A Mother's Love For SMU And Doak Walker

My Mother attended SMU with the great Doak Walker, who won the Heisman Trophy in 1948. She was a diehard Mustang fan, but quietly in her later years. Her first and primary love was for her Lord and Savior. She and my Father were both Spirit-filled Believers. And if you were living in our house, you were at church whenever the doors were opened. They were both very active, and at times even worked or volunteered in a variety of positions. But this blog is not about that. This is about her love for SMU.

Doak Walker SMU

But first, let me supply a little background information on her and my family. She was a Methodist preacher's kid, and the middle child of three. She moved around a lot as a child. For a brief time she had some health issues, and it was then she devoured the Bible and built a solid foundation for her future. She had just started classes at Oklahoma City University when World War 2 started. Like many, she stopped attending classes and took a job at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma working in logistics.

Frances Matney Woodard 1942

One of their tasks was doing some final work on B-29s before they headed to the Pacific. One of my favorite pictures has several people from Tinker posing around a B-29. If you look closely, you can see her underneath the plane, directly under the top turret. 

Both my Father and Mother served. He fought in Africa, Italy, and then Southern France. When I was young, I claimed my Father killed Hitler, and my Mother defeated the Japanese. In a small way, that was true. And I was quite proud of both of them, and their contributions to winning the war. 

Dad was the oldest of 13, and was joined by 4 of his brothers overseas. His family put their faith in God, and all 5 came home. And they all experienced dangerous situations at times. My Father left with one, and then two more came later, all in the same theater as my Father. This helped him keep in touch and communicate their status with home. The 5th joined later and was sent to the Pacific.

Hollis H Woodard US Army WW2

With her experience at Tinker behind her, my Mother enrolled at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. She was a little older and wiser, so the school gave her a job as Dorm Monitor, or what is now called Resident Advisor. Back then the men and women had separate dorms of course. 

Mom At SMU Circa 1947

She graduated and took a job with 4H as an organizer or counselor - not sure how to exactly describe it. But unlike many women back then, she was a working girl. And she had a bit of a "wild" streak. Her uncle owned a dealership and helped her buy a brand new Studebaker. I love this picture and wish I would have known her back then.

Mom And Her New 1953 Studebaker

While in college, my Mother was a huge Mustang fan. She attended many games, and like most folks, was a huge fan of Doak Walker. She collected many of the magazine covers and stories about him. I thought they were lost over the years, but stumbled across a handful that survived all the moves, and selling the family home. It truly is remarkable how much publicity Walker received. And of course, it put SMU in the national conversation for about 4 to 5 years.

SMUs Doak Walker Magazine Covers

She did not save complete magazines. Instead, she retained the covers and articles related to Doak and SMU. Back then people made a lot of scrapbooks, so I assume that was her goal. And then of course life simply took priority. Between three kids, two older sisters, and then me of course, she had plenty to keep her busy between us, work, and Church.

This post will include a few miraculous stories. I include them because they are relevant to the subject. And because they are fun to share. All glory of course goes to God. If you choose not to believe, that is fine. I lived through it, and can never deny what I experienced. And the events mentioned here are just a handful of the many good things God did for us.

At a very early age, I heard my Mother say, "All of my children will graduate from Southern Methodist University (SMU)." At the time, I was clueless as to what that even meant. I was a Longhorn like my Father, who had attended UT with Tom Landry. I watched Longhorn games sitting on his lap. But if my Mother liked SMU, it must be good. She made that statement many times in our lives. And based on our finances, it would require a big miracle for even one of us to attend. But she never gave up. Long after she graduated to Heaven, my oldest sister, who had dropped out of SMU to get married and have kids, went back and got her degree. And after her graduation, my Mother's faith had manifested. All her kids graduated from SMU. You can read a more detailed account of this - Mark 11:21-23 – Speak To The Mountain And Do Not Doubt

Collier's Magazine Dec 1948

I apologize for the image. Trying to pick the best between scans and photos can be tricky. Collier's was a general interest magazine that did have quite a bit of college sports coverage. This edition featured their All America picks, which included QB Doak Walker illustrated above in the top left, also in the list. Inside the article, this was written about Walker.

