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My childhood was scarred by many SMU football-related events...watching Ricky Wesson forget that it was 4th down against TT: the change to the psuedo Ohio State uniforms of the Dave Smith era...but there will always be a wonderful moment of sanity and redemption in this twisted world when I remember the kick return v. Baylor at the Cotton Bowl in 1966.

Jerry LeVias took the 2nd-half kickoff and flew down the field for a touchdown, one of multiple big plays he had that afternoon. The game seemed virtually out of reach....but not so fast. Baylor mounted a great comeback, and took the lead with a couple of minutes left in the game. The long and short of it was my dad had bought tickets around the 40 yard line in an area mixed with Baylor and SMU fans, and I recall a kid with his Baylor hat on sitting with his dad one row and two seats down giving me a very un-Baptistiic "we're number one" finger salute after Baylor went ahead 22-21. To my 8 year old heart's glee, I witnessed the Ponies march down and Partee knock the winning FG in with a few ticks left on the Longines scoreboard.

Baylor boy fan and dad were in tears afterwards...irony that I am now a Baptist minister and CAN'T WAIT FOR A REPEAT ON SEPTEMBER 3.

SMU 24
BU 21

BTW...wasn't Stallion or someone in the concession line at this game and missed the return ? Seem to recall that here a while back...

love the story and the Baptist minister part. We're sure due for a football victory over Baylor, although there have been plenty of basketball wins over them lately.

My brother also went to Baylor and is a Baptist Minister in Nashville. He's actually wearing Red and Blue at the game because he doesn't agree with Sloan and all that's been happening internally at Baylor.

all four years that i was in school (79-83) SMU/baylor fell on the same weekend as Texas/OU. the games were always overshadowed but man what a bunch of great barn burning games we had with them. as has been lamented many times on this board, they felt like much more of a 'natural' rival then than TCU did. probably the same way TCU feels about us now.

My brother also went to Baylor and is a Baptist Minister in Nashville. He's actually wearing Red and Blue at the game because he doesn't agree with Sloan and all that's been happening internally at Baylor.

Your brother is wearing red and blue because it has become almost impossible to find a high quality polyester lime green leisure suit

I am a VERY proud graduate of SMU, class of 1981...My dad began an early indoctrination as to the things of SMU when I was a kid, and it stuck. He had become a fan while he was in dental school ( at Baylor Dental College in Dallas ) during the 1948-51 era. He had dreams that I would have a chance to play football ...tried to walk on in 1977 when things were almost as thin as the last few years, and found out that SMU did not need slow skinny placekickers...NEVER confuse me with a Baylor grad...the ONLY thing worthwhile in Waco is some group on their campus known as the 'Brothers of the Nose' or some nonsense....use to paint the noses on all the statues on campus for an initiation, and required some incredible GPA to be selected....

I saw two very significant SMU-Baylor games during my four years. The infamous Keith Bobo comeback and of course, Baylor beating SMU to clinch its first Cotton Bowl berth. I hope we pummel them.

......who in the Hell would go to the bathroom when the possibility existed that Jerry Levias would be returning a kick or punt or SMU was on offense. It would be like going to get something to eat when Babe Ruth was in the Batter's Box. It wasn't me. Jerry LeVias was my All-Time hero.

No burr-in-the-saddle inference implied, Stallion...I recall a conversation on the old Maniac board about this game, and someone saying that they misssed it as a result of being at the concession stand. BTW, I didn't even know what a Longines was, but always wanted one after seeing the old scoreboard at the Cotton Bowl.

That said, the LeVias TD return v. A&M was said to be even more of a highlight...I did miss that one due to measles.

Hayden Fry set modest goals for SMU when he rebuilt the program. First he wanted SMU to be the champ over the other private schools in the SWC. Beating the private schools on our schedule now would be a good start for the current rebuilding job. So start with a win over Baylor, and then TCU. Later, beat Tulane, Tulsa, and Rice. When we can beat the privates, we can then concentrate on the state schools and bowl games. It has got to start somewhere. This year let it be Sept. 3rd.

WorldStang wrote:My brother also went to Baylor and is a Baptist Minister in Nashville. He's actually wearing Red and Blue at the game because he doesn't agree with Sloan and all that's been happening internally at Baylor.

What an idiot. Sloan is gone and so is basically everyone else. Your brother is someone that I hope never wears green and gold again.

JudgeChamber -
You can't blame folks for putting away the green and gold while sloan was in his "Era of Terror".

I arrived in the early 90s, when there wasn't much to cheer about v. baylor. But here are some "fond" memories...

1991 -- My first SMU home game...the Raycom SWC game of the week. Mike Romo goes out in the first quarter with a knee injury. The Dan Freiberger era begins. We lost 49-7.

1992 -- First trip to Waco, what a dump. I don't remember the score, but we lost. Freiberger tripped over the sewn in yardlines at least three times. Baylor sounded a trucker horn everytime they scored, which is probably in the top of three of worst sounds I've ever heard. (The other two? houston's "Air Raid" siren and tcu's train horn)

1993 -- A windy day a Ownby. Baylor QB JJ Joe had an injured throwing arm, so thier game plan is to run....every play. Baylor wins 38-10 without a pass attempt. The game also saw the Larry Isreal 3yd punt into the stands and the 57 yard field goal by SMU's John Anderson, that led to his All-American selection.

regis wrote:Baylor sounded a trucker horn everytime they scored, which is probably in the top of three of worst sounds I've ever heard. (The other two? houston's "Air Raid" siren and tcu's train horn)

Im so glad Longview or SMU doesnt use one of those horns. I absolutely hate them.

I think we've all heard TCU's a bit too much even from the game last year.

Mustangs35SMU wrote:

regis wrote:Baylor sounded a trucker horn everytime they scored, which is probably in the top of three of worst sounds I've ever heard. (The other two? houston's "Air Raid" siren and tcu's train horn)

Im so glad Longview or SMU doesnt use one of those horns. I absolutely hate them.

I think we've all heard TCU's a bit too much even from the game last year.

I agree, but I think BU got rid of it and just does the fire works now.