| SMU Mustangs | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| First season | 1915 | ||
| Athletic director | Steve Orsini | ||
| Head coach | June Jones | ||
| 2st year, 5–15–0 | |||
| Home stadium | Gerald J. Ford Stadium | ||
| Year built | 1999 | ||
| Stadium capacity | 32,000 | ||
| Stadium surface | FieldTurf | ||
| Location | Dallas, Texas | ||
| League | Division I | ||
| Conference | Conference USA | ||
| Division | West | ||
| Past conferences | Southwest Conference Western Athletic Conference |
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| All-time record | 439–477–54 (.480) | ||
| Postseason bowl record | 4–6–1 | ||
| 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.
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History
Death penalty
In 1987, SMU football became the first, and currently only, football program in collegiate athletic history to receive the NCAA's "Death Penalty", that is, having a sports program terminated for a determined amount of time. SMU's football program was terminated for the 1987 season because the University was allegedly 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 have yet to recover from the effects of the scandal; they have had only two winning seasons since the "Death Penalty," and one bowl appearance in the 2009 Hawaii Bowl.
National championships
The SMU Mustangs have been named as national champions three times by several different organizations:
- 1935: Dickinson, Houlgate System, and Sagarin Ratings
- 1981: National Championship Foundation
- 1982: Helms Athletic Foundation
Conference championships
Southwest Conference championships: 1923, 1926, 1931, 1935, 1947, 1948, 1966, 1981, 1982, 1984 (Co-champions with Houston)
Individual achievements
- Doak Walker: 1948
- Doak Walker: 1947
- Chuck Hixson: 1968
Bowl appearances
| 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 |
Rivalries
- Rice Owls in the Battle for the Mayor's Cup.
- TCU in the Battle for the Iron Skillet.
References
- ^ Frank, Peter (1987-04-11). "'88 football season canceled by SMU". New York Times.
- Southern Methodist Historical Data, College Football Data Warehouse.
External links
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This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