QUARTERBACK: Doak Walker of Southern Methodist, 21 years old, 5 feet 11 inches, 168 pounds, senior from Dallas, Texas. Does more things well than any other back in college football. Averages 56 minutes per game because Coach Matty Bell can't afford to take him out of the defensive line-up. Says Bell: "If I do, we lose 50 percent effectiveness. Never saw anybody who can touch him defensively - except Scott of Arkansas." Dangerous passer in the clutch. Not a long punter, but stays among nation's leaders by minimizing opposing runbacks. Angles punts away from safety men - low, rolling kicks that usually die out of bounds. Great runner. Slides through tiniest holes and makes maximum use of blockers. - Bill Fay Collier's December 11, 1948

During the Pony Express days, I remember Lance, Eric, and Craig appearing on several covers, but they were almost exclusively sports magazines and newspapers. Granted the 40s and 50s were likely the high water mark for magazines, as radio and TV were growing quite quickly. It just amazes me to see Doak and SMU on the cover of magazines like Life. That was huge publicity.

I do enjoy the story of Kyle Rote. One time, he saw a guy buying a football magazine at a newsstand. 'Don't buy that one,' Rote said. 'It's not official. It doesn't have a picture of Doak Walker on the cover.'" There is some truth to that statement.

SMU Players

Walker was the most visible, but many other players were featured, as was coach Matty Bell. And ultimately the university benefitted from all the publicity. Its not like SMU was running a national advertising campaign. Yet people all over the country were learning about the university.

Mustangs At Practice

This was fantastic publicity for the team. Multipage spreads, articles, covers talking about the Mustangs. How could you not love Doak Walker and this team?

 

The scans don't do this spread justice, as it is a mini biography of Walker through pictures. Not sure which magazine, as this is not labeled. I just thought it was really nice.

The famous cover from LIFE magazine. And also, how you can retire on $200 month. I apologize for cutting off that story. But for those interested - you can't.

I wonder where "Timmy" is these days. Look at that beautiful color picture, full page spread of Walker taking a drink. Wow!

There were two pages like the above in this edition of LIFE. Good stuff. And for my final scan, this was also in this same edition.

Its a brief article on recruiting and the Mustang Club. Would have been nice to experience this firsthand, but I got my chance in the 80s, and expecting great things moving forward. 

Its time for SMU to return to the national spotlight. The realignment drama, and invitation to the ACC helped to get SMU back in the conversation. But then the season started, and other teams like Colorado, and players have grabbed the spotlight. Its time for SMU to go on a run in their last year in the AAC. And we need a player to emerge like Rashee Rice that we can rally around and promote nationally. Quarterback Preston Stone is a possibility. And there are a few more that may emerge as dominant players in league play.

I have two more SMU/parent stories to share - because I am feeling nostalgic and miss them - especially on game day. 

In the late 90s, my wife at the time said she wanted to be with somebody else. The divorce was simple enough, we had no kids, minimal assets to divide, but emotionally it was devastating. I never expected that to happen to me. My Mother was no longer with me, so the next strongest female in my life was my Aunt Evelyn, my Mother's younger sister. She lived near Shreveport, and my Father lived in Longview, out in East Texas. I needed to share the news and speak to someone with female wisdom. It was not something I wanted to do over the phone. By coincidence, SMU had scheduled their home game against Arkansas in Shreveport that year. It had been a few years since my Father attended a game with me, so I called and invited him to go to the game and visit our relatives. Both visits were wonderful - I needed to be around folks that loved me. And we had great time talking just good memories - many about my Mother. 

And then something amazing happened that night at the game. SMU and Ramon Flanigan put the beatdown on the Pigs, winning 31-9. It was one of the best moments of an otherwise really bad year for me. It also turned out to be the last football game my Father ever saw in person. That memory alone, along with all the time alone with him I treasure to this day. I attempted to find some highlights of the game, but could not locate any, which is sad.

The next memory will be quite familiar to many older Mustang fans. The year was 1982. I was a senior in high school and living in Longview with my folks. My folks had one of those massive console record player/radios that for some reason was in the entry way facing the Living Room - I assume so we could listen in the living room, which we rarely did. The television was in the den, which is where we generally congregated. In high school, my parents allowed me to drive myself, and a few select friends, to HOME SMU games. But away games were verboten. And since not every SMU game was televised, that meant I had to find a radio station and tune in the game. I would shut off the rest of the house, crank up the game, and prepare for an SMU win. 

