SMU Mustangs football
| SMU Mustangs | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| 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: "The Parsons"
On the morning of September 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 to coach 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. Morrison would later become known as “the father of the forward pass” because of his preferential use of the passing game on first and second downs instead of as a last resort. SMU had no football stadium in 1915 but only a field (later called Armstrong Field) laid out where the current-day Westcott Field is located. The team was primarily composed of theology students from the school, causing Dallas sportswriters to nickname the team “The Parsons”. SMU became a member of the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association, in which neither graduate nor transfer students were eligible to play. Therefore, the first SMU team consisted entirely of freshmen.
SMU played its first game October 10, 1915, dropping a 43-0 decision to TCU in Fort Worth. Before the second game against Hendrix, their first at home, SMU got its fight song "Peruna" when students changed the words from "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain" to "She'll Be Loaded With Peruna". [[Peruna\\ was an early-day Hadacol elixir advertised as a cure for sore throat with drainage. It also contained a good deal of alcohol "kick" and was known at the time as a "good-time" tonic. SMU bounced back to beat Hendrix College 13-2 but would manage just one touchdown after that game, beating Dallas University 7-0, also the SMU's first shutout. SMU was outscored 86-7 in their final 5 games, earning SMU a 2-5 record in 1915. SMU's struggles would continue into the 1916 season were they finished the season 0-8-2 and suffered their worst loss ever, a 146-3 drubbing by Rice. Although managing ties against Austin College (0-0) and Southwestern University (9-9), SMU was outscored 455-27 by their opponents at season's end. Ray Morrison left SMU in order to work with the Army YMCA at Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., as Director of Sports and Recreation.
J. Burton Rix became the second head football coach in 1917 would guide SMU to two straight season-opening wins, 20-7 against Meridian and 20-0 against Austin College. It soon became apparent that SMU would need an official mascot and the entire SMU community was asked to offer their suggestions for a new name. They submitted names such as the Bulls, Rams, Comanches, Pioneers and Rattlers but finally the list was narrowed down to three finalists. At a pep assembly on October 17, 1917, the name "Mustangs" was selected over the Bison or Greyhounds. The winning name was suggested by SMU President Robert Hyer's secretary, Dorothy Amann. She was struck by the idea while watching the team practice from her office in Dallas Hall: "Why, out there, on the football field, it looks just like a bunch of wild Mustangs!" The newly named Mustangs would lose that game to TCU 0-21 but would on to lose just one of its next five games thereafter, earning SMU its first winning season at 3-2-3.
In 1918, SMU became a member of the Southwest Conference, joining Baylor, Rice, Texas, Texas A&M, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Oklahoma A&M (which later became Oklahoma State). The Mustangs closed out the decade with three consecutive winning seasons, 1917-1919.
1920s: "The Aerial Circus"
Although J. Burton Rix finished the last decade strong, he opened the next with consecutive losing seasons and was asked to leave following a 1-6-1 season in 1921. Ray Morrison returned to SMU as coach and guided the Mustangs to the first of ten consecutive winning seasons. 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 would also go on to became the first player from SMU to play professionally when he played for the Rochester Jeffersons in 1925.
In 1923, the Mustangs rattled off four straight dominating wins to open the season. The true test came on October 26th when they traveled to College Station to play the heavily favored Texas A&M. Up until that point, Texas A&M had never lost a game at Kyle Field, but SMU outplayed the Aggies, intercepting four passes on the way to a 10-0 victory. Two weeks later, Arkansas would scored the only touchdown of the season against the Mustangs as they jumped out to a 6-0 lead. SMU had never scored against Arkansas in their first three meetings but behind the passing of Stollenwerck, the Mustangs scored two touchdowns en route to a 13-6 win. Finally, on November 29th, the Mustangs hosted Baylor, looking to close out a perfect season. Baylor knew they did not stand a chance. SMU kicked off to the Bears, only to have them punt it right back on the very same play with the ball dying at the SMU 4. Stollenwerck immediately threw a 50 yard pass to Blink Bedford, demoralizing Baylor. SMU went on to win 16-0, securing their perfect 9-0 mark and won the school’s first conference title. The team scored 207 points, while only allowing opponents 9 points on the entire season. Sportswriters billed the Mustangs the “Aerial Circus,” in reference to Morrison’s passing offense for, during a time when most teams threw the ball five or six times per game, SMU passed between 30 and 40 times.
