New mascot

[PonyPower]

What was that thing? He looked like the illegitimate lovechild of Spiderman and the old "Noid" mascot from Domino's Pizza. That was embarrassing. I'm sure he'd work in an indoor arena, so I'll give him another shot at basketball season, but come on.

Good effort by the marketing folks, but what was your second-place idea?

[ProudPonyPa]

My thought was that he looked like the Tick's evil twin brother.

[Hoofprint]

PonyPower, did you really make a Noid reference?
That's got to be a first.

[Pony Up]

One game in and already SMU fans are following the Domino's Avoid the Noid slogan. They were avoiding that freakshow last night. I even saw one kid start crying when he came up and tried to play with the kid.

You can't generate a tradition. It's got to come about on its own.

[MrMustang1965]

Refer back to my post on 8-15-02 about this silliness!

Also, do the idiots in the SMU marketing dept. realize that the Mustang Maniac and his 'plain-clothes' assistant were in possession of an illegal firearm? A spud gun (the device that shot the t-shirts out) is illegal...and, therefore, the SMU cops and the other security personnel should have arrested the Mustang Maniac on sight! Also, it's illegal to carry a firearm in Ford Stadium.

It just gets weirder and weirder up on The Hilltop!

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"Winning ain't everything...but it's a lot more fun than the alternative!"

[Hoofprint]

Just curious: why would a "spud gun" be legal in American Airlines Center but not legal in Ford Stadium?

It's not like you can hurt someone with one of those things, unless you fire a t-shirt right between a kid's eyes from point-blank range -- in which case the SMU rent-a-cops ought to take the spud gun away from that freaky new mascot and beat him with it.

[This message has been edited by Hoofprint (edited 09-02-2002).]

[91Stang]

Anyone got a picture of this thing? I'm having a hard time picturing it.

Thanks

[MrMustang1965]

Hoofprint: A 'spud gun' is illegal ANYWHERE!

91Stang: By 'thing', do you mean The Mustang Maniac or the 'spud gun'?

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"Winning ain't everything...but it's a lot more fun than the alternative!"

[BornRed&Blue]

Could we please get back to the basics? Who is being tarketed with all this hype and hoo-ha, new mascot, fireworks, etc.?

Maybe I'm wrong, but it looks to me from being in the stands, that the FAN BASE is 40+. They went to SMU when Peruna ran and Peruna kicked, and Cheerleaders cheered instead of danced, and the Cheerleaders threw footballs, and fans actually cheered, if you can believe that.

All this new stuff is diffusing the long appreciated traditions at SMU that those that are paying the bills love. Who are these new traditions targeted at? the students? what students? and don't forget . . . there were several classes that graduated that NEVER attended a football game while they were students, so this new stuff isn't catching them either.

PLEASE, go back to the basics.

[MrMustang1965]

HALLELUJAH!!!!!! Born Red & Blue, you are 'on the same page' as me! I was saying that kind of stuff over a year ago but no one listened!

All this crud is the 'brainchild' of the SMU marketing/PR dept. Do you see this kind of crud at A&M or Texas games? NO! And I put the entire blame for it at the feet of AD Copeland and President Turner! Two peas in a pod!

You are SO RIGHT! Back to 'the basics'...that's the key! I think the last true 'yell leader'at SMU was Bob Sharp, now the owner of The Spirit Shop! Bob could get a crowd on its feet in the Cotton Bowl!

These so-called 'cheerleaders' (who can't get a crowd to yell!) could learn a thing or two from Bob and some other 'yell leaders' that still attend the games.

'Student body' at a game? LOL Where are they?

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"Winning ain't everything...but it's a lot more fun than the alternative!"

[Hoofprint]

If a spud gun is illegal anywhere, how do the Mavs get away with using it?

[91Stang]

By "thing" I meant this new Mustang Guy everyone's saying looks so stupid.

By the way, it's in the mid-50s and beautiful up here today. Is it still 100-plus in Dallas? Hopefully it will still be warm when I get down there for a game.

[TheSkelf]

How is the t-shirt gun illegal? I think that the reason real "spud guns" are illegal is because they use combustion to shoot. Not compressed air.

What do you fellas want the marketing/PS team to do? The bottom line is that for these programs to have loyal fans, traditions of fan support will only follow a revived tradition of WINNING. Bennett will lead us to the promise land. Fans will follow!

[This message has been edited by TheSkelf (edited 09-03-2002).]

[This message has been edited by TheSkelf (edited 09-03-2002).]