That year, SMU had rolled through its nonconference games and SWC games and was 9-0 before it was time to face Texas Tech in Lubbock. It was Saturday, November 13, 1982. SMU was ranked #2 in the nation. I loss would be devastating, especially to the Red Raiders. Losing in Lubbock might drop them out of the top 15. The Red Raiders tied the game at 27 with just 17 seconds left. For the few minutes while commercials were running, a stream of expletives flowed quite loudly from my mouth - which did not happen in our house. It was so loud, my Mother came in to investigate. She calmed me down and asked what was wrong. I explained the dire situation and she nodded thoughtfully. Her exact words, "Don't worry. SMU will win." She smiled that beautiful sly smile, and closed the door. I stood there dumbfounded. I knew my Mother loved SMU. I knew she had remarkable faith, and that NOTHING is impossible with God. But what the heck! There's no time! Just 17 seconds. What could we do?

I considered her statement. It was not a joke. Truly it was spoken in complete confidence of the outcome. 

The announcers came back on providing a summary of where we were. They seemed to agree that the game was headed for a tie. And started imagining what the consequences of a tie might be - at least that is what I remember. That seemed to be the longest commercial break ever. And back then, there was no overtime. When the clock stopped, the game was over.

They say radio is the most visual media. I believe that. Because I could see EVERYTHING in my mind. I saw the kickoff, Blaine Smith trying to get a handle on the ball. And then what? He threw the ball across the field to Bobby Leach. Who then ran it back for a touchdown, securing SMUs 10th win of the season.

Stunned, I sat there in silence, listening to the announcers trying to explain all that just happened. Later, I watched the highlights on the news, as it was a national story for a time. The images were exactly what I had seen in my mind.

Once the game was officially over, and I had done sufficient physical displays of joy, I remembered what my Mother said, "Don't worry. SMU will win." How did she know?

I sheepishly walked into her bedroom where she was reading and gave her a big hug. "SMU won!" I said. And she whispered back, "I know."

Go Mustangs!

College Football Upsets In The Portal Era

How many people truly believed that Colorado would beat TCU in Ft Worth? TCU was 20 point favorites, and the 2022 National runner-up to Georgia the year before. Colorado had literally tossed aside all its players from 2022 (a team that went 1-11), and rebuilt it from the ground up, primarily with the Portal.

Plus, there was a wildcard - Deion Sanders. One of the more flamboyant coaches in college football. People laughed, and even mocked his effort. The more confident Sanders acted, the more folks secretly hoped he would not only fail, but do it spectacularly on national television.

I like Sanders. I actually think he is a good coach. I did wonder about his methods when it came to his roster. It is his team though, and it was apparent the players that were there did not get it done. Sanders wants to win, and do it immediately to silence his detractors. Making a big and immediate splash was very important.

 

Sanders brought in a whole new team, including key skill players at QB and WR. Suddenly, the talent difference was not that wide. And the skill players for the Buffaloes just a wee bit better than TCUs defense.

Its likely TCU never took Colorado seriously, believing they would simply fold the minute TCU got a lead. But Colorado scored first, and answered every TCU score with one of their own. 

For those aware of the value of the Portal, the outcome was not that surprising. To those who thought TCU was a shoe-in for the National Championship, they got a very rude awakening. It was TCUs 3rd loss in 4 games. Suddenly, it was time to reevaluate their team, and make some major adjustments to salvage an already disappointing season.

Another game that was a bit surprising for everyone was Baylor's loss to Texas State, Most were expecting a typical 50 point thrashing of a G5 school. But this school had a new coach G,J. Kinne, and had hit the Portal hard, landing a QB from Auburn among their additions. The talent difference, especially among key contributors, was a whole lot closer than folks imagined. And one team was hungry for the win, while the other likely viewed this more like a scrimmage.

This was no last second win. This was Texas State playing their game, with Baylor always playing from behind. Before the Portal era, its very unlikely Texas State wins this game. But now, any team can make a significant jump in talent in just a year. And I love it.

Another game that I wanted to consider was Texas Tech at Wyoming. But I could not see a clear connection between Portal additions and Wyoming's victory. This was just a case of Texas Tech being, well, Tech. Wyoming had a full house and the home field advantage. And it appeared that they simply wanted it more than Tech. Maybe a situation where Tech read their own press, and did not expect this game to be difficult. Bad move for the boys from Lubbock.

A closer look at a few games may produce similar results - Duke v Clemson, the pedestrian BYU victory over FBS newcomer SHSU. And of course the Houston v UTSA game. You would think Houston would dominate, but maybe they have not taken full advantage of their P4 status yet to upgrade their talent. UTSA was quite good in their previous conference. Since Houston was recently in the AAC, this was an interesting test for them before conference play. Houston squeezed out a win, which is unfortunate for the AAC.

I'm not a betting man. But if I were, I would start looking a little closer at portal losses, and especially additions. This may produce a lot more parity in future games.

Not to the degree of Colorado, but SMU brought in dozens of players through the portal and drastically upgraded the talent and depth on both sides of the ball. Playing against Louisiana Tech, this was not immediately apparent. But it might be something to watch in coming games against Oklahoma and TCU.

The Snow White Debacle - Is Rachel Zegler The Evil Queen?

I was a child once. I fondly remember watching the Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday night. In those days, there wasn't a lot of programming on the three networks we had in East Texas for children - especially in Prime Time. But you could count on something fun from Disney each week. I didn't attend movies often at that age, and Disney films didn't come out nearly as frequently as they do now. But there was the occasional film that found its way to TV that was entertaining. And it should be noted that even in the distant past, Disney was already leaning left. Bambi, for instance, probably did more for the anti-hunting folks than any other film in history. Even in a country where guns and hunting were quite common, young children were traumatized by the death of Bambi's mother, and man was clearly the villain.

It Wasn't Always This Way, Was It?

Flash forward to college. I was at SMU when I landed an internship with the publicity department of MGM/UA. This was a fun engagement. I helped with screenings, confirming press attendance, and gathering their clippings. It was pretty easy work that also included a whole lot of film watching. But it was this experience that led to my first job. MGM/UA's regional ad agency was a company called Moroch, and they were growing and needed another account person. The introduction was made, and in no time I was working for them - officially as an intern, since I was taking two final classes in the Summer to graduate. The latter was a directed studies - a paper on passive TV viewing and advertising. It scored an A, and was the final grade I needed to wrap up my degree. And that very day, I became an Assistant Account Executive of Moroch - cubicle, business cards, and a brave new career in advertising.

I Was Officially The World's Tallest Account Executive!

The division I was in did motion picture advertising (buying local/regional ads for films) and publicity. The engagement varied from studio to studio. Since there was little creativity involved, the studios did not care if we handled multiple clients. We became very proficient at the process, and continued to add studios to our list of clients. By the time I left, we had everyone but Paramount and Warner Brothers. There was one other agency in town that I assumed had compromising pictures of the execs at those two, as we could never crack that nut. But no worries, we had plenty of business without them. And any small studio that came along was always referred to us. Including a small one called Vestron, with some little film they called Dirty Dancing.

Dirty Dancing - The Movie That Would Not Die!

Disney was an account we picked up right as I started. One of the first films we worked on was Adventures in Babysitting, with the ever so lovely Elisabeth Shue. I was hoping she would come through Dallas on a publicity tour for AIB or Cocktail, but alas our chance encounter never materialized. I did meet Rebecca De Mornay that first year, and marked that down as a win.

About once a year, I would travel out west to meet our clients, watch a few upcoming films, and discuss our engagement. Everyone at Disney distribution and marketing was very nice. If they were radical leftists, they hid it well,

And then it started with The Little Mermaid. A handful of people complained to the local newspapers that the ads for the new Disney film had inappropriate images in them. The complaints were forwarded to the agency, and we sent them on to Disney. Since we did not create the artwork, there was really nothing we could say about it. In one of my advertising classes, we read a book on subliminal advertising, which honestly I simply dismissed. But staring at the underwater kingdom, you know, the towers did have a remarkable resemblance to a penis. And there was more than one. And those complaints continued. And have gotten worse with time.

Why The Little Mermaid's 1989 VHS Cover Was Banned

I provide all this background simply to demonstrate the situation with the remake of Snow White is just another in a long line of steps by Disney away from their roots as wholesome family entertainment. The declining box office, less traffic at the parks, less merchandise sales, people canceling Disney+, and the declining stock price, are all the result of this long steady march not just to the left, but the extreme left, alienating just about everyone. Most parents want to protect their children from sexual and political nonsense, at least until their teen years. They will learn all about everything soon enough. But while they are young, let them enjoy life without the grooming, far left politics, and creepy sexual deviancy.

Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho

It's full blown woke we go!

With a brown Snow White 

Whose not too bright

Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho

Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho

Bankrupt the Mouse our goal

No True Lovers Kiss

Ever After Bliss

Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho

People seem really focused on Rachel Zegler and her comments, which are truly annoying. She just turned 22. How many people in their twenties know anything about anything? She is simply parroting what she has heard. Her short life has been totally focused on the entertainment business. She has been surrounded by folks who truly think that they have the power, and should use it, to change the world into their bizarre utopian vision. She wants to fit in, and wants to be considered a serious player in the business. Of course she is going to talk their talk!

Let's talk Snow White for a moment. It is definitely a cinema classic. For ANYONE to suggest it is dated or needs to be radically reimagined is NUTS! Multiple generations of young girls have dreamed of being a Princess, and finding true love - even if that's revolting to a small militant handful in Hollywood. And the idea that we have to reimagine Snow White into this Mary Sue Princess is laughable - She's the freakin' PRINCESS. She was born to reign! If not for the wicked stepmother, a woman no less, she would already be queen!

Snow White is a perfectly fine fairy tale. I am more offended by taking a classic story that is timeless, and then "reimagining" into some dark, dystopian feminist nonsense that looks nothing like what the author intended. If you must make a film with a strong female who hates princes, create it from scratch. And don't call it Snow White!

Or if you must do a remake of the film, why not follow a successful formula? If it was successful once, why wouldn't it be even better as a live action film? I guess what I am asking is, why reimagine it?

Brown Snow And the Diverse Collection Of Differently Challenged Folks  -- See the exciting tale of the Princess who lusts for power more than men. Who even needs a Prince when you are the Most Mary Sue Princess of them ALL!

I found the Daily Mail headline rather humorous - "could" RUIN? Either this is most diabolical film marketing campaign ever, or this film is DOA. Critics say the fuss is all about Zegler being of Columbian/Polish ancestry. I didn't even know that until I just looked it up. It is a little odd when the character is called SNOW WHITE, with skin as WHITE AS SNOW, to be played by someone whose skin is more a lite mocha color. But hey, we can look past that. It was her obnoxious comments first towards the original film, and then toward love of all things, that are hard to forget. Here was the first interview.

Does this make you eager to see Snow White, especially if you were a fan of the original story or Disney film? Probably not. To get back to my point, this is the ignorance of youth. She wants to project confidence, and knowledge of the world, but instead craps over everything many Americans hold dear. Somebody in PR needs to do some serious coaching, or her career is going to crash before it really takes off. You would almost think Zegler was cast as the evil queen instead of Gal Gadot. Her as the evil queen makes little sense, as she clearly is the fairest in the land - at least by physical appearance, and apparently what's inside too.

The attacks on Zegler I believe are a little harsh. Disney is the Big Bad Wolf here. This is not the first iconic brand or film to be reimagined into crap. And Zegler is not the first actor to say really stupid things promoting a Disney project. I want to believe that she was heavily influenced by Disney, and was simply parroting what she heard. And now that there is a backlash, Disney goes into damage control and blames it on the out of control actor. Zegler's career is just now blossoming with opportunity. Why would she knowingly torpedo this unless it was youthful ignorance? Either way, the film is damaged. Disney must decide quickly whether to reshoot, or simply cancel Snow White. 

If they do decide to start from scratch, take a long look at Cinderella (2015), the recent remake featuring Lily James. The original story was respected. Appropriate actors were cast for all the key parts. It was lavish when it needed to be, and simple when it mattered. And the only real criticism it had was from the bat guano crazy left. James played the abused stepdaughter flawlessly. She was loyal, honest, hopeful, and just a wee bit feisty. But also, she didn't yearn to be a "girl boss" or even a "Mary Sue". She simply wanted to be loved, and have a family. A timeless tale that most can relate to, especially young girls. That movie grossed over $540M on a budget under $100M. And yet it seems like Disney learned nothing from that success.

And then there was this...

When the picture of the 7 Hippies circulated, and it was confirmed to come from Snow White, this was truly the final straw. Where were the dwarves? The one part that Little People could count on goes to regular actors? And not only that, its some bizarre diversity casting. Why? Again, if you HATE the source material, make a new movie featuring 7 freaky hippies. Call it, Snow White does Burning Man.

Will Snow White survive and get released as shot? I suspect Disney is hoping the controversies will run their course, people will forget and focus on the holidays. Disney can make some minor adjustments, and maybe, just maybe the public will forget all the bad press. I doubt it. I bet it will be yet another big loser at the box office. But what do I know.

It's Happening! - California, SMU, And Stanford To Be Added To the ACC

Its official. Starting with the 2024-25 athletic year, SMU, along with California and Stanford will be full members of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The terms include all three taking a reduced amount of TV revenue, in SMUs case they agreed to take none for a period reportedly between 5-9 years - I assume with some caveats. There are other payments that will be distributed to all three, and they will be eligible for the financial incentives, made possible by them taking less, through athletic success. 

Its A Good Day To Be A Mustang!

Let The Weeping And Gnashing Of Teeth Begin

Its a win-win all around. Although the pundits, out in force with the sunrise, would swear this is the most terrible thing in NCAA history. All over social media and the message boards, the malcontents made their case. It started immediately on Twitter (aka X) lead by sports "journalists" - is there anything they don't know?

Nobody Cares More About Student Athletes Than Sports Journalists

Its interesting that athlete travel only becomes an issue for the ACC. At worst, you might add one trip to Dallas every other year, and one trip to CA every year. Dallas is a major airline hub, so easy in and easy out. San Francisco is not that far behind DFW. Its ironic nobody seemed to care when the Big 10 started this, stretching from Nebraska to New Jersey. And now their travel goes all the way to Los Angeles and Oregon! The SEC must travel from Florida to Texas. Big 12 may be the worst, from Arizona to Florida, West Virginia to Iowa. And there are rumblings of them wanting to add more! Where is the concern for student athletes in the Big 12? I assume its because academics don't matter as much in the Big 12. Its all about competition, right?

It Seems They Are Somewhere Between Denial And Anger

North Texas fans are adorable. They are like that little kid brother that tags along. He wants to play with the older kids, but he is simply too small to compete. Yet there they are hanging around, bitter and angry, blaming SMU for everything that happens to their program. Instead of simply saying, "Hey, SMU made it! I bet we could to if we put a plan together." They would much rather wallow in self-pity, lash out on message boards and Twitter. They have everything necessary to be successful, they just have absolutely no leadership.

From An ECU Fan On A Message Board

I wonder, how many SMU fans/students/alums would prefer to see a game against ANY member of the ACC over ECU - a school most had never heard of until our brief time together in CUSA? What about ACC fans in Dallas, or the casual CFB fan in DFW? I suspect SMU will see a solid 20% increase in attendance the first year of play. Depending on results, that may climb significantly. You will see far more interest for ACC opponents among the casual DFW sports fan, and of course students and alums are far more likely to come with an interesting opponent. The Pony Express years in FB, and the Larry Brown days in basketball are a good indication of what we might expect. The key is to be competitive, Which in time, recruiting with Power status and NIL, we should have very few issues.

ECU fans remind me of UNT (North Texas State) fans. They are adorable. But they are crabs in a bucket. They will pull any crab down that tries to escape, just to keep everyone in equal misery. Sort of like socialism, everything is wonderful as long as everyone is equally miserable - unless of course you are in a Power conference.

Why Do So Many G5 Fans Act Like Crabs?

There are some really good schools in the AAC, and some truly obnoxious fanbases. And I will never understand the crab mentality of so many in G5. SMU was in a Power conference for 75 years. It has always been our goal to play at the highest level once again. We have invested $250M in athletic facilities just in the last 10 years, and made many internal improvements, hired coaches and staff, built NIL collectives, and created programs to help athletes transition into careers. We have aggressively reached out to Dallas and grown the fanbase - even during challenging times. This was not "luck" nor did we stumble into the opportunity. We have been open about our desires going back to the Big East debacle. We were once considered for Big 12, then flirted with the PAC 12 for about 6 months, during which time the ACC became a possibility. Our leadership, as well as some very passionate donors, made this day possible. Every school could have done the same, assuming there was mutual interest from the ACC.

Anything Is Possible With The Right Leadership!

Of all our post-SWC destinations, the original AAC was one of the best. Then the Big East split, Rutgers and Louisville left - the former was quite eye opening, as proof that athletics REALLY does not matter that much to realignment. BTW - since their addition to the BIG, Rutgers averages 3.4 wins a year, 15 wins over the last 5 years. TRULY, they earned their spot, and prove they are worthy every day. That expansion and others that followed proved that every P5 move was arbitrary - academics, athletics, facilities, AAU membership, location, attendance, proximity - all have either been used to invite or exclude potential additions. Its a crappy system and I hate it. But you play the game according to the rules.