Texas had also finished the 1923 season undefeated but the Mustangs and Longhorns happened not to play during the 1923 season. The Longhorns felt that they had been robbed of a chance for the conference title and strongly believed they were the best team in the state. Both teams started the 1924 season the same way they had finished the 1923 season, by winning every game they played. The two schools finally met on October 18, 1924 in Dallas to settle the score. Texas came into the game very confident having not lost a game since November 30, 1922. In the first three meetings between the Mustangs and the Longhorns, Texas had won all three by a combined score of 127-3. However, the Mustangs also had also not lost game since November 30, 1922 and SMU believed that a victory against Texas would validate them as one of the premier teams West of the Mississippi River. It was a fierce game as both teams relied on their defenses to shutdown potent offenses. Neither team was able to find the end zone until SMU running back Logan Stollenwreck took a toss around left end for a couple yards and the only touchdown of the game midway through the third quarter. SMU held off a late charge by the Longhorns]] to win 10-6. The win put SMU's unbeaten streak at 14 games. The Mustangs would extend that streak to 19 games with a 5-0-4 mark at the end of the season. Due to this success the 1924 SMU football team was invited to play in the 1925 Dixie Classic at Fair Park Stadium in Dallas on New Year’s Day. The Mustangs faced West Virginia Wesleyan and the game was a low-scoring affair, with both teams fighting for field position. After a scoreless first half, SMU’s George Watters blocked a punt in the third quarter, which he recovered in the end zone to give SMU a 7-0 lead. But WVW battled back and answered with a 40-yard field goal to pull to 7-3. The game turned dramatically the fourth quarter when WVW quarterback DeLong lofted a long pass which SMU's Logan Stollenwerck batted down. Unfortunately for the Mustangs, he knocked the ball directly to WVW's Gale Bullman, who raced into the end zone for a 66-yard score. Dallas Morning News would call it a "luck pass" and although the PAT was missed, it proved to be the winning score. SMU battled back and had a field goal try in the game's final minute for the win. Lawrence Reisor's 30-yard try was no good, however, and Wesleyan prevailed 9-7, handing SMU its first loss in two years in its first ever bowl game.
In 1926, Ownby Stadium was built and named after SMU alumnus and strong supporter of athletics Jordan C. 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 part of his scholarship duties included helping plant the grass on the stadium playing field. Before the season, Morrison had decided that it would be important to find a left-handed quarterback for the upcoming Southwest Conference schedule. Mann, who was right-handed, told Morrison that he would have his left-handed quarterback before the season began. Eager not to lose his starting position, Mann reported to fall practice ready to make every throw left-handed. SMU defeated North Texas State Teachers College, 42-0, September 24, 1926, in the first game at Ownby Stadium and SMU continued that momentum by steamrolling its first three opponents that year, shutting out North Texas State, Trinity and Centenary by a combined score of 127-0. Missouri Tigers football managed a 7-7 tie but was the only blemish for the Mustangs in their 8-0-1 1926 season. On November 25th, 1926, the TCU came into the game 6-0-2, led by star end Raymond "Rags" Matthews and then TCU head coach Matty Bell. [[Gerald Mann|Mann] threw a pair of touchdown passes for the Mustangs. Matthews countered by catching eight passes for 110 yards and two touchdown passes for TCU. The difference in the score came in the third quarter when Matthews' second extra point attempt sailed wide. The score stood for the remainder of the game and SMU won 14-13. The game was SMU's first ever Homecoming Game, clinched SMU's second Southwest Conference title and its second undefeated season in a four years.
In 1927, Henry "Choc" Sanders enrolled at SMU to play for the Mustangs. A star athlete at nearby Garland High School and Wesley Junior College in Greenville, Morrison was impressed with Choc's size and agility, something Morrison wanted on his offensive line. Over the next three seasons, Choc became one of the most dominant guards in all of football. Guard Choc Sanders became SMU’s and the Southwest Conference's first All-America player in 1928. In three years on the Hilltop, Choc helped lead the Mustangs to an impressive record of 19-5-5.
