Let's end all Div 2 talk, this is why...
Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2001 7:25 pmSorry for being long winded but I’m so damn tired of this div 2 talk that I couldn’t help but cut loose on this one…also, sorry for the abbreviations but I was in a hurry!!! This is a continuation of my post below to dirty bird’s ridiculous, brainless, thoughts…
i can't even believe i'm replying but here goes...
we did two studies since the $%$# & everyone now knows about them & both recommended, specified, advised, demanded, required & PROVED that if smu was to compete EVEN ACADEMICALLY and athletically on a national scale that we would have to make a FULL COMMITTMENT TO DIVISION 1 - END OF STORY!!!!
THAT’S REALITY WHETHER U LIKE IT OR NOT!!!!!! GET IT THRU YOUR HEADS, U PEOPLE, WHO KEEP BRINGING THIS DEAD HORSE ABOUT DIV 2 UP!!!!1
to go to division 2 is not only death to our athletic dept but the school itself...(do u really believe that we could have built an endownment of over $700-800M with a div 2 athletic program??? - NO WAY JOSE!!! GET REAL) we are not in the northeast (ivy league) so forget about it, its a whole different standard, story, set of facts, etc. there!!! (unfortunately, $700-800M is chicken feed now days, we should be @ over $1B-2B in our endowment now like rice and the other universities in order to compete on a national & international level, today)
thanx for the history cp b/c i've been following smu too - since the sixties as a child, (my dad went there 2-yrs and had to drop out to go to work & i went there from 74-78) so i can appreciate your story....and you're right - that's history and its over with...but yet, thank GOD, there was no good time to pursue that direction (to div 2) & I think we can all agree to that….
Look @ it this way…how many of us would have gone to smu @ that time if they, in fact, did drop to the lower levels???? Probably less than 10%….also, how many of us would have given to the school, too thru the yrs if we hadn’t in fact gone there @ that time … even fewer!!!! (both studies did indicate & prove that donations would go thru the basement if we went to div 2 …then what!!!!) But even now consider it….
See where the donations would be going…definitely not smu’s way???? Look @ all the div 2 schools in the southwest & see how they rank on a national basis both academically and athletically??? Forget it – next argument!!!! You can bet those other schools wouldn’t have done it either – thankfully they showed some good foresight not to do it & in turn we didn’t do it either!!!! Quite frankly, many of us wouldn’t have gone to smu then or now if they had, plus, many of us would have gone to other div 1 program schools @ that time…I know I would have…(but ask yourself, why did u go to smu in the first place – I bet many of u can honestly say it was not only academics but athletics as well …. It was a ‘complete package’ of reasons – not just one…
It was the old swc @ that time & we all grew up with it from elementary school to high school … & for many if not the majority that was just as influential as the academic side – wasn’t it??? And the big 12 is marketing it that way too - & good for them – that’s smart & if we were there we’d being doing it, too – God bless them for it!!!!
Face it, all the really smart kids (einstein status) in our texas schools during the 60’s, 70’s, & 80’s went to stanford or berkeley (pac10), the ivy league, vanderbilt (sec), other assorted schools around the country and many even went to the old swc schools for various reasons & so forth.
i think we can all be grateful that dropping to div 2 in the 70’s didn't happen....face it, we could have been in baylor's shoes right now given the right political climate @ that time and a strong commitment to div 1 – yeah, we wouldn’t even be discussing this ridiculous point now; unfortunately, we deserve our current dilemma b/c we didn't make THAT commitment & as much as i disdain ut & a$m both, i can't blame them either - its our fault plain & simple (the pye administration)...but thanx to pye & the board's NON COMMITTMENT TO ATHLETICS we're in this mess!!!!
but we will revive the program in time - yeah, i agree with u, charleston pony...it will take time but it will happen....what we need now more than anything else is a STRONG COMMITTMENT TO DIVISION 1 BY THE UNIVERSITY & THE ALUMNI, which seems is finally happening now...
summarizing, i think its fair to say that from the sixties to the present, smu's commitment to winning and div 1 (which go hand-in-hand) have been up and down, hot & cold & that’s no way to run a railroad (a business)!!!! Believe me,
if the commitment is there - it will happen & all this discussion & bs will be academic & nothing more than a good lesson for any university, business or person that straddles the fence in life!!!!
Btw….i don’t like being in the wac either but it will have to do for the time being … but what life gives u – u can always take back too (its still a free country regardless of the last eight yrs) … granted, the repercussions of our drop in status (wac) have been deathly to our school in many ways … but as long as we’re breathing on God’s green earth, we have a purpose & one of those purposes is to get our birthright back - & we will!!!! (how’s that for a good fight?)
The one thing that our drop to the wac has caused & that is visibility for our school plain & simple…& I hope this is a lesson to all b/c if we went to div 2, this situation would definitely get worse … this is what happens to me here in the los angeles area, even with my own in-laws (yes, they know now but I do have to remind them occasionally when they do ask) … I rarely, ever wear my sweat shirt or cap that says ‘smu’ on it…I always try to wear one that says ‘southern methodist university’ or ‘southern methodist’ on it…with the exception to the older generation (40 & up) who, for the most part, have heard about us & the old swc, most (probably 95%) of the young have never heard of smu … sorry but that’s a fact for the west coast, even the ones that play sports … see what our lack of commitment to div 1 has costs us with being in the wac & not a ‘real’ bcs conference? I’m having to explain to them (whoever asks) that my smu shirt doesn’t mean santa monica university!!! NO JOKE – someone actually asks that, and its always the young that seem to ask, ‘what does smu mean’…… and your young are the universities life blood for the future…& my in-laws are all fairly intelligent – most are all college educated & several went to stanford & berkeley … granted this is a small point but do u really think this would have happened if we were a member of a strong div 1 conference like the big 12, pac 10, sec, etc.…not on your life!!!!
Its funny but one guy thought my shirt was misspelled & should have spelled LMU for Loyola Maramount University, which, btw, is located in or near santa monica…I could give u all types of crazy questions I have received over the last 5 years ...
Look I’m proud of my school & I want as many people to know about us but div 2 or the wac is not the answer b/c it will NEVER HAPPEN & IT WON’T WORK!!!!!!!!!! (granted, I know the wac is temporary & I think that is afair assessment for all of us to agree with …..but for us to go ‘forward’ to another conference, a better one, our invitee – if we are lucky - will be asking for our commitment to not only div 1, but the conference, marketing which leads to good attendances, winning, graduating students & over all contributions to the new league!!!!!! & who wouldn’t…. (where is russ potts when u need him!!!)
Athletics is cheap advertisement. & in time, the deficit will become a surplus if it is managed CORRECTLY – that is, using GOOD BUSINESS SENSE!!!! (& the two previous studies proved that so get off it!!!!)
Nationally
i can't even believe i'm replying but here goes...
we did two studies since the $%$# & everyone now knows about them & both recommended, specified, advised, demanded, required & PROVED that if smu was to compete EVEN ACADEMICALLY and athletically on a national scale that we would have to make a FULL COMMITTMENT TO DIVISION 1 - END OF STORY!!!!
THAT’S REALITY WHETHER U LIKE IT OR NOT!!!!!! GET IT THRU YOUR HEADS, U PEOPLE, WHO KEEP BRINGING THIS DEAD HORSE ABOUT DIV 2 UP!!!!1
to go to division 2 is not only death to our athletic dept but the school itself...(do u really believe that we could have built an endownment of over $700-800M with a div 2 athletic program??? - NO WAY JOSE!!! GET REAL) we are not in the northeast (ivy league) so forget about it, its a whole different standard, story, set of facts, etc. there!!! (unfortunately, $700-800M is chicken feed now days, we should be @ over $1B-2B in our endowment now like rice and the other universities in order to compete on a national & international level, today)
thanx for the history cp b/c i've been following smu too - since the sixties as a child, (my dad went there 2-yrs and had to drop out to go to work & i went there from 74-78) so i can appreciate your story....and you're right - that's history and its over with...but yet, thank GOD, there was no good time to pursue that direction (to div 2) & I think we can all agree to that….
Look @ it this way…how many of us would have gone to smu @ that time if they, in fact, did drop to the lower levels???? Probably less than 10%….also, how many of us would have given to the school, too thru the yrs if we hadn’t in fact gone there @ that time … even fewer!!!! (both studies did indicate & prove that donations would go thru the basement if we went to div 2 …then what!!!!) But even now consider it….