When TCU left us behind, I was not angry, or tried to hold them back. The opposite in fact. If a small, private school in FW could have success, surely a small, private school in DALLAS could do it even better! Sounds crazy right now, but just watch. They blocked our entry into the Big 12, and pushed us right into the arms of the ACC, introducing another Power conference to Texas recruits. Lizards are funny creatures.

The latest moves - UCF, UC, and Houston. The first two I was quite happy for their advancement. If "earning" status was truly a thing, they were good examples. Houston, basketball is certainly there, but football has never had consistency because of coaching turnover - its plagued SMU as well. But Houston was a market play, establishing the Big 12 in SE Texas since A&M, and now Texas are gone. BYU - I don't understand why anyone would want them in a conference. They were horrible in the WAC16, and I pity the folks that are forced to share a conference with them. It does lock up the state of Utah when you add both Utah and BYU. Oddly, there are twice as many people in DFW than the whole state of Utah - so its a win, I guess.

I am happy. I can go back to focusing on my work, and enjoying college football. Its been a long time since SMU played in a major conference, and I look forward to it. I was there in 1987 and watched hypocrite coaches from every FBS program, many who had offered cash, houses, jobs to recruits, far more than SMU ever contemplated, arrive at our campus like vultures feasting on a dying zebra. They picked the carcass clean, taking just about every player that wore the red and the blue. I was angry at the world.

I sat through the early days when everyone said it would be a decade before SMU would win again. That first year back 1989, we beat North Texas and UCONN, in game forever known as the Miracle on Mockingbird. But those early years were tough. SMU started from scratch, fielding what could politely be called an all Freshman team. As seniors, those same fellows managed a highwater mark of 5-6. Because of the NCAAs Death Penalty, some of the nuttier folks on campus sought to "reign in" (destroy) football on campus. There was never any academic scandal, as SMU graduated the majority of its athletes. But they decided SMU needed new draconian rules that truly did nothing more than punish SMU a second time. Called the Pye Penalty, after the President of SMU at that time, these rules made it impossible to compete for top recruits, setting the standards far above our peers. That was bad enough, but coaches could not invite them to campus or even offer until they were accepted, which seemed to take an eternity to determine. By the time an athlete was accepted, he often selected another school. That meant we were fighting North Texas and FCS schools for talent. It was during this time everyone in the SWC loaded up on wins against SMU. Pretty easy when you are facing what was essentially an FCS school. They fought hard, and did their best, but you could see the physical difference between SMU and other SWC teams. 

If that wasn't bad enough, the SWC split, sending SMU into something called the Western Athletic Conference. Cut off from the cache of playing in one of the best conferences in the country, and associated with universities nobody in Texas knew existed, our recruiting plummeted. After several conference moves, and gradual changes of SMUs draconian recruiting policies, SMU finally started to show life under June Jones, enjoying a few Bowl victories. After a few bad coaching hires, SMU reconnected with Dallas area athletes. And then NIL came along, something SMU understood quite well. After that, the transfer portal allowed players to go back home, often to Dallas and SMU. Between all of this, SMU was able to rebuild the team, and narrow the talent gap between its natural and historical rivals. The final piece of course was landing in a Power conference. That was accomplished today!

For all the whiners, critics, ne'er-do-wells out there, I challenge you to click here. At the top right, enter whatever FBS team you want, and compare their history to SMU. I think you will be amazed at what SMU accomplished IN SPITE of what they endured. Take one of our biggest critics during all of this - fans of Texas Tech. They had 27 years in a Power conference, all that money, the status, and the competition, and yet have NEVER sniffed a FB conference championship. Even lowly Baylor eventually broke through. Tech averages 3.9 conference wins a year! And yet they want to attack SMU? Look at the tape - Conference championships - 11 (SMU 11), National championships 0 (3), Consensus AA 12 (16), Bowls 40 (18), Heisman 0 (1), Weeks in AP 141 (180), AP#1 0 (2), NFL Draft Picks 166 (175), NFL HOF 0 (5). And their wins in the last 5 years 28 (37).

Time to wrap this up. Go Mustangs!

SMU Heisman Winner Doak Walker

Nothing left, but the dancing...