Tulane attendance

[footballdad]

Hart told me point blank in front of many that we were ready to go with the IPF whenever we could come up with the money but we had a long way to go. This was very shortly after Chad was hired. I have no evidence of what he said to Chad but I cannot believe he would have told him otherwise while openly saying the opposite in public.

It's pretty clear what happened. Hart told Morris loudly 'they were ready to go with the IPF', and quietly followed up with 'whenever we could come up with money.' Morris, in all his new excitement, selectively chose to hear what he wanted to hear (his IPF was right around the corner), while also assuming a 'rich' school like SMU could certainly come up with the $ quickly.

There were many instances of recruits/last years commits, discussing this on social media, and also in some interviews with the Rivals & Scout guys if I recall correctly. Morris was selling it hard, and now, crickets.

Doesn't really matter at this point. We'll see where the chips fall with all these P5 openings, in a few weeks. Morris will likely be gone before a shovel is ever put in the ground.

Is what it is.

How much longer is your son here?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

6 more years. Redshirt, medical redshirt, plus 4

[GreenbeltPony]

Hart told me point blank in front of many that we were ready to go with the IPF whenever we could come up with the money but we had a long way to go. This was very shortly after Chad was hired. I have no evidence of what he said to Chad but I cannot believe he would have told him otherwise while openly saying the opposite in public.

It's pretty clear what happened. Hart told Morris loudly 'they were ready to go with the IPF', and quietly followed up with 'whenever we could come up with money.' Morris, in all his new excitement, selectively chose to hear what he wanted to hear (his IPF was right around the corner), while also assuming a 'rich' school like SMU could certainly come up with the $ quickly.

There were many instances of recruits/last years commits, discussing this on social media, and also in some interviews with the Rivals & Scout guys if I recall correctly. Morris was selling it hard, and now, crickets.

Doesn't really matter at this point. We'll see where the chips fall with all these P5 openings, in a few weeks. Morris will likely be gone before a shovel is ever put in the ground.

Is what it is.

How much longer is your son here?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Footballson might be one of the JJ commitments who Morris honored; he and footballdad were apparently still going to camps during Summer 2014. So 3/4 more years after this season. Or maybe he's just dedicated to the long con and there is no "footballson" after all.

[Pony Boss]

The Chad factor seems to have provided exactlly zero extra enthusiasm for the program, outside of the 1500 and some talking heads.

This year we had an exciting new coach, a better team, golf cart rides, better weather, and better start times.......yet no improvement in butts in seats.

Not sure I agree with those that say he knew exactly what he was getting into. Only time will tell, but he doesn't seem like a 'patient' guy.

You are a proven moron. I feel bad for your kid that has to deal with you, being an embarrassment and all.

I understand your dislike for footballdad, but that doesn't change the fact that fundamentally what he said is correct.

We have well-documented, chronic attendance issues. Love the enthusiasm of golf cart rides. This problem is bigger than that. If we don't have some sort of marketing plan in place next year, especially against Liberty, Memphis and USF, we are bound to have skimpy crowds which undoubtedly influence Chad's commitment to SMU when other schools start inquiring, and we all know they will.

I'll add these 2 other points.

If it's true what I read that coach Mason was first notified that he was the new interim HC at the same time his players were reflects poorly on Hart and Turner.

To say we are going to construct an IPF and then retract said assurances because you are 'surprised' by the price tag reflects poorly on Hart and Turner.

I wonder if these two are adverse to confrontation and delivering bad news.

Attendance issues stem from lack of quality wins and 30 years of consistently losing. SMU is the Alabama of losing. What is the program's record after 1989? How many weeks has SMU Football been in the top 25 since 1989? Even during June Jones, the winningnest period of SMU football post DP, he only managed to go, what, 6-43 vs programs over .500?
Please enlighten me about how attendance issues solely belong to SMU because SMU simply sucks as a brand and is too small and the kind of humans studying there just hate football.

Basketball has proven how a fanbase grows after winning games vs top competition, being ranked, getting good recruits, etc. Trust the process, CM will get it turned and fixed.

[smupony94]

SMU needs to win back my friends. They were in town the same night as the Tulsa game but didn't even know the game was happening. Met for drinks before the game and then they went to dinner instead of with me to the game. Part of the school is named for them. They feel no connection to the school anymore.

[03Mustang]

Winning wins people back. Nothing else will.

[PerunasHoof]

SMU needs to win back my friends. They were in town the same night as the Tulsa game but didn't even know the game was happening. Met for drinks before the game and then they went to dinner instead of with me to the game. Part of the school is named for them. They feel no connection to the school anymore.

How do you not know there is a football game on Saturday? That's not ambivalence towards SMU...that's ambivalence towards fall. Part of the school is named for them?? One of the fountains they got arrested by after falling into?

I'm all for fair weathered fans...we need all we can get...and that's apparently what it will take for your friends.

[smupony94]

SMU needs to win back my friends. They were in town the same night as the Tulsa game but didn't even know the game was happening. Met for drinks before the game and then they went to dinner instead of with me to the game. Part of the school is named for them. They feel no connection to the school anymore.

How do you not know there is a football game on Saturday? That's not ambivalence towards SMU...that's ambivalence towards fall. Part of the school is named for them?? One of the fountains they got arrested by after falling into?

I'm all for fair weathered fans...we need all we can get...and that's apparently what it will take for your friends.

we have 20 years of SMU fans we have lost and letting Tim McMurray leave set us back further. Not everyone reads Twitter. Tim called the fans to get them there. Hart doesn't care about the average fan his bosses are the major donors

[PerunasHoof]

SMU needs to win back my friends. They were in town the same night as the Tulsa game but didn't even know the game was happening. Met for drinks before the game and then they went to dinner instead of with me to the game. Part of the school is named for them. They feel no connection to the school anymore.

How do you not know there is a football game on Saturday? That's not ambivalence towards SMU...that's ambivalence towards fall. Part of the school is named for them?? One of the fountains they got arrested by after falling into?

I'm all for fair weathered fans...we need all we can get...and that's apparently what it will take for your friends.

we have 20 years of SMU fans we have lost and letting Tim McMurray leave set us back further. Not everyone reads Twitter. Tim called the fans to get them there. Hart doesn't care about the average fan his bosses are the major donors

I guess I'm just curious what your friends give money to but don't know how to check ESPN. I don't get updates from the AD or assistant AD and can still find out when we have games. Typically we have them on Saturdays from September through November. I have some money too (yay SMU). I don't need someone to check the internet for me.

[SoCal_Pony]

The Chad factor seems to have provided exactlly zero extra enthusiasm for the program, outside of the 1500 and some talking heads.

This year we had an exciting new coach, a better team, golf cart rides, better weather, and better start times.......yet no improvement in butts in seats.

Not sure I agree with those that say he knew exactly what he was getting into. Only time will tell, but he doesn't seem like a 'patient' guy.

I understand your dislike for footballdad, but that doesn't change the fact that fundamentally what he said is correct.

We have well-documented, chronic attendance issues. Love the enthusiasm of golf cart rides. This problem is bigger than that. If we don't have some sort of marketing plan in place next year, especially against Liberty, Memphis and USF, we are bound to have skimpy crowds which undoubtedly influence Chad's commitment to SMU when other schools start inquiring, and we all know they will.

I'll add these 2 other points.

If it's true what I read that coach Mason was first notified that he was the new interim HC at the same time his players were reflects poorly on Hart and Turner.

To say we are going to construct an IPF and then retract said assurances because you are 'surprised' by the price tag reflects poorly on Hart and Turner.

I wonder if these two are adverse to confrontation and delivering bad news.

Attendance issues stem from lack of quality wins and 30 years of consistently losing.

I was there during the Pony Express years. Our attendance issues are due primarily to our small alumni base, period. Being in a major metropolitan city with competing entertainment options does not help. Being perceived as a snob school does not help.

SMU - Rice, 1983. SMU was something like 35-5 over their last 40 games including a win over Pitt in the Cotton Bowl the prior season. Team was ranked in the Top 10 and I seriously doubt 15,000 people showed up at Texas Stadium on a nice fall afternoon.

Rice brought as many fans that day as over half our current division mates bring today. In other words, Rice of 1983 = Memphis, UCF, USF, Temple, UConn, Tulane, ECU or Temple of today.

BTW, I also attended SMU - Rice, 1979. SMU hadn't had a winning season in 4 years. It was Mustang Mania and the game was played at Texas Stadium. Attendance was over 50,000.

[Pony Boss]

Yeah because having an off campus stadium doesn't influence attendance at all...
And the snobbiness is why TCU and Baylor can't fill their stadiums and people hate their brands, right?

[Pony Boss]

To be more constructive with this conversation: did TCU or Baylor do a FrogManiac or BearObsessed type campaign to increase their attendance?

[03Mustang]

BTW, I also attended SMU - Rice, 1979. SMU hadn't had a winning season in 4 years. It was Mustang Mania and the game was played at Texas Stadium. Attendance was over 50,000.

Key note here - marketing works. If we're not going to do that, we better win big and consistently.

Which is more likely, really?

[StallionsModelT]

College football is about 150000000 times more visible in 2015 than it was in 1981. Comparing attendance figures between the two eras is beyond stupid.

[SoCal_Pony]

College football is about 150000000 times more visible in 2015 than it was in 1981. Comparing attendance figures between the two eras is beyond stupid.

We had just completed a season as the only undefeated team in the country with some recognizing us as National Champions. We were at the top of the NCAA world and we still had 15,000 fans. Sorry, but college football hasn't changed that much.

We have a real problem on our hands that winning alone can't fix. Winning helps, sure, but if we try to grow this organically, by the time we reach 25k fans against ECU/UConn/Temple/Memphis-type programs, it means our teams have been wildly successful and whomever is our HC is will have already bailed on us, in large part to our lack of fan support.

[Stallion]

1984-SMU playing for share of SWC Championship at home against Arkansas on last week of Season after the best record in College Football over previous 5 years. SMU drew 28,000 and a lot of those fans were Arkansas fans