If you have read any of my blogs you know that I am, and will always be a committed SMU fan. I've written about my Mother's love for SMU, the many family ties to the Methodist church and the school, and my experiences on the Hilltop. It just seems like part of my family.
My positive memories of SMU go back long before I attended. My Mother introduced me to SMU during a United Methodist Youth Foundation trip to see the Mustangs play in the Cotton Bowl during the State Fair of Texas in Dallas. Both my sisters were in the church youth group, and my parents were chaperones. I of course as a wee one, had to come along. All that I knew about college football at that time came from my Father, who graduated from the University of Texas. He was there at the same time as Tom Landry, and UT was his team. Naturally, it was mine, until I saw the red & blue of SMU. I believe that first game was against Houston. And I'm pretty sure they lost, but I was hooked. My Mother told me stories of SMU greats like Doak Walker. He was there when she attended. Her excitement led me to learn more. I drove librarians crazy in elementary school finding books on the SWC, and SMU. I found a biography on Doak Walker - which I read and turned in a pretty nifty book report. I also found books on the Southwest Conference, and the many greats from SMU. This culminated in a priceless piece of literature on the topic of what would you do with $1,000,000. That was a lot of money back then. I wowed the class with my plans to purchase SMU and make it THE VERY BEST University on the Planet. I dream big.
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| Doak Walker Statue At SMU |
By the time I was old enough to really understand college football, SMU was transitioning into the Mustang Mania phase. A time of great hype, followed by incredible success. It was just before and during this time I got to experience SMU in person. Both sisters enrolled at SMU, and I went along to help move them in. I was blown away by the scenery the first time. By the time we moved in the 2nd sister, when I was a wee bit more mature, I was REALLY blown away by the SCENERY. I found my future college.
I still had a few years to go, so I followed from my home in Longview. We would usually take one or two trips a year to see a game, often with a church group. When I was old enough to drive, and proven to be reliable behind the wheel, I would travel there myself. I started working at 15, and purchased my own vehicle. And my parents surprisingly trusted me. I did not drink or do drugs, and only went to school and work, so there was little time for trouble.
In 1982, a truly remarkable year, SMU managed to fight its way through their Southwest Conference schedule unblemished. There were a few moments where they cut it close, like winning at Texas Tech in the final seconds on a kickoff return. It came down to one final game against a ranked Arkansas team at Texas Stadium - the home of the Dallas Cowboys, and on Saturdays - the SMU Mustangs. I was among the 60k+ fans, not quite a sellout, but very close. Arkansas always brought lots of fans, but this was packed with Pony fans - alumni, students, and even folks from Dallas who were now Mustangs. The game went back and forth. Two great offenses against two very solid defenses. The second ranked Mustangs (10-0) playing the 8th ranked Razorbacks (8-1). A nationally televised game watched by millions.
The game did not end as I desired. SMU had a chance to win on a last second field goal, but it went wide. But with the TIE, which was allowed back then, SMU was the undisputed Southwest Conference Champions, and would face Pittsburgh in the Cotton Bowl on New Year's Day. SMU would beat the Dan Marino led Panthers, but in one of many NCAA screw jobs, SMU, the ONLY unbeaten team in the nation, would be voted #2 behind the rapist protector and pedophile enabler Joe Paterno, who won their bowl game, yet had one loss. It was purely a sympathy vote for the whiner in Happy Valley, and some good old fashioned East Coast Bias.
That wasn't the only screw job that would occur that year. Eric Dickerson, who shared time at RB with Craig James, was clearly the best player on the best team in the NCAA by any objective measure. Dickerson was a Senior, Herschel Walker (Georgia) was a Junior - that right there should have led to a Dickerson win. Dickerson (232/1617/7.0/17) was inexplicably 3rd in voting behind Walker (335/1752/5.2/16) and Stanford's QB John Elway (262/405/3242/24/12) Stanford was 5-6 and didn't go bowling. Georgia was (11-1) and 4th in the final poll. Note Dickerson had 100 less carries, 1 more TD, and almost 2 yards more per carry, AND was only 140 yards behind Walker. An obvious case of voter bias. Most college football fans recognized who was best. And Dickerson's time in the NFL proved it.
But that all that came later. For much of December 1982 into January of 1983. SMU nation celebrated. They were SWC champions, and the ONLY undefeated team in the land! It was fantastic being a Mustang, and I eagerly looked forward to actually being a student on the Hilltop.
Some success would follow in 1983 and 1984 - including a shared SWC title with Houston in '84. But 1982 was the high water mark. Then 1987 hit. The program was shut down, followed by the demise of the SWC, and over 30 years of wandering in the wasteland of college football. It was a long road back to relevancy.
As the years went by, I wondered if SMU students would ever experience college football like I did while I was a student. The athletic success was such a major part of my time on the Hilltop. During the dark days of the 90s, I could see students were losing interest, indifferent to sports, and often embarrassed by the results. I would proudly wear my shirts or cap, and take my share of ridicule no matter where in America I traveled. But there were times when older fans who remembered the 80s indicated that they were Mustang fans back then. When I would encourage them to reconsider, my suggestion was usually rejected. People like winners. And for 30 years, SMU could not by any measure claim to be a winning football program.
That is why the win down in New Orleans was so special. No matter what accomplishments SMU had, the naysayers always pushed the goalpost further - one being a conference championship - which quite frankly, SMU had only sniffed at winning. But now, SMU was over that hump. Eleven wins, with a bowl game to come, shows that SMU is going to be a player on the national scene. We have the staff, the players, facilities, financial support, new conference ACC, and now excited students and fans, to keep us relevant in our new home.
Go Mustangs!!!
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