During the 1928 season, SMU played at Army on October 26th. Prior to making the trip to New York, the furthest away an SMU team had traveled was to play at Missouri. The trip was made by train and and because they were bring twenty-five players, captained by guard Earl Baccus and including Redman Hume and Willis Tate, coaches, and 700 supporters along, four special trains had to be set aside for SMU's five-day trip--each way. When the dust had settled, the Cadets had managed to survive, 14-13, but the exciting performance of the SMU team stamped SWC football as first class. In fact, 25 years later in 1953, Texas sportswriters covering the Southwest Conference voted the game at West Point in 1928 as the most important out of a list of 10 games which gained the most national recognition for the conference. Despite Army's strength, Kern Tips of the Houston Chronicle would later write. "the East was shocked by the Mustangs passing on first and second down--a bold break with the book. Army only threw four passes. SMU's Redman Hume and Sammy Reed threw 30." A line came across the news wire from the Associated Press that stated, "Passes such as Eastern football never saw before flew from the hands of Redman Hume, a Texas version of what Red Grange should have been." Ray Morrison made it a goal to get on the scoreboard early to let Army know SMU was there to play. Horace McCoy wrote, "Hume rushed far back and passed to Charlton Fincher. He caught the ball on the 10-yard line and stumbled across the goal. It was football at its highest point. A small school from two thousand miles away had scored in four minutes on one of the strongest teams in the nation." Army, being the powerhouse that it was, battled back to take the lead 14-7. When Army was starting to mount another drive, the Mustangs forced a fumble. Hume took a swipe at the ball and in an instant had it under his left arm, racing towards the end zone. Unfortunately, after the score Hume missed the extra point. Several reporters claim that an Army defender tipped it at the line. There would be no more scoring on the day, and Army escaped, 14-13. Having seen SMU dazzle Army with its aerial capabilities, New York Times reporter Allison Danzig called SMU "a spectacular display of forward, double, and triple laterals." But it was not only offensive genius that impressed the masses, it was SMU's heart. The Mustangs stood toe-to-toe with Army at the SMU one yard line. The Mustangs did not give an inch and kept the Cadets out of the end zone on four straight downs. Horace McCoy noted that, "One of the New York writers said the Mustangs stopped the Army there with nothing but supreme, dying courage, and that is quite correct. There is no doubt that the game was quite as thrilling as any one ever played." Even the Mustang Band drew national raves for its double-time, Broadway showmanship in contrast to most bands' stiff military marching. Even in defeat, Ray Morrison's Mustangs had shocked the football world.
In 1929, the Mustangs again went undefeated at 6-0-4. SMU tackle Marion Hammon became the Mustangs' second All- American.
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. On November 4, 1932, SMU debuted a live mascot, Peruna (later called Peruna I) a four-year old, 150 pound black Shetland pony donated be T.E. Jones, the owner of Arlington Downs racetrack. 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 had 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. 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 to play Stanford's so-called "Vow Boys". Despite entering the game as heavy favorites, the Ponies were upset by Stanford, 7-0, with Indian 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.
1936 NFL Draftees
- Truman Spain, Tackle (30th Pick, 4th Round) by the Pittsburg Pirates
- Harry Shuford, Back (37th Pick, 5th Round) by the Philadelphia Eagles
- Bobby Wilson, Back (40th Pick, 5th Round) by the Brooklyn Dodgers
- Maurice Orr, Tackle (48th Pick, 6th Round) by the Pittsburg Pirates
- J.C. Wetsel, Guard (79th Pick, 9th Round) by the Green Bay Packers
1937 NFL Draftees
- Bob Finley, Guard (15th Pick, 2nd Round) by the Pittsburg Pirates
- John Sprague, Back (67th Pick, 7th Round) by the Detroit Lions
1939 NFL Draftees
- Billy Dewell, End (29th Pick; 4th Round) by the Philadelphia Eagles
- Charley Sprague, End (99th Pick, 11th Round) by the Green Bay Packers
- Jack Sanders, Tackle (160th Pick, 17th Round) by the New York Giants
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.
