SMU Mustangs

SMU Mustangs
University Southern Methodist University
Conference American Athletic Conference
NCAA Division I
Athletic director Rick Hart
Location Dallas, Texas
Varsity teams 17
Football stadium Gerald J. Ford Stadium
Basketball arena Moody Coliseum
Soccer stadium Westcott Field
Mascot Peruna
Nickname Mustangs
Fight song Peruna
Colors Blue and Red[1]
         
Website www.smumustangs.com

The SMU Mustangs are the athletic teams representing Southern Methodist University. The SMU Mustangs were founded in 1911 and became a prominent athletic program who joined the Southwest Conference, competing against Baylor, Rice, Texas, Texas A&M, Arkansas and Oklahoma A&M (which later became Oklahoma State). They have participated in various Bowl Games, from the Dixie Classic in 1924 to the Hawaii Bowl in 2012. Some of their top football players were even inducted into the Football Hall of Fame but some of their most notable football players were Heisman winner Doak Walker, All-American Eric Dickerson, and two-time Super Bowl winner Forrest Gregg. The SMU Mustangs also have a prominent baseball, basketball, soccer and golf team that continually have winning records and are becoming more and more well-known.

History

Entrance into the American Athletic Conference

The Mustangs participate in the NCAA Division I (FBS for football) as a member of the American Athletic Conference. SMU was the only private school in the conference when it began operation as The American in 2013, but it was joined by Tulane and Tulsa a year later. From 1918 to 1996, the Mustangs were a member of the Southwest Conference, until it formally disbanded. The Mustangs subsequently joined the Western Athletic Conference and in 2005, SMU accepted an invitation to the Western Division of Conference USA. They accepted an invitation to join the Big East Conference, which split along football lines in 2013, with SMU and the other FBS schools reorganizing as the American Athletic Conference.

1910s

1911

1915

1917

1918

1920s

1922

1923

1924

1926

1928

1930s

1932

1933

1935

1936

1937

1940s

1942

1945

1947

1948

1949

1950s

1950

1951

1952

1954

1955

1956

1957

1958

1960s

1960

1962

1963

1966

1967

1968

Gary Hammond earned all SWC titles in 1969, 1970 and 1971, the only player to ever achieve this at three different positions.

1970s

1971

1972

1973

1974

1975

1976

1977

1978

1979

• 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. • SMU men’s soccer team makes it first NCAA Tournament appearance. • SMU senior men’s golfer Payne Stewart shares the 1979 Southwest Conference individual title. Known for his trademark knickers, Stewart would go on to become one of the most successful professional golfers of his era. • Men’s tennis wins first of two national team indoor championships, the second coming in 1983.

1980s

1980 • The Mustangs parlayed their talent into an 8–4 record and the school’s first national ranking (20th) since 1968. • The 1980 Holiday Bowl featured two teams with distinctly different offensive philosophies. SMU relied on the running of Eric Dickerson and Craig James, while BYU boasted an explosive aerial attack led by QB Jim McMahon. Both teams combined for more than 900 yards in total offense in a game which came down to the final play. After trailing 45–25, BYU mounted one of the most amazing comebacks in college football history. As time expired, McMahon found Clay Brown in the end zone for a 41-yard TD pass, sending the Mustangs home with a heartbreaking 46–45 defeat. • Ted McLaughlin was named track and field coach at SMU. McLaughlin would lead the Mustangs to three national team championships (1983 indoor and outdoor, 1986 outdoor), the most by any coach in school history. • Michael Carter wins first individual indoor national championship for men’s track and field with a shot put of 76–5½. • Men’s swimming has streak of 23-straight SWC Championships end with second-place finish. The Mustangs would go onto finish second at each meet until 1994 when they finished third. The team finished second at the meet its final two years in the SWC.

1981 • A 10–1 record in 1981 vaulted the Ponies to their first conference title in 16 years as a new quarterback took over the reins 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.

1982 • 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 number-two ranking in 1982, including a 7–3 victory over Pittsburgh and its star quarterback, Dan Marino, in the 1983 Cotton Bowl Classic. SMU was the only undefeated football team in the nation that season, but Penn State, with one loss, was named the national champion after defeating Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. • 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 prep seniors in 1978. Once at SMU, they became the heart of one of the most prolific backfields in college football history – “The Pony Express.” • One of the most memorable plays in SMU football history took place on November 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.” Leach currently serves on SMU’s Board of Trustees. • Rhonda Rompola, a transfer from Old Dominion, becomes SMU’s first women’s basketball All-American. Rompola would later return to SMU as an assistant coach and the most successful head women’s basketball coach in school history.

