80s glory days

[RGVPonyfan]

Does anyone know of a good resource (website/book/etc.) that would give a rundown of basically the rise & fall of Pony football? The wonderful woman I married came complete with LSU season tickets...and, well it would be nice to back up my insistance that in fact SMU was good, not just what we saw get trounced by Okla. State.
Death penalty details would be good too (Clement's role etc. etc.)
Thanks!

[ponybutt]

Should you live in the Park Cities, Charter Cable runs the 1982 Cotton Bowl every hour on channel 7!!! Along with Bobby Leach and Lancer.

[bhop]

Someone wrote a book about SMU football in the late 1980s called "A Payroll to Meet." It is an interesting read and runs down the complete history of SMU football from the mid-1970s until the DP in 1987. You might be able to find it on Ebay or Barnes and Noble's web site.

[Texas Pony]

re:Does anyone know of a good resource (website/book/etc.) that would give a rundown of basically the rise & fall of Pony football?


"A Payroll to Meet: A Story of Greed, Corruption, and Football at Smu" by David Whitford

Available at www.Amazon.com

I think this book is "out of publication" but can still be bought used through Amazon.


Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Southern Methodist University is the pride of Dallas, and the pride of SMU in the early '80s was its football team. The school's board of governors, who were mostly local business leaders and included Bill Clements, two-time governor of Texas, played a major role in the recruitment of athletes, offering cash bonuses and monthly payments to many students. Long since out of the control of the Methodist Church, SMU had a history of recruiting violations, but it was not until the advent of flamboyant coach Ron Meyers in 1976 that the system of payoffs became institutionalized. After an investigation by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (and much lying by college officials and businessmen), the truth was exposed in 1987 and severe sanctions were imposed on SMU. Whitford, contributing editor for Sports magazine, is a diligent researcher and his well-documented expose is impressive. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

[Dooby]

A Payroll to Meet: A Story of Greed, Corruption, and Football at SMU, by David Whitford

Found 1 used copy. FOR $80!!! Little steep for my blood.

This may sound silly, but the Dallas public library has a copy. So does SMU's library; and Highland Park's.

[VarsityShop]

This link shows the all time results....pay attention to 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984.

All Time SMU Football Results By Year (click here)

[HighfalutinHorse]

You would not know it by reading this board, but there has been a TON of SMU FOOTBALL success other then that experienced from 1978 through 1985.....SMU has a long, grand history of glory..a few highlights....

1935 National Champs
10 Bowl Games with WINS over Oregon in the '49 Cotton, OU in the '68 Bluebonnet, Pitt in the '83 Cotton, and Norte dame in the '84 Aloha...
12 Conference Championships from as early as 1918 to 1984...
1948 Heisman winner Doak Walker
All Americans from Choc Sanders in 1928, Bobby Wilson in '34, Doak in '47, '48, and '49, Kyle Rote in 1950, Don Meredith in 1959, Eric Dickerson in '82..the list is impressive with 27 players being honored as AA...
Pro Football Hall of Famers in Lamar Hunt, Raymond Berry, Forrest Gregg, Walker and Dickerson...
National Rankings in '35, 40, 47, 48, 54, 58, 66, 68, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84....#2 in fianl rankings in '82...
ALL TIME SERIES records of 31-37-5 v. Ark, 36-33-7 v. baylor, OH!!! 1-0-1 vs. LS of U, 43-33-1 v. Rice, 38-39-7 v. tcu.....SMU has been competitive nationally and regionally for a long time....stay tuned, I have a feeling there's more to come...

[Mustangs35SMU]

Originally posted by HighfalutinHorse:
stay tuned, I have a feeling there's more to come...

I pray everynight for that to happen but it still has yet to happen :no: