Re: Hayden Fry passed away
Posted: Fri Dec 20, 2019 10:41 am
I remember going to the opener in about 1971 against OU in Norman which was the debut of the ill-fated "Flying Wishbone". That was a truly legendary OU team with the legendary backfield of Jack Mildren, Greg Pruit, Leon Crosswhite and Joe Wiley and eventually lost to Johny Rodgers and Nebraska 35-31 in what many considered the Greatest Game in College Football History. SMU's "Flying Wishbone" never got off the ground and SMU lost about 30-0. Fry scraped the Flying Wishbone with its standing TE 3 weeks but that thought process was revolutionary at the time. Fry's biggest problem at SMU was he couldn't sustain success. Winning 2, 4, 1, 4 then breaking through with a SWC Championship, but then back-down to 3 wins, but then a fabulous 8 win Blue Bonnett Bowl season and win against OU, then back down to 3, 5, 4 wins before the final 7-4 season (3 straight closing wins). However, there's no doubt he was a greater Coach than the SMU job at the time deserved. With UT, Arkansas, A&M and OU signing 60 or so of the cream of the crop every year there really weren't enough players to go around. He proved to be one of the greatest program builders in College Football history. And he gifted SMU with its most important lasting legacy by selecting the perfect candidate in Jerry LeVias (and let's not forget Rufus Cormier) to integrate the SWC.