1983 • The SMU men’s track and field team won the 1983 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor team championships. Four SMU individuals claimed national titles in 1983 – Michael Carter, Keith Connor, Sven Nylander and Robert Weir. Carter captured an incredible seven of eight possible NCAA shot put titles during his SMU career, which also saw him excel in football. Carter played nine seasons professionally for the San Francisco 49ers. He also earned a silver medal in the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Conner’s 57–7¾ in the triple jump is the current NCAA outdoor record. Weir 35-pound weight throw of 76–5½ still stands as the NCAA Indoor Championship record. • SMU lost to Alabama, 28–7, in the 1983 Sun Bowl in El Paso. • Steve Lundquist wins 100 Breast at NCAA Championships for fourth-straight year – the first men’s swimmer to do so at SMU. • Men’s tennis finishes second at the NCAA Championships – its highest finish. Dennis Ralston named NCAA Division I Men’s Tennis Coach of the Year.

1984 • SMU capped a 9–2 regular season with a 27–20 victory over Notre Dame in the 1984 Aloha Bowl in Honolulu. It was the first meeting between the two schools in 26 years. • Seven SMU athletes earn medals in the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. SMU men’s basketball player Jon Koncak helps the United States team win a gold medal in the 1984 Olympics. Koncak played for the U.S. under legendary coach Bobby Knight. Steve Lundquist earned two gold medals for the United States in swimming (100 breaststroke/400 medley relay) at the 1984 Games. Other SMU medalists at the 1984 Olympics were Michael Carter (silver – track and field), Ricardo Prado (silver – swimming), Amy White (silver – swimming) and Keith Connor (bronze – track and field). • Schellas Hyndman was named men’s soccer coach at SMU. Hyndman, known worldwide as a 10th-degree black belt in the martial arts, is also an excellent soccer coach. He would go on to record his 200th win at SMU in 1997 and his 300th win overall the same year. In 1999, Hyndman appeared on the national television show You Asked For It, demonstrating his martial arts expertise.

1985 • Jon Koncak, who would later go on to a productive NBA career, is named second team men’s basketball All-American. He was just the second Mustang to earn All-American honors. • Women’s swimming goes undefeated in dual meets for the first time. • ATP Tour Professional Richey Reneberg named NCAA Rookie of the Year.

1986 • SMU receives the so-called “Death Penalty” on its football program, shutting down the program for the 1987 season. Although SMU could have competed in 1988, University officials cancelled that campaign. (See Southern Methodist University football scandal.) • SMU legend Doak Walker is elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Walker starred for the Detroit Lions from 1950–55. • SMU men’s track and field team won the 1986 NCAA Outdoor team title, marking the third national championship in the program’s history. • SMU players Reggie Dupard and Rod Jones are each selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. It marks the only time in school history that two Mustangs are drafted in the opening round. • The SMU women’s soccer team begins competition under coach Alan Kirkup. Kirkup led SMU to an impressive 15–3–2 record in its inaugural season. • Women’s track and field starts at SMU. • Diving coach Jim Stillson named U.S. Diving National Team Coach (1987–91). He would also make SWC history by being named Men and Women’s Diving Coach of the Year – the first a coach has been named coach of the year in a men and women’s sport in the same year. He would repeat the honor again in 1988 and 1989. • Men’s tennis Richey Reneberg named Collegiate Tennis Player of the Year he would be named ATP Tour Newcomer of the Year as a professional.

1988 • SMU is given permission to play a seven-game road schedule, with no home games, but chooses not to participate in 1988 due to the fact that they could not form a competitive team.[3] Forrest Gregg returned to accept what he called “the ultimate challenge” when he was named as the Ponies’ head coach on January 14, 1988,[4] after having coached the Green Bay Packers since 1984. • SMU’s Kevin Robinzine (U.S.) earns a gold medal in the 1,600 meter relay. Robinzine is one of eight SMU representatives in the 1988 Olympic Games.

