9). Ray Morrison left SMU following the 1916 season to work with the Army YMCA at Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., as Director of Sports and Recreation. He returned to SMU in 1920 to organize a Department of Physical Education. J. Burton Rix became the second head football coach in 1917 and guided SMU to its first winning season (3-2-3). In 1918, SMU became a member of the Southwest Conference, joining Baylor, Rice, Texas, Texas A&M, Arkansas and Oklahoma A&M (which later became Oklahoma State).
1920s: The Aerial Circus
After Rix led the Ponies to a combined 16-19-7 record 1917-1921, Ray Morrison returned as coach in 1922 and guided SMU to the first of 10 consecutive winning seasons. Sportswriters billed the Mustangs the “Aerial Circus,” in reference to Morrison’s passing offense. At a time when most teams threw the ball five or six times per game, SMU passed between 30 and 40 times per contest. The Mustangs recorded a perfect 9-0 mark and won the school’s first conference title one year later in 1923.
In 1926, Ownby Stadium was built, named after SMU alumnus and strong supporter of athletics Jordan C. Ownby. SMU defeated North Texas State Teachers College, 42-0, Sept. 24, 1926, in the first game at Ownby. Quarterback Gerald Mann, known as “The Little Red Arrow” because of his strong, accurate passing, was a member of the first Mustang team to play in Ownby Stadium and, as part of his scholarship chores, helped plant the grass on the stadium playing field. SMU steamrolled over its first three opponents that year, shutting out North Texas State, Trinity and Centenary by a combined score of 127-0. Missouri was the only roadblock for the Mustangs in their 8-0-1 season, managing a 7-7 tie.
In 1922, end Gene Bedford and back Logan Stollenwerck were named first-team All-Southwest Conference, becoming the first Mustang players to achieve that honor. Bedford became the first player from SMU to play professionally when he played for the Rochester Jeffersons in 1925.
The Mustangs made their first bowl appearance in 1924, playing against West Virginia Wesleyan in the Dixie Classic on New Year’s Day. The game, played at Fair Park Stadium in Dallas, was the predecessor to the Cotton Bowl. WVW spoiled SMU’s 18-game unbeaten streak with a 9-7 victory.
In the spring of 1926, Morrison decided that it would be important to find a left-handed quarterback for the upcoming Southwest Conference season. Gerald Mann, who was the Mustangs’ right-handed quarterback, told Morrison that he would have his left-handed quarterback before the season began. Not eager to lose his duty as signal-caller, Mann reported to fall practice ready to throw left-handed.
Guard Choc Sanders became SMU’s first All-America player in 1928. Sanders was also the Southwest Conference's first All-America selection. Tackle Marion Hammon became the Mustangs' second All- American one year later.
1930s: SMU's First National Championship
SMU won its third Southwest Conference championship in 1931 after finishing the season with a 9-1-1 mark. But the Mustangs struggled the next two seasons, posting a 3-7-2 record in 1932 and a 4-7-1 record in 1933. Ray Morrison left SMU after the 1934 season to coach for his alma mater Vanderbilt, posting a 8-2-2 record in his final season.
SMU won its first national championship in 1935 after posting a 12-win season under the guidance of first-year head coach Matty Bell. Prior to becoming the head coach at SMU in 1935, Matty Bell served as the head coach at TCU (1923-1928) and Texas A&M (1929-33). Bell arrived at SMU in 1934 and served one season as the line coach. Known as a player’s coach, Bell brought discipline to his team, and he spent time listening and talking to his players. Fullback Harry Shuford and tackle Truman “Big Dog” Spain were two prominent players on the national championship team. A tri-captain, Shuford was the Mustangs’ best running back during the 1935 season, but injury forced him to miss the season’s most critical contest. The Mustangs, ranked No. 1 in the country, played second-ranked TCU and its star quarterback, Sammy Baugh, for the unofficial national championship and the right to play in the 1936 Rose Bowl, against Stanford. Bobby Wilson scored two touchdowns to give SMU a 14-0 lead before Baugh rallied the Horned Frogs to a 14-14 tie. Early in the fourth quarter, Bob Finley connected on a long pass to Wilson after the Mustangs faced a fourth down at the TCU 39. Wilson caught the ball at the five and rolled into the end zone as the Mustangs held on to win, 20-14, and earned a trip to the Rose Bowl. Despite entering the game as heavy favorites, the Ponies were upset by Stanford, 7-0, with Cardinal quarterback Bill Paulman scoring the game’s only touchdown on a first-quarter run. While the loss constituted the only blemish on a 12-1 season, SMU was able to pay off its 10-year debt on Ownby Stadium with the check the university received from competing in the Rose Bowl. Three SMU players earned All-America status in 1935: tackle Truman Spain, guard J.C. Wetsel and back Bobby Wilson. Wilson, who scored all three Mustang touchdowns in the dramatic 20-14 win over TCU, went on to play one year of pro football for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1936. Harry Shuford, a tri-captain and fullback on the 1935 team, was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1936 but despite the team’s efforts to sign him to a contract, opted instead to attend law school at SMU. Shuford finished first in his class in 1939.
1940s: The Doak Walker Era
A conference co-championship in 1940 served as a solid beginning to the new decade, but was followed by six consecutive losing seasons from 1941 through 1946. World War II resulted in the loss of Bell for three years (1942-45) when he left the Hilltop to join the Navy reserves. Bell returned to SMU in 1945 and took on an additional role as the University’s Athletic Director. The 1947 season brought new hope and the emergence of a legend in Doak Walker. The only three-time All-American in SMU history, Walker led the Mustangs to consecutive Southwest Conference championships in 1947 and 1948. Over the course of his career at SMU, Walker rushed for 1,954 yards, passed for 1,638 yards, scored 288 points, punted for a 39.4 average and kicked field goals and extra points. He is also the Mustangs’ all-time leader in punt return yards with 750. Walker’s exploits earned him the Heisman Trophy in 1948 and led to his number, 37, being retired at SMU. Led by Walker, Kyle Rote, Dick McKissack and Paul Page, the Mustang backfield combined hard running with tricky reverse and gadget plays to wreak havoc on opposing defenses in the latter part of the decade.
Walker was a high school teammate of Bobby Layne at Highland Park High School in Dallas. The two were matched against each other in Walker’s first collegiate game in 1945 when Layne was the quarterback at Texas. Although UT won the game, 12-7, Walker scored the Mustangs’ only touchdown and kicked the extra point. Walker and Layne were reunited as teammates when both played for the Detroit Lions in the early 1950s. After playing all their home games since 1926 at Ownby Stadium, the Mustangs moved to the Cotton Bowl in 1948, where they would remain for 31 years. The last game played at Ownby was Oct. 2, 1948, when SMU defeated Texas Tech, 41-6. Because of his immense popularity, the Cotton Bowl became known as “The House That Doak Built.” Following the 1947 and 1948 seasons, SMU played in back-to-back Cotton Bowls. The Mustangs were matched against Penn State in the 1948 game, tying the Nittany Lions, 13-13. Walker threw a 53-yard touchdown pass and scored on a two-yard run, but Penn State’s Elwood Petchel matched Walker by tossing scoring passes of 38 and six yards. The 1949 Cotton Bowl paired SMU with Oregon and its star quarterback Norm Van Brocklin. The Mustangs won 21-13.
1976-1986: A Winning Record
Coach Ron Meyer came to SMU in 1976 after his success as an assistant with the Dallas Cowboys in the 1970's (including a Super Bowl win) and a stint with UNLV. Coach Meyer was infamous for his recruiting tactics, including visits each year to the homes of an unprecedented 70 or more of the top recruits homes per year. His most notable recruits were future NFL runningbacks Eric Dickerson and Craig James before the 1979 season, as both their high school teams went 15-0 and won state championships. Combined with blue chip runningback Charles Waggoner, the three backs were nicknamed the "Pony Express" running attack and shredded opposing defenses in the option offense lead by quarterback Lance McIlhenny. This team claimed a share of the 1981 college football Division 1-A national championship, based on the determination of the National Championship Foundation.
Coach Meyer left to become the head coach of the New England Patriots in 1982, and SMU hired Coach Bobby Collins, then head coach at University of Southern Mississippi. Dickerson finished 3rd in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1982, and the team claimed a share of its second consecutive national championship, based on the determination of the Helms Athletic Foundation.
SMU posted a record of 45-5-1 from 1980-1984, which was the highest win percentage (0.892) in Division 1-A over that span.
1987-2007: NCAA "Death Penalty" and decades of rebuilding
In 1987, SMU football became the first, and currently only, football program in collegiate athletic history to receive the National College Athletic Association (NCAA) "Death Penalty" for repeat violation of NCAA rules, that is, having a sports program fully 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.
The Mustangs struggled for 20 years to recover from the effects of the scandal. Coach Gregg compiled a 3-19 record in his two seasons. He moved on to be the SMU Athletic Director from 1990 through 1994.
The Mustangs had 3 more head coaches and only one winning season through the completion of the 2007 season.
2008-present: Return to Success
In 2008 SMU hired Steve Orsini away from the University of Central Florida (UCF) to be the SMU Athletic Director. Orsini then hired June Jones from the University of Hawai'i to be the team's new head coach at SMU and currently the 5th coach in the post death penalty time since 1989. In Jones' first season at SMU the team had a worst 1-11 record.
In 2009, Coach Jones' second season at SMU, the Mustangs had a turnaround season, compiling an improved regular season record of 7-5. Although finishing unranked in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings, SMU was invited to its first bowl game in 25 years, defeating the unranked Nevada Wolf Pack with a final score 45-10 in the 2009 Hawai'i Bowl, the team's first bowl win since 1984.
In 2010, the Mustangs again compiled a regular season record of 7-5, with a 6-2 in-conference record to earn their first chance at winning a conference title in 26 years, securing a berth in the Conference USA Championship game. SMU lost the conference title game, 17-7, against UCF. Once again unranked in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings, SMU was invited to its second consecutive bowl game, the 2010 Armed Forces Bowl, where it will play against the unranked Army Black Knights.
Achievements
Team achievements
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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