[MrMustang1965]

What I want the marketing/PR folks at SMU to do is pull their heads out of their butts! I have never seen such silliness at collegiate football games as I am seeing at SMU games...it's more like attending a rock concert than a football game! I've been to quite a few college football games in my lifetime and NEVER have I seen this kind of crap at those games...

The Mustang Band is all the 'music' that's needed. My god...they tried playing the SMU fight song several times last year and again at the Navy game this past weekend and were drowned out by the Ford Stadium P.A. system playing rock n' roll and rap music!

The cheerleaders need to get their act together...quit doing gymnastics and learn how to get a crowd to yell and to get behind the team...especially when the Mustangs are behind on the scoreboard!

Also, get the student body to come out IN FORCE! I guess the Interfraternity Council might have to step in and place a 'ban' on fraternity parties during home games to get more folks to attend instead of sitting around and getting drunk at the fraternity houses!

The PR/marketing 'geniuses' need to make an SMU 'home' game be just that...A HOME GAME! The Navy game pre-game activities made me feel more like I should have been at Annapolis than in Dallas! Navy jets flying over??? Fireworks??? (I hope the idiot who thought this up has been fired! Or, at least forced to pay for new grass on the south end of the field out of his/her paycheck...hopefully someone on the student newspaper or with the DMN will look into how much this fiasco will cost the school!) Roger Staubach (Navy-Heisman trophy winner) doing a coin toss? (even though Dandy Don Meredith of SMU was there, too!) I just wonder...has an invitation been extended to Spyke ****s or Bobby Knight to do the coin toss at this week's Texas Tech game? Is this how the SMU PR/Marketing folks figure they'll get people into Ford Stadium? Turn it into a 'celebrity sighting' event?....at least the 1982 SMU football team was on hand last weekend to be honored....although it would have been more appropriate to have them at Homecoming instead of the first game for Coach Phil Bennett! Nothing like putting a little 'extra pressure' on the new coach and his team at his first game, huh? You lunkheads!!!!

There are so many ways that the SMU/PR marketing folks could get people (young and old alike!) into the stands on a Saturday and they could do it easily and almost at no cost!

I agree that 'winning' teams bring forth more fans...but the fans that currently attend should get better for their money instead of this silliness that's taking place now...especially the Mustang Maniac...I hope that's the last we see of that damn thing! Someone go burn it...QUICK!

There was a post by Born Red & Blue over the weekend about this, too...he/she makes a LOT of sense with his/her comments. Read it. It's from 'the heart'.

I love SMU and its football program...but it's this kind of silliness that I'm seeing now that will drive away the alumni who continue to support the team because they'll just get disgusted with it. And Ford Stadium will become a giant echo chamber because - god knows - there aren't too many students in that section of the stadium.

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"Winning ain't everything...but it's a lot more fun than the alternative!"

[TheSkelf]

1965,

First of all, the music stops when the clock starts. They never play over the band once the game starts. They play pretty low key music when the gates open, then rap for the players to warm up to, then as soon as the players leave the feild, they turn in back to low key. If the band would play something besides the fight song, then maybe they more people would listen.

I still only see a bunch of hot air coming out of your sorry butt. You still haven't given them any bright ideas. If you are so damned smart, then call them. I know they are always open for comment. I'm sure you would not be the first to meet with them and give input.

All you do it gripe. I don't care what they do, if it gets people there. Right now there job is damned near impossible. They have to compete with so much in this freakin city and the team didn't win. It didn't just lose, it got reamed. Things wil turn around with the team and the fans will return as well.

I'm sure they are racking their brain over in Ford trying to figure out how to get people there. You will never be happy.

The students aren't going to come to games if there are more rules placed on them. It sucks, but thats how it is. On the Boulevard I noticed the SMU PD making people poor out drinks. It may be the law, but most places it is over looked. I have been to tons of college football games with tailgating on campus and everyone is allowed to drink. Hell, when I was in high school , it was always fun to go the football game and drink with the college folks. The students today will jsut tell the school to shove it and they will go to the bars at 6 instead of 8 or 9. Then we will have no students.

There wouldn't be time to do the 1982 reunion at the homecoming game. I bet you never noticed that the homecoming halftime is already a few minutes longer to accomodate the announcement of the homecoming king and queen. You are so intuitive, ever notice that fella?

What allumni are leaving because of the Maniac or because of the flyover? The Maniac is for the kids. Getting kids to like SMU is one of the best ways to get fans for the future. I grew up going to TCU games and until I was in HS, I was set on going to TCu, because that is what I knew. I chose to come to SMU, but I still go to TCU games too!

Kiss my big freckled butt!