1989 • Women’s tennis player Jennifer Santrock was the Volvo/ITCA National Player of the Year (she was also named the Southwest Conference’s Female Athlete of the Decade). Santrock earned her third and final All-American award in 1989. • Former SMU golfer Payne Stewart earned more than one million dollars on the PGA Tour (the second most that year) and won the 1989 PGA Championship. • The Mustangs first season back on the football field, SMU fields a team composed of 74 freshman, 16 of whom were starters.[4] Quarterback Mike Romo who, on February 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.[5] • Jason Wolf set an NCAA freshman record when he caught 61 passes in 1989. He also led the Ponies in scoring (50 points), and his 61 receptions are the fourth-highest total in SMU history. • After playing their home games in Ownby Stadium from 1926–1948, the Mustangs returned their home games to the on-campus facility in 1989. SMU hosted Rice in the season opener on September 2, marking the return of Mustang football to Ownby exactly 40 years and 11 months after SMU’s last game there. • Diving coach Jim Stillson named NCAA Men’s Coach of the Year.

1990s

1990 • On April 11, 1990, Forrest Gregg assumed the role of athletic director, while announcing that he would relinquish his coaching duties following the 1990 season. • Lisa Cole becomes SMU's first women's soccer All-American. She leads the Mustangs to their first NCAA Tournament appearance that season. • Women's track & field scores first team points at NCAA Championships in third year of program with a tie for 37th place. JoAnn Hacker becomes first female track & field athlete to be named All-American (shot put 1990, '92, '93)

1991 • Diving coach Jim Stillson named NCAA Women's Coach of the Year, he also won the award again in 1995. • Women's swimming coach Steve Collins named NCAA Women's Swimming Coach of the Year – again in 1996.

1992 • Jason Wolf ended his career with 235 receptions, making him the Southwest Conference's career leader in that category. • Scott Donie (silver medal – diving) and Lars Frölander (silver – swimming) each earn medals at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain. Donie and Frolander are just two of 19 SMU representatives in the Olympics that year. • The women's diving team wins the 1992 U.S. Diving Outdoor National Championship. • The women's golf team wins its second Southwest Conference championship and places 15th at the 1992 NCAA Championships. • Women's swimming and diving sets school record by sending 10 athletes to the Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea. • Peter Huff of the men's track team is awarded First-Team Academic All-American honors, the first male Mustang to win such an award in any sport during a 24-year period.[6]

1993 • SMU earns the last of its 13 Southwest Conference men's basketball titles. Senior guard Mike Wilson is named the SWC Player of the Year by the Associated Press. The Mustangs advanced to the NCAA Tournament to face Brigham Young in the opening round in Chicago. • The women's basketball team recorded its first 20-win season (20–10) and established itself as a legitimate national contender. SMU, making its first postseason tournament appearance, advanced to the third round of the 1993 National Women's Invitation Tournament in Amarillo, Texas. • Alan Prampin becomes the first SMU men's soccer player to be drafted by Major League Soccer (Kansas City Wizards). • Men's Swimming Coach Eddie Sinnott coaches the United States' squad at the World University Games. • Men's tennis Richey Reneberg was the No. 1 ranked doubles player in the world. He earned three double titles and one singles title while earning more than $600,000 on the professional tennis tour. He would play on to US Davis Cup teams in 1994 and 1997.

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. • The women's diving team wins the 1994 U.S. Diving Outdoor National Championship. • The SMU women's basketball team makes its first NCAA Tournament appearance in coach Rhonda Rompola's third season. The Mustangs had a breakthrough win at national power Texas, snapping the Lady Longhorns' 29-game winning streak over SMU.

1995 • The SMU women's soccer team advances to the Final Four for the first time in program history. SMU ended the season ranked third in the nation. • The women's diving team wins both the 1995 U.S. Diving Indoor and Outdoor National Championships. • Coinciding with the final SWC season was the return of SMU football to the Cotton Bowl. After playing most of their home games the previous six seasons at Ownby Stadium, SMU made “The House That Doak Built” its home stadium in 1995. • Always on the cutting edge of college athletics, SMU partners with Broadcast.com to broadcast the first college football game (SMU vs. Arkansas) worldwide over the Internet. • SMU's men's and women's cross country teams earn their highest finishes, 21st and 17th, respectively, at the 1995 NCAA Championships. • The SMU women's basketball team advanced in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history, defeating Southern Miss in overtime, 96–95. • Lisa Seifert hired to head new volleyball program. She came from Texas Tech where she was an assistant coach. • Women's track and field places in top 10 at NCAA Outdoor Championships for first time. Katie Swords earns first individual NCAA title by winning the 10,000 meters with a time of 34:28.46.