See where the donations would be going…definitely not smu’s way???? Look @ all the div 2 schools in the southwest & see how they rank on a national basis both academically and athletically??? Forget it – next argument!!!! You can bet those other schools wouldn’t have done it either – thankfully they showed some good foresight not to do it & in turn we didn’t do it either!!!! Quite frankly, many of us wouldn’t have gone to smu then or now if they had, plus, many of us would have gone to other div 1 program schools @ that time…I know I would have…(but ask yourself, why did u go to smu in the first place – I bet many of u can honestly say it was not only academics but athletics as well …. It was a ‘complete package’ of reasons – not just one…
It was the old swc @ that time & we all grew up with it from elementary school to high school … & for many if not the majority that was just as influential as the academic side – wasn’t it??? And the big 12 is marketing it that way too - & good for them – that’s smart & if we were there we’d being doing it, too – God bless them for it!!!!
Face it, all the really smart kids (einstein status) in our texas schools during the 60’s, 70’s, & 80’s went to stanford or berkeley (pac10), the ivy league, vanderbilt (sec), other assorted schools around the country and many even went to the old swc schools for various reasons & so forth.
i think we can all be grateful that dropping to div 2 in the 70’s didn't happen....face it, we could have been in baylor's shoes right now given the right political climate @ that time and a strong commitment to div 1 – yeah, we wouldn’t even be discussing this ridiculous point now; unfortunately, we deserve our current dilemma b/c we didn't make THAT commitment & as much as i disdain ut & a$m both, i can't blame them either - its our fault plain & simple (the pye administration)...but thanx to pye & the board's NON COMMITTMENT TO ATHLETICS we're in this mess!!!!
but we will revive the program in time - yeah, i agree with u, charleston pony...it will take time but it will happen....what we need now more than anything else is a STRONG COMMITTMENT TO DIVISION 1 BY THE UNIVERSITY & THE ALUMNI, which seems is finally happening now...
summarizing, i think its fair to say that from the sixties to the present, smu's commitment to winning and div 1 (which go hand-in-hand) have been up and down, hot & cold & that’s no way to run a railroad (a business)!!!! Believe me,
if the commitment is there - it will happen & all this discussion & bs will be academic & nothing more than a good lesson for any university, business or person that straddles the fence in life!!!!
Btw….i don’t like being in the wac either but it will have to do for the time being … but what life gives u – u can always take back too (its still a free country regardless of the last eight yrs) … granted, the repercussions of our drop in status (wac) have been deathly to our school in many ways … but as long as we’re breathing on God’s green earth, we have a purpose & one of those purposes is to get our birthright back - & we will!!!! (how’s that for a good fight?)
The one thing that our drop to the wac has caused & that is visibility for our school plain & simple…& I hope this is a lesson to all b/c if we went to div 2, this situation would definitely get worse … this is what happens to me here in the los angeles area, even with my own in-laws (yes, they know now but I do have to remind them occasionally when they do ask) … I rarely, ever wear my sweat shirt or cap that says ‘smu’ on it…I always try to wear one that says ‘southern methodist university’ or ‘southern methodist’ on it…with the exception to the older generation (40 & up) who, for the most part, have heard about us & the old swc, most (probably 95%) of the young have never heard of smu … sorry but that’s a fact for the west coast, even the ones that play sports … see what our lack of commitment to div 1 has costs us with being in the wac & not a ‘real’ bcs conference? I’m having to explain to them (whoever asks) that my smu shirt doesn’t mean santa monica university!!! NO JOKE – someone actually asks that, and its always the young that seem to ask, ‘what does smu mean’…… and your young are the universities life blood for the future…& my in-laws are all fairly intelligent – most are all college educated & several went to stanford & berkeley … granted this is a small point but do u really think this would have happened if we were a member of a strong div 1 conference like the big 12, pac 10, sec, etc.…not on your life!!!!
Its funny but one guy thought my shirt was misspelled & should have spelled LMU for Loyola Maramount University, which, btw, is located in or near santa monica…I could give u all types of crazy questions I have received over the last 5 years ...
Look I’m proud of my school & I want as many people to know about us but div 2 or the wac is not the answer b/c it will NEVER HAPPEN & IT WON’T WORK!!!!!!!!!! (granted, I know the wac is temporary & I think that is afair assessment for all of us to agree with …..but for us to go ‘forward’ to another conference, a better one, our invitee – if we are lucky - will be asking for our commitment to not only div 1, but the conference, marketing which leads to good attendances, winning, graduating students & over all contributions to the new league!!!!!! & who wouldn’t…. (where is russ potts when u need him!!!)
Athletics is cheap advertisement. & in time, the deficit will become a surplus if it is managed CORRECTLY – that is, using GOOD BUSINESS SENSE!!!! (& the two previous studies proved that so get off it!!!!)
Nationally