1941 NFL Draftees
- Johnny Clement, Back (28th Pick, 4th Round) by the Chicago Cardinals
- Ray Mallouf, Back (83th Pick, 10th Round) by the Chicago Cardinals
- Fred Harris, Tackle (163rd Pick, 18th Round) by the Chicago Cardinals
1942 NFL Draftees
- Preston Johnston, Back (59th Pick, 7th Round) by the Green Bay Packers
- Horace "Deacon" Young, Back (189th Pick, 20th Round) by the Green Bay Packers
1943 NFL Draftees
- Ray Rason, Guard (74th Pick, 9th Round) by the Brooklyn Dodgers
- Clarence Booth, Tackle (164th Pick, 18th Round) by the Chicago Cardinals
- Orville Johnson, Guard (209th Pick, 22nd Round) by the Chicago Bears
1944 NFL Draftees
- Abe Croft, End (40th Pick, 5th Round) by the Chicago Bears
- Jim Wright, Center ( 122nd Pick, 13th Round) by the Brooklyn Tigers
- Howard "Red" Maley, Back (166th Pick, 17th Round) by the Brooklyn Tigers
- [[Abel Gonzales|Abel "Frito" Gonzales], Back (325th Pick, 32nd Round) by the Green Bay Packers
1950s: The Rote, Benners, Gregg, Berry, Meredith Years
After playing alongside Doak Walker the previous two seasons, Kyle Rote was given his chance to be the featured back in 1950. Rote, who led the Southwest Conference with 777 yards rushing in 1949, was named an All-American following the 1950 season. As the Walker-Rote era came to an end, so began a new era of Mustang gridiron greats including Fred Benners, Forrest Gregg, Raymond Berry and Don Meredith. Quarterback Fred Benners led the Mustangs to perhaps their greatest win of the decade when he completed 22 of 42 passes for 336 yards to beat Notre Dame, 27-20, in South Bend Oct. 13, 1951. Forrest Gregg was a two-way player at both offensive and defensive tackle from 1952-55 and a two-time All-Southwest Conference selection, . Raymond Berry was an All-Southwest Conference and Academic All-America wide receiver. He was a 20th-round draft choice of the Baltimore Colts in 1955 and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973. Don Meredith was a two-time All-American in 1958 and 1959 and his .610 career completion percentage is the greatest of any passer in Mustang history. In his first varsity season in 1957, Meredith set an SWC single season record by connecting on 71 of 102 passes for a .696 completion percentage. During his Mustang career, Meredith also returned kickoffs, punted and kicked. One of his greatest attributes was his running ability, which increased the pressure on opposing defenses.
After Bell decided to relinquish his duties as head football coach to devote himself full-time to his responsibilities as athletic director, three different head coaches guided the Mustangs in the 1950s: H.N. “Rusty” Russell (1950-52), Chalmer Woodard (1953-56) and Bill Meek (1957-61). Bell's 127 career wins and .653 winning percentage both rank second all-time among SMU’s coaching records. While Meek’s teams won just 17 of 50 games during his tenure, he was responsible for installing an early version of the Run-and-Shoot offense during Don Meredith’s sophomore season. Meek employed a spread formation, using a receiver wide to each side and one in the slot on each side.
1960s: The Hixon, LaGrone, LeVias Era
The first two years of the decade found the Mustangs shackled with mounting losses and sagging attendance. In 1960, SMU finished 0-9-1and average home attendance fell below 30,000 for the first time since 1946. Following a 2-7-1 season in 1961, SMU introduced Hayden Fry as the Mustangs’ eighth head coach. Fry lifted SMU back to national prominence in 1966, when SMU was ranked #9 in the nation and won its first conference championship in 18 years. Jerry LeVias became the first African-American player in the Southwest Conference to receive an athletic scholarship in 1965 after choosing SMU largely because of its accounting program. As a senior in 1968, LeVias caught 80 passes for a school-record 1,131 yards when he was selected both an All-American and Academic All-American. Combined with quarterback Chuck Hixson, LeVias helped lead the Mustangs to a 28-27 win over Oklahoma in the 1968 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl, giving SMU its first bowl victory since the 1949 Cotton Bowl. Hixson was just a sophomore in 1968, but he finished the season as the nation’s leading passer by completing 265 of 468 attempts for 3,103 yards. October 11, 1963, provided the SMU football program with perhaps its most memorable game when the Mustangs hosted #4 ranked Navy and its heralded quarterback, Roger Staubach at the Coton Bowl. On its way to a 4-7 season, SMU was given little chance to beat the Midshipmen. Little-known sophomore John Roderick rushed for 146 yards on 11 carries and scored on touchdown runs of 45 and two yards for the Mustangs. The SMU defense, led by Bob Oyler, Martin Cude, Bill Harlan, Harold Magers and Doug January, sent Staubach to the bench twice with a dislocated left shoulder. Trailing, 28-26, with 2:52 remaining in the game, SMU had one last chance to pull off the upset. Quarterback Danny Thomas threw to Billy Gannon, who ran to the Navy 46. On the next play, Roderick took a pitchout 23 yards to the 23. After a pass interference penalty against Navy put the ball on the one-yard line, Gannon plowed over right tackle for the winning touchdown with 2:05 left. The SMU defense held off Staubach’s valiant effort to rally his team for one last score, as the Mustangs pulled off the 32-28 upset.