1996 • If 1992's 19 SMU Olympians weren't impressive enough, an incredible 23 current or former Mustang student-athletes competed in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. Three SMU swimmers – Ryan Berube (gold medal for U.S. in 800 freestyle relay), Lars Frölander (silver for Sweden in 800 freestyle relay) and Marianne Kriel (bronze for South Africa in 100 backstroke) – earned medals at the Summer Games. Amazingly, SMU had more Olympians than 113 of the 197 delegations (57 percent) on hand for the Olympics. • SMU women's swimming and diving team places second at the 1996 NCAA Championships. • On Dec. 20, 1996, Mike Cavan was named the 14th head coach of the Mustangs. Cavan arrived from East Tennessee State, where he finished runner-up in voting for the 1996 Division I-AA National Coach of the Year Award. • SMU competes for the first year as a member of the Western Athletic Conference • In February, four-year letter winner Jennie Amos becomes first SMU recruit to sign a National Letter of Intent for volleyball. • On Aug. 30,1996, volleyball competes in first ever match, a 3–0 loss to Nevada. • Volleyball wins first match – 3–1 over Wichita State on Aug. 31. • Katie Swords becomes the first individual in the history of the SWC Track & Field meet – male or female – to score 40 points when she won the 10,000 meters on Thursday, the 3,000 on Friday, and the 1,500 and 5,000 on Saturday. Following the 5,000 meters win, Swords ran back to the team hotel a mile and a half from R. P. Fuller Track and Soccer Field in Lubbock, Texas. • SMU became the first school ever to have three discus throwers top the 200-foot mark in the same season—Alex Tammert 212–7, Jason Tunks 209–6 and Ian Winchester 200–1. • Men's soccer star Alan Prampin became SMU's first Major League Soccer professional player. He played for the Kansas City Wizards in 1996.

1997 • The women's diving team wins both the 1997 U.S. Diving Indoor and Outdoor National Championships • It did not take long for head coach Mike Cavan's influence to be felt—he led SMU to a 6–5 overall record (5–3 WAC) in 1997, marking the first winning season for the Mustangs since 1986. After a 1–4 start, SMU rebounded to win five 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. • In the history of SMU athletics, June 13, 1997, may stand out as the most significant day since the program's inception in 1915. That day is when University officials announced that significant funds had been raised to begin construction on the brand new Gerald J. Ford Stadium and the Paul B. Loyd, Jr. All-Sports Center. The state-of-the-art facility would not have been possible without the generous initial contributions of Gerald J. Ford, Lamar and Norma Hunt, Ray L. and Nancy Ann Hunt, and Sherrill and Jo Ann Pettus, all of whom are SMU alumni. • 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. • In 1997, the Mustang Band made a recording with The Light Crust Doughboys (a group already enshrined in the Texas Western Swing Hall of Fame) entitled The High Road on the Hilltop. That project made it into the second round of Grammy voting in several categories. • On January 25, 1997, the SMU and TCU women's basketball teams established the NCAA records for most points scored by both teams (252) in a four-overtime 127–125 Mustang win. After scoring just one point in the first half, SMU guard Shawna Ford ended up with 42 points in the Mustangs' dramatic victory in Fort Worth. SMU's 127-point performance set a school record for most points scored in a game. It was just the seventh time in NCAA history that a women's basketball game went to four overtimes. • Men's soccer coach Schellas Hyndman recorded his 200th win at SMU against Tulsa in 1997 and his 300th career coaching win overall against TCU. • Daniel Hernandez was named the NSCAA Division I Men's Soccer Player of the Year, becoming the first Mustang to be honored as a national player of the year. Herandez's career ended in the NCAA Quarterfinals vs. St. Louis in one of the most memorable soccer games in NCAA history. SMU and St. Louis played to a 0–0 tie in inclement weather in Dallas. The field conditions at Westcott Field became so poor that the game was moved to the Astroturf at Ownby Stadium. There was a 60-minute delay with 2:22 remaining in the first overtime. Following two scoreless overtime periods, St. Louis defeated SMU, 5–3, in a shootout to advance to the Final Four. • Volleyball earns first bid to WAC post-season tournament by winning five-of-six matches over quad foes TCU, Rice and Tulsa. • Senior defensive specialist Charity Savedra becomes first volleyball player to receive post season honors by being named second team All-WAC defensive specialist. • Women's swimming team wins first conference championship in its history. • Tom Presthus became the first SMU men's soccer player to be drafted. He was taken by D.C. United in the second round.

1998 • SMU golfer Hank Kuehne becomes the first Mustang to win the U.S. Amateur. • The women's diving team wins the 1998 U.S. Diving Indoor National Championship. • Football player, Doak Walker, dies at the age of 71 on September 27, 1998. • In 1998, SMU broke ground on its new state-of-the-art facilities, including Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Ford Stadium became the permanent on-campus home of the Mustang football squad beginning in 2000. • The SMU men's soccer team was ranked number one by Soccer America in the nation after upsetting defending national champion Indiana in Dallas. It marked the first time in program history that SMU men's soccer was the top-ranked team in the nation. • Windy Dean becomes first woman in history to win three consecutive NCAA javelin titles. She was only the second female to win the javelin three times at the NCAA Meet. • SMU became the first school to place its men and women's track and field teams in the top 10 at both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships. • Lars Frölander named NCAA Swimmer of the Year.

1999 • The women's diving team wins the 1999 U.S. Diving Indoor National Championship. • SMU sophomore Jeryl Sasser becomes just the second sophomore in Western Athletic Conference history to earn the league's men's basketball Player of the Year Award. One of the nation's finest all-around players, Sasser was the first SMU player in history to lead the team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals. • The SMU women's basketball team wins its first conference title after winning the 1999 Western Athletic Conference Tournament championship in Las Vegas. The Mustangs advance to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in the past six seasons under coach Rhonda Rompola. Karlin Kennedy was named 1999 WAC Tournament MVP and Claudia Brassard and Nici Johnson were each named to the All-Tournament team as SMU stunned fourth-ranked Colorado State, 65–49, in the championship game. • SMU great Eric Dickerson was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, in 1999. He became the fifth Mustang to earn Pro Football Hall of Fame status.

2000s

2000

2009

2010

2011

2011

2012

Sports

Baseball

Southern Methodist University fielded a varsity baseball team from 1919 until it was discontinued after the 1980 season. The Mustangs won the 1953 SWC baseball title.[7]

Basketball

In men's basketball, the Mustangs have one Final Four Appearance accompanied by 14 Southwest Conference Championships. In April 2012, SMU hired Hall of Fame Coach Larry Brown to lead the Mustangs. Larry Brown is the only coach to have won both an NBA Finals and an NCAA Championship. Brown's first recruiting class, in 2013, was ranked as high as the #14 recruiting class in the nation.

SMU's women's basketball team is coached by Coach Travis Mays. The team has advanced to the postseason 12 times since 1993 and is a rising power.

Soccer

The men's soccer team is a consistent national contender, including a recent trip to the Elite Eight, and time spent as number one in the nation, finishing the season at number two, earning the school's sixth conference title in the sport.

Golf

SMU's men's golf team has grown to be a national contender. It was named the number 16 golf team in the nation by Golf Digest in 2006, and produced pro golfer Colt Knost.

Final Four Appearances

* denotes shared title

          

Football

SMU in action versus UTEP in 2009
Main article: SMU Mustangs football
National Titles

In 1935, SMU had a magnificent season: a 12–1–0 record, scoring 288 points while only giving up 39. The Mustangs completely dominated their opponents. They shut out eight of their 12 regular season opponents, including conference rivals Texas, Rice, Baylor, and Texas A&M. They were one of the most talented teams in school history. The 1935 Mustangs were crowned national champions by Frank Dickinson,[9] a nationally respected economics professor at the University of Illinois. Although Minnesota was proclaimed the 1935 national champion by the AP and UPI polls, SMU usually claims the 1935 national title without qualification, even though they lost the Rose Bowl, because the Dickinson System was the first to gain widespread national public and media acceptance as a selector of national champions.


Football Hall of Fame Inductees

The Mustangs' football legacy includes five Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductees, including Heisman winner Doak Walker, All-American Eric Dickerson, and two-time Super Bowl winner Forrest Gregg—whom Vince Lombardi called "the finest player I ever coached." SMU played in three National Championships in football, with a win in the 1982 Cotton Bowl Classic and an unofficial championship in the 1982 "Polyester Bowl." All told, the Mustangs have played in 15 Bowl Games, including one appearance in the Rose Bowl, four appearances in the Cotton Bowl Classic, and four straight bowl appearances following the Mustangs' 2009 resurgence in football.

