After 43 years, Hayden Fry and SMU reconcile

by **Pony^** » Tue May 05, 2015 5:26 pm

http://thegazette.com/subject/sports/hlas-after-43-years-hayden-fry-and-smu-reconcile-20150505

Over four decades after getting fired as head football coach from Southern Methodist University, former Iowa coach Hayden Fry was embraced warmly at the Dallas school.

â€œThey fired me with a 7-4 record in 1972 and nearly all my team and a great coaching staff coming back,â€ Fry said this week by phone from his home in Mesquite, Nev.

â€œThey fired me and never told me why. Now theyâ€™ve honored me.â€

In his 1999 book â€œHayden Fry: A High Porch Picnic,â€ Fry wrote the reason he thinks he was fired is some of SMUâ€™s big-money boosters wanted him to use their money to â€œbuyâ€ players, and Fry refused.

by **Pony Boss** » Tue May 05, 2015 5:34 pm

How different would things have been if we had kept Fry and not gone the Pony Excess route? Wow.

by **Topper** » Tue May 05, 2015 6:51 pm

My Dad sat next to Coach Fry on a commercial airline flight shortly after his last season. Told Dad the same thing. He had just been given a new car and pats on the back about what a good job he had done. Next time he heard from the AD he was fired. No explanation.

Having said that, IMO Dave Smith was not the villain the media painted him to be. His players mostly seemed to have revered him. But I agree that Coach Fry probably would not have been as compliant with the proponents of paying to play.

by **PlanoStang** » Tue May 05, 2015 7:08 pm

My favorite SMU coach ever that I actually went to games :!:

I can see it now........after 43 years June Jones, and Ponyfans reconcile :!:

Oops, better make that 20 or so years less. :lol:

by **PoconoPony** » Tue May 05, 2015 7:13 pm

[quote="Topper"]My Dad sat next to Coach Fry on a commercial airline flight shortly after his last season. Told Dad the same thing. He had just been given a new car and pats on the back about what a good job he had done. Next time he heard from the AD he was fired. No explanation.

Having said that, IMO Dave Smith was not the villain the media painted him to be. His players mostly seemed to have revered him. But I agree that Coach Fry probably would not have been as compliant with the proponents of paying to play.[/quote

The SWC was totally corrupt from the late 50s well beyond Hayden's time. Rice was probably the only school in the conference playing by the rules. I recall 12 members of the class of 63 advising Fry of the blatant offers/infraction made to them by other SWC schools and that Fry reported them immediately to the league. This was his second year in the league and his first recruiting class as I recall. Result, was that SMU got hit with probation for laughable infractions ( SMU key chains and hats to family members...etc) and Fry was is essence told to just shut up or he would get hit harder the next time. Everyone cheated so decide how you wanted to play the game.

by **mrydel** » Tue May 05, 2015 7:16 pm

Do not start to believe we were clean in Hayden's tenure.

by **PlanoStang** » Tue May 05, 2015 7:27 pm

Sounds like DKR actually started this mess :?:

by **smusportspage** » Wed May 06, 2015 10:06 am

Just remember, UT at Austin does not have to cheat. I was actually told this by one of their alumni. :roll:

Good Lord, if you actually believe that, I have some beachfront property in Arizona to sell you.

by **mrydel** » Wed May 06, 2015 11:41 am

I was hunting with Jim Burtelson after his career at UT. One year he and another athlete were paid to guard a beach in Hawaii as a summer job. $2000 a month which was pretty high in those days. I asked him if he carried a gun in his duty. He said I misunderstood. They were there to guard the beach itself and be sure it was not stolen. Had to lay on it all day to be sure it stayed put.

by **dbone** » Wed May 06, 2015 12:48 pm

mrydel wrote:Do not start to believe we were clean in Hayden's tenure.

Yeah...a bit of revisionist history. Hayden was invited to leave in 1972 by new SMU President Paul Hardin (who was an NCAA believer) who found out Hayden was spreading it around a bit.

This made selected boosters mad and we then fired the president.

Firing the president showed the NCAA that boosters had more institutional control than our president.

From 1974 on...David Berst chased us...and was quoted that firing our president set it off.

We...of course stupidly...never got the memo.

by **ghost** » Wed May 06, 2015 4:30 pm

It is a shame but I don't think Fry had to pay players. Else how did he win at North Texas? How did NT beat SMU in "77? How did NT beat Tennessee in Knoxville with his first 2 QB's hurt? How did NT beat Bill Yeomans Houston squad 28-0 at Texas Stadium and the next year UH win the SWC? How did NT beat Oklahoma State in '78 and lose 16-10 to them in Stillwater the year they tied for the Big 8 Championship? How did NT lose 2 close games in Austin against UT and the great Earl Campbell? How did NT play 2 close games against Bobby Bowdens Florida State teams. Hard work, great assistant coaches and the belief in each other. You see, sometimes you can win games the old-fashioned way and without cheating and you don't need top facilities and 90,000 fans in the stands although it sure can make things easier and more consistent. A great story which is the story of football itself...getting knocked down but getting right back up to fight again or you can whine about the death penalty and the woe is me for the next 30 years and feel sorry for yourself.

by **gostangs** » Wed May 06, 2015 4:38 pm

Hayden's sister?

by **couch 'em** » Wed May 06, 2015 4:53 pm

ghost wrote:It is a shame but I don't think Fry had to pay players. Else how did he win at North Texas? How did NT beat SMU in "77? How did NT beat Tennessee in Knoxville with his first 2 QB's hurt? How did NT beat Bill Yeomans Houston squad 28-0 at Texas Stadium and the next year UH win the SWC? How did NT beat Oklahoma State in '78 and lose 16-10 to them in Stillwater the year they tied for the Big 8 Championship? How did NT lose 2 close games in Austin against UT and the great Earl Campbell? How did NT play 2 close games against Bobby Bowdens Florida State teams. Hard work, great assistant coaches and the belief in each other. You see, sometimes you can win games the old-fashioned way and without cheating and you don't need top facilities and 90,000 fans in the stands although it sure can make things easier and more consistent. A great story which is the story of football itself...getting knocked down but getting right back up to fight again or you can whine about the death penalty and the woe is me for the next 30 years and feel sorry for yourself.

you dint think he could have slid a few dollars around at NT too? Sounds like he was foing exactly what everyone else wad doing so that his coaching could be on an even playing field

by **mrydel** » Wed May 06, 2015 5:39 pm

ghost wrote:It is a shame but I don't think Fry had to pay players. Else how did he win at North Texas? How did NT beat SMU in "77? How did NT beat Tennessee in Knoxville with his first 2 QB's hurt? How did NT beat Bill Yeomans Houston squad 28-0 at Texas Stadium and the next year UH win the SWC? How did NT beat Oklahoma State in '78 and lose 16-10 to them in Stillwater the year they tied for the Big 8 Championship? How did NT lose 2 close games in Austin against UT and the great Earl Campbell? How did NT play 2 close games against Bobby Bowdens Florida State teams. Hard work, great assistant coaches and the belief in each other. You see, sometimes you can win games the old-fashioned way and without cheating and you don't need top facilities and 90,000 fans in the stands although it sure can make things easier and more consistent. A great story which is the story of football itself...getting knocked down but getting right back up to fight again or you can whine about the death penalty and the woe is me for the next 30 years and feel sorry for yourself.

You're adorable

by **gostangs** » Wed May 06, 2015 5:47 pm

good lord, there is nothing more sad than a NTSU fan living in the mid 70's.