• Jerry LeVias and John LaGrone were the only three-time All-SWC selections of the decade. LaGrone was also the first Mustang player to be selected as both an All-American and Academic All-American when he was honored following the 1966 season. • Led by LeVias and Chuck Hixson, the 1968 Mustangs eclipsed the 300-point barrier for the fi rst time in school history, scoring 311 points. In addition to his 1,131 receiving yards, LeVias set school records for receptions in a game (15 vs. Ohio State) and receiving yards in a game (213 vs. N.C. State).
1970s: Mustang Mania
Chuck Hixson ended his SMU career in 1970 as the Mustangs’ career leader in total offense with 7,179 yards. Alvin Maxson helped fill the void left by Hixson’s absence by becoming the first Mustang to rush for 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons when he rushed for 1,012 in 1971 and 1,005 in 1972. In the process, he helped the Mustangs to back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1958-59. Defensively, Robert Popelka, Louie Kelcher and Putt Choate starred for the Mustangs in the 1970s. All three were two-time All-Southwest Conference performers during their careers at SMU. Ron Meyer was hired as SMU’s 10th head coach in January of 1976 and was given the responsibility of establishing a championship reign on the Hilltop. His ability to recruit players such as Mike Ford and Emanuel Tolbert helped build the foundation of “Mustang Mania.” A highly-touted quarterback recruit from Mesquite High School, Ford was the nation’s second-ranked passer in 1978, when he threw for 3,007 yards. His main target was Tolbert, an All-American with blazing speed. Home attendance jumped from 26,000 to 52,000 in 1978 and “Mustang Mania” ushered a new era in SMU football the following season, when the Mustangs began playing all of their home games at Texas Stadium. Accompanying the move to a new stadium in 1979 was a freshman class which would lift SMU football to new heights. Freshmen Eric Dickerson and Craig James combined to rush for 1,239 yards in 1979, and the “Pony Express” was born.
• Tailback Arthur Whittington finished second in the nation in all-purpose running to Pittsburgh’s Tony Dorsett in 1976 with 167.5 yards a game. Whittington finished his SMU career in 1977 as the Mustangs’ all-time leader in kickoff return yards with 1,649.
• A four-year starter from 1973-76, Ricky Wesson became the first Mustang quarterback to accumulate more yards rushing than passing in a single season in 1974. Wesson rushed for 885 yards while passing for 688. He became the fourth player in SMU history to lead the Mustangs in rushing and passing in the same season.
• Putt Choate became the first Mustang defender to record more than 200 tackles in a season when he made 253 in 1978. Choate finished his career with 649 stops.
• Despite coming from different backgrounds, Eric Dickerson and Craig James shared similar success before arriving at SMU. Both led their high schools to undefeated 15-0 seasons and state championships as seniors. In three years at Sealy High School, Dickerson rushed for 5,875 yards and 84 touchdowns. James collected 2,411 yards and 35 TDs during his senior season at Stratford High School in Houston.
1980s: The Pony Express
There was a great deal of optimism surrounding the SMU football program in 1980. Eric Dickerson and Craig James gave the Mustangs one of the nation’s top backfield duos and Mike Ford returned to the team after a knee injury limited him to just two starts in 1979. Leading the defense were future All-Americans John Simmons and Harvey Armstrong. The Mustangs parlayed their talent into an 8-4 record and the school’s first national ranking (20th) since 1968. A 10-1 record the following season vaulted the Ponies to their second national championship and their first conference title in 16 years, as a new quarterback took over the reigns of the Pony Express. Lance McIlhenny was the perfect leader for SMU’s option attack, using his running ability and leadership capabilities to guide the Mustangs to a 34-5-1 record after taking over as the starting quarterback in the seventh game of his freshman season in 1980. After Ron Meyer was named head coach of the New England Patriots prior to the 1982 season, Southern Mississippi coach Bobby Collins was named the Mustangs’ new head coach. Dickerson, James and McIlhenny led SMU to an 11-0-1 record and its second-consecutive National Championship in 1982, highlighted by a victory over Pittsburgh and its star quarterback, Dan Marino, in the Cotton Bowl. With the loss of Dickerson and James to the National Football League in 1983, the Mustangs found a capable replacement in Reggie Dupard, a tailback from New Orleans whose blazing speed made him the fi rst SMU running back to gain over 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons. Dupard was the nation’s eighth-leading rusher in 1985 with 1,278 yards, and he became a first-round draft choice by the New England Patriots the following spring. After NCAA sanctions forced the cancellation of the 1987 season and university officials cancelled the 1988 campaign, SMU welcomed one of its former gridiron greats back to lead the resurrection of the Mustang football program. Forrest Gregg returned to accept what he called “the ultimate challenge” when he was named as the Ponies’ head coach Jan. 14, 1988, after having coached the Green Bay Packers since 1984. He was given the responsibility of guiding a team consisting of 74 freshmen, 16 of whom were starters. One of those freshmen was quarterback Mike Romo who, on Feb. 10, 1988, became the Mustangs’ first signee since 1985. Romo engineered one of the most exciting wins in Mustang history when he led SMU from a 17-point deficit in the final five minutes to defeat Connecticut, 31-30, in just the second game of the 1989 season. He completed a four-yard pass to Michael Bowen on the game’s final play to give the Ponies their first win since 1986 in a game that came to be known as the "Miracle on Mockingbird."
• One of the most memorable plays in SMU football history took place Nov. 13, 1982, when Bobby Leach took a cross-field lateral on a kickoff with 17 seconds left and raced untouched for a 91-yard touchdown to give the Mustangs a 34-27 win over Texas Tech. The play helped preserve the Ponies’ undefeated season and forever branded Leach with the nickname of “Miracle Man.”
• As a freshman in 1989, Mike Romo broke four school passing records which had stood for over 20 years. Romo set SMU records for yards passing in a game (450), passes completed in a game (40), passes completed in a season (282) and passes attempted in a season (503).
• Jason Wolf set an NCAA freshman record when he caught 61 passes in 1989.
• After playing their home games in Ownby Stadium from 1926-48, the Mustangs returned their home games to the on-campus facility in 1989. SMU hosted Rice in the season opener on Sept. 2, marking the return of Mustang football to Ownby exactly 40 years and 11 months after SMU’s last game there.
1990s: Aftermath of the Death Penalty
Forrest Gregg assumed the role of athletic director April 11, 1990, while announcing that he would relinquish his coaching duties following the 1990 season. Tom Rossley, who served as offensive coordinator at SMU from 1988-89, became the 13th head coach in Mustang history in December 1991. The orchestrator of the Mustangs’ Run-and-Shoot offense, Rossley returned to the Hilltop after one season as the quarterbacks coach of the Atlanta Falcons. The Mustangs went 5-6 in 1992 and Rossley was named Southwest Conference Co-Coach of the Year. Another significant accomplishment occurred that season when Jason Wolf ended his career with 235 receptions, making him the Southwest Conference’s career leader in that category. Mick Rossley then emerged as the Mustangs’ top receiving threat. A sure-handed receiver, Rossley broke Jerry LeVias’ school record for receptions in a season when he hauled in 83 passes in 1994. The winds of change swept across the Hilltop following the 1994 season as SMU prepared to begin its 77th and final season of play in the Southwest Conference after announcing that it would accept an invitation to join the Western Athletic Conference beginning in 1996. Coinciding with the fi nal SWC season was the return of SMU football to the Cotton Bowl. After playing most of its home games the previous six seasons at Ownby Stadium, SMU made “The House That Doak Built” its home stadium in 1995. The Mustangs made their return a memorable one when, in the 1995 season opener against eventual SEC Western Division champion Arkansas, Wilbert Mitchell recovered a Razorback fumble on the SMU two-yard line in the game’s final minute to preserve a 17-14 win. The Mustangs showed they could compete in the Western Athletic Conference by fashioning a 4-4 record in their new league. SMU posted a 30-0 victory at UTEP in 1996, marking the Ponies' fi rst shutout win since 1984. The Mustangs also won at Arkansas, exploded for 52 points against New Mexico and upended crosstown rival TCU, 27-24, before a national television (ESPN) audience in the 1996 season fi nale at the Cotton Bowl. Mike Cavan was named the 14th head coach of the Mustangs Dec. 20, 1996. Cavan led SMU to a 6-5 overall record in 1997, marking the fi rst winning season for the Mustangs since 1986. After a 1-4 start, SMU won fi ve consecutive games, marking its longest winning streak in 12 years. Cavan was named the WAC Coach of the Year by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram for his efforts in 1997. Among SMU's victims in 1998 was Metroplex rival and bowl-bound TCU on "Doak Walker Day" at the Cotton Bowl. The game was played in memory of the Mustangs' greatest player, who passed away Sept. 27, 1998, at the age of 71. SMU dedicated its season to Walker, who won the 1948 Heisman Trophy. • John Stewart became the fi rst SMU All-America selection since Reggie Dupard in 1985 when the Mustang kicker was honored following the 1993 season. A former walk-on who never had attempted a fi eld goal or extra point prior to his senior season in 1993, Stewart converted on all 23 of his extra point attempts, as well as 13 of his 17 fi eld goal attempts, including a 55-yarder. • Quarterback Ramon Flanigan became SMU's all-time leader in total offense (7,437 yards) and touchdowns responsible for (57) with a solid senior season in 1997. He was granted a sixth year of eligibility prior to 1997 by the NCAA. • Linebacker Chris Bordano was named the 1997 WAC Mountain Division Defensive Player of the Year after leading the team in tackles with 120. Bordano became just the 10th player in SMU history to be named all-conference three times. • In 1999, SMU great Eric Dickerson was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, becoming the fi fth Mustang to be enshrined. • Defensive end Luke Johnson recorded 11.5 sacks in 1999 while helping lead SMU to a 4-6 record, and concluded his career as the program's all-time sack leader with 23.5 sacks from 1996-99. • In 1999, the Ponies closed another chapter of Mustang football at the Cotton Bowl and prepared to move into their new on campus home, Gerald J. Ford Stadium, in 2000.
2000s
Sept. 2, 2000, may stand out as the most signifi cant day in the history of the storied SMU football program. That was the date that Mustang football returned to campus with the inaugural game in $56-million Gerald J. Ford Stadium. SMU christened the facility by whipping Big 12 foe Kansas, 31-17, before a sellout crowd of 32,267. It was the fi rst capacity home crowd for Mustang football since 1990. Former Kansas State defensive coordinator Phil Bennett was named the 15th head coach in school history Dec. 5, 2001. Bennett's fi rst season on the Hilltop saw one of the greatest statistical rushing seasons ever produced at SMU, as junior back Keylon Kincade rushed 327 times for 1,279 yards with eight 100-yard rushing games. Kincade's attempts number was a school season record while his yardage total and number of 100-yard games ranked third on the SMU season lists.The 2002 campaign was also the last for two of the best players in recent SMU history: tight end John Hampton and linebacker Vic Viloria. Hampton concluded his career as the program's all-time leader in receptions at his position with 114. Viloria was SMU's leading tackler during his fi nal three seasons and fi nished his career ranked eighth on the school's all-time tackles list with 372. He earned All-WAC honors three times. The 2005 season brought a new highlight to SMU football history as the Mustangs stampeded into Conference USA. SMU fi nished the 2005 season with a 5-6 mark, its highest win total in eight seasons. The year was full of highlights like SMU’s fi rst win over a ranked team since 1986, a 3-1 record against Bowl teams, and a three-game win streak to end the season - SMU’s longest since 1999. The 2006 season showcased a bright future for SMU football. The Mustangs increased their win total for the third straight season, posted their highest win total in a decade and reached bowl-eligibility. SMU student-athletes fi lled a Conference USA-high six spots on the All-Freshman team and SMU also placed the record-setting pair of quarterback Justin Willis and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders on The Sporting News’ Freshman All-America squad. SMU continued to win off the fi eld as well, as the Mustangs received the American Football Coaches Association’s 2006 Academic Achievement Award after the school recorded a 100 percent graduation rate. After a disappointing 1-11 season in 2007, Bennett was dismissed as head coach. Former National Coach of the Year June Jones was then lured away from Hawaii to coach the Mustangs, creating a sense of excitement not seen on the Hilltop in decades. Jones' fi rst season was a record-setting one, with the Mustangs setting numerous passing and receiving marks. The 2009 season was a true breakthrough. SMU went 8-5, posting the biggest turnaround in the nation, won the Conference USA Western Division Co-Championship and were Sheraton Hawaii Bowl Champions. It marked SMU's first bowl berth and win in 25 years.
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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