Question for marketing/athleting department

[DallasDiehard]

Has there ever been any consideration of some kind of tribute -- maybe at a game, or some kind of permanent plaque -- commemorating the 1989 team? I got to thinking about what those guys went through, being so much smaller and generally overmatched, week in and week out, and thought that as Coach Bennett gets our team on the road to success, the first group of guys who took such a physical beating each week yet never quit should somehow be honored for re-starting the program.

It would be a long overdue honor to have Coach Gregg and all the guys from the 1989 team run out on the field at Ford Stadium so that all the PonyFans could thank them once more for all they gave.

Maybe at the opener of the 2004 season, the 15-year anniversary?

Jerry LeVias should be honored first, though, because of his Hall of Fame induction.

[MrMustang1965]

Plans are underway to honor LeVias this year...and possibly Hayden Fry, too.

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"Winning ain't everything...but it's a lot more fun than the alternative!" S.M.U. SPIRIT: IT STARTS NOW!

[91Stang]

Jerry LeVias deserves every accolade he gets, but I think Dallas Diehard has a great idea. Coach Gregg's guys in 1989 were warriors who never quit, and they laid the groundwork for future success. How Mike Romo is able to walk is beyond me, after the number of times he got slammed to the ground. The offensive linemen often were blocking guys who outweighed them by 50-100 pounds. The running backs must have felt like they were facing a team with 20 defensive players. Yet they never quit. They should be honored somehow.

[PonyTime]

"Some" of those guys deserve to be honored for their unbelievable efforts. But those who had $$$ riding on some of those games deserve to be disowned. Not trying to open a whole new can of worms - and I won't be mentioning names, but there is A LOT of speculation (And that is as far as I would put it - Speculation) that a couple of influential players profited off of some of our losses in the early 90s. Take a look at the game tapes from many of the games in 1991 and you will see what I mean. We always seemed to lose by the spread - usually due to a freak late 4th quarter TD that ensured the opponent's coverage of the spread.

I know that my post will get absolutely reamed. But I do have a lot more insight into what was happening on the hilltop in the early 90s than many of you on this board. If anyone from that 91 team would like to respond to this - by all means - go right on ahead. I would love to be proved wrong on this one - as I did not want to believe it when I first started hearing the rumors - but later those rumors were confirmed by insiders.

[SMUguy]

Anyone who paid an SMU player to ensure a loss was stupid - the losses were going to happen anyway. Are you suggesting they were paid to make sure opponents covered double-digit spreads? I seriously doubt there was enough gambling on SMU's games back then to make such payments even remotely necessary. I agree with Diehard: those kids who suited up for the Ponies in 1989 and the next couple of seasons were warriors who should be honored. They will be the most loyal SMU fans/supporters the school has ever seen.

[PonyTime]

Think about it - If players knew that they were going to get blown out anyway - why not ensure that they lose by the appropriate amount of points? I am not saying that I think anyone paid players on the SMU team. Players on the SMU team supposedly had bookies who placed bets for them. If you don't think this sort of thing goes on in college athletics - you would be very surprised, as today it is easier than ever (with on-line sports books, etc.).