Southwest Conference Championships

  • 1923           
  • 1926
  • 1931
  • 1935
  • 1947

  • 1948
  • 1966
  • 1981
  • 1982
  • 1984*

* denotes shared title

Bowl Appearances and Results
Season Bowl Game Opponent W/L PF PA
1924 Dixie Classic West Virginia Wesleyan L 7 9
1935 Rose Bowl Stanford L 0 7
1947 Cotton Bowl Classic Penn State T 13 13
1948 Cotton Bowl Classic Oregon W 21 13
1963 Sun Bowl Oregon L 14 21
1966 Cotton Bowl Classic Georgia L 9 24
1968 Bluebonnet Bowl Oklahoma W 28 27
1980 Holiday Bowl BYU L 45 46
1982 Cotton Bowl Classic Pittsburgh W 7 3
1983 Sun Bowl Alabama L 7 28
1984 Aloha Bowl Notre Dame W 27 20
2009 Hawaii Bowl Nevada W 45 10
2010 Armed Forces Bowl Army L 14 16
2011 BBVA Compass Bowl Pittsburgh W 28 6
2012 Hawaii Bowl Fresno State W 43 10

The "death penalty"

On February 25, 1987, the Infractions Committee of the NCAA voted unanimously to cancel SMU's entire 1987 football season and all four of SMU's scheduled home games in 1988 in spite of SMU's cooperation and recommended sanctions. On April 11, 1987, SMU formally canceled the 1988 season, in effect, self-imposing a death penalty for a second football season.[10]

The 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 this penalty because it had already been placed on probation less than five years prior to these violations – specifically, in 1985, for earlier 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.[11] As it turned out, new coach Forrest Gregg was left with an undersized and underweight lineup. The Mustangs have only now begun to recover from the effects of the scandal; they have had only three winning seasons since the "Death Penalty," and two bowl appearances. At the end of the 2009 regular season SMU was bowl eligible for the third time since the "Death Penalty" (6–5 in 1997, 6–6 in 2006). SMU made its first bowl appearance since the "Death Penalty" in winning the 2009 Hawaii Bowl.

Soccer

  • During the 2006 season, the SMU men's soccer program was ranked No. 1 in the nation for four consecutive weeks. The team sat atop the four national polls with a record of 13–0–2 in the Adidas/NSCA poll, SoccerTimes.com poll, Soccer America Magazine poll, and the CollegeSoccerNews.com poll. Concurrently, the SMU women's soccer program cracked the top 25, at No. 22 in the Adidas/NSCA poll and No. 19 in the SoccerTimes.com poll.
  • On November 6, 2006, the SMU men's soccer team finished the regular season ranked No. 2 in the nation. Additionally, SMU won the C-USA title game, beating Kentucky 2–0 in Tulsa. This C-USA championship win is the sixth conference title for SMU since 1997.
  • The SMU men's soccer team finished the 2010 season with an overall record of 16–2–2. The Mustangs finished the season strong with a trip to the Elite Eight where they lost to North Carolina in a penalty kick shootout.

Golf

The men's golf team won the 1954 NCAA Championship. In 2015, Bryson DeChambeau won the NCAA individual championship.

They have won nine conference championships:

In 2006, Golf Digest ranked the SMU men's golf program No. 16 in the nation. On May 1, 2007, SMU senior Colt Knost was named the Conference USA golfer of the year. He earned golfer of the week awards five times during his senior year, and can be recognized for not only making the cut at the PGA Tour's EDS Byron Nelson Championship, but also shooting a record setting 64 for an amateur golfer. The 2015 team was given a postseason ban.

National team championships

As of July 2, 2015, SMU has 4 NCAA team national championships.[12]

Athletic directors

  • Matty Bell – 1947–1964
  • Hayden Fry – 1964–1972
  • Dave Smith – 1972–1974
  • N.R. "Dick" Davis 1974–1978
  • Russ Potts – 1978–1981
  • Bob Hitch – 1981 – Dec. 1986
  • Dudley Parker – Dec. 1986 – Oct. 1987

  • Doug Single – Oct. 1987 – April 1990
  • Forrest Gregg – April 1990 – June 1994           
  • Bill Lively – July 1994 – Dec. 1994
  • Jim Copeland – Jan. 1995 – Feb. 2006
  • Brian O'Boyle – Feb. – March 2006
  • Steve Orsini – June 2006 – May 2012
  • Rick Hart - July 2012 – present

Athletic venues

References

External links

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