PonyFans.com

Join us at a special event
announcing the largest gift to SMU Athletics in our history
from SMU letterman

GARRY A. WEBER ’58

the latest investment in SMU’s century-long commitment to competing at the highest levels

Friday, January 21, 2022
10:30 a.m.

Ford Stadium Field
Dallas, Texas

I can only imagine the size the pending and how we intend to put it to good use. If you recall in the late fall, there were rumors about additional football facilities.

I am excited to hear about it and perhaps other commitments to football and beyond!

Awesome! Love it. Can't wait to hear what's coming to the Hilltop.

Serious question though: can we be attractive to any P5 conference (or whatever is coming I the next 5-15 years) without baseball (softball)? especially being in Texas. I know land and 20-30 more scholarships are issues.

Thank you indeed! SMU doesn't have the numbers to compete with the majority of P5 programs so having a handful of wealthy alumni who generously support SMU athletics is crucial to our ever having a chance to compete again at the highest level.

If I would suspect this is for the football operations building.

My understanding is that SMU has already committed to a baseball/softball program as part of being accepted to the Big12. Also, as an aside, Boise State just disbanded their baseball program and they still expect to be part of the "next two" programs accepted (along with Memphis). Net/Net, I don't think having a baseball program is a major obstacle.

Last, I LOVE the excitement of this announcement. This is fantastic news for SMU's athletics and I cannot wait to see how this philanthropic endeavor helps us advance our sport's programs. Personally, I hope this is a leads to upgrades to the football facilities.

FWMustang wrote:Awesome! Love it. Can't wait to hear what's coming to the Hilltop.

Serious question though: can we be attractive to any P5 conference (or whatever is coming I the next 5-15 years) without baseball (softball)? especially being in Texas. I know land and 20-30 more scholarships are issues.

FW, membership in a lower-tier P5 conference means $200-$400M+ in revenues over a 10 year period. Do you really think SMU (or for that matter any school with realistic P5 aspirations) would let baseball stand in their way? I think not.

The bigger play here, IMO, is not P5 membership but Elite 60 membership. SMU has a better chance at Elite 60 than anyone in the new B12. UCF and Coog High are my runners-up.

This generous gift can help us achieve that goal.

By elite 60 do you mean consistently being on of the top 60 athletics programs in the country?

xc, it made no sense whatsoever that Iowa St & K-State received the same slice of pie as Texas or OU.

I’m a firm believer that eventually such economic disparities are corrected.

This same inequity exists elsewhere. Here on the West Coast, why should Wash St & Oregon St get the same as USC & Oregon??? In this environment i can’t see it lasting much longer.

When i say Elite 60, i mean the great reset in college athletics (football driven) with a Super League.

With NIL, SMU could make that list, mainly due to location but also because of our reputation (academics, history, wealth).

The system made college football a great success for over 100 years. A "Super League" will put the nail in the coffin for all programs that don't make the list. College basketball provides the model for college football to adapt. The destruction began when Texas sabotaged the SWC. It is too bad we will not be able to void as a violation of antitrust law the Texas and Oklahoma move to the SEC. A small group of schools are trying to corner the market.

I agree that SMU should focus on being a top 60 athletic program. Unfortunately, I do feel that the "Super League" is starting to look inevitable. If you look at the P5 conferences the bottom half and in some cases like the PAC 12 or ACC you could make the argument that 75% of the conference doesn't belong. I think once the "Super League" ends up becoming a reality these schools will fall back and be stuck with us G5 schools. Not going to lie I am going to look forward to the day TCU and Baylor fall back and are forced to be at the same level as us.

I remember r.h. dedman made a gift of 25 million, way back.

How much do you think this amount totals?

It could be that David Miller's basketball gift is the largest athletics gift of all time?
Loyd donated big to the IPF.
Crum was the leadership gift to the $13M Crum Basketball Facility.
Ford was lead gift to $42M Ford Stadium (2000)

Other large SMU donations:

March 2019: David Miller donated $50M to Cox School of Business. Largest gift to University.
March 2015: $45 million gift from the Meadows Foundation is going to the arts on campus (largest at that time). Museum got $25M and School of Arts got $20M.
$35 million: Ray L. Hunt and Nancy Ann Hunt in 2005
$30 million: Robert and Nancy Dedman in 1997
$25 million: Harold and Annette Simmons in 2013 (new School of Education)

Robert and Nancy Dedman donation detail:
At the kickoff of The Campaign for SMU in 1997, a pledge of $30 million, at that time the largest gift in SMU history, was announced from the Dedman family and The Dedman Foundation. The donors designated $12 million of the gift toward construction of the Dedman Life Sciences Building. The gift also established a $2.5 million endowed scholarship at SMU for students from North Dallas High School, alma mater of Robert Dedman, Sr. Later, $15 million of that $30 million pledge, plus another $5 million, was designated for endowment of SMU’s Law School. In recognition of the total $20 million endowment, Dedman School of Law was named in honor of the Dedmans in 2001.

BUS wrote:I remember r.h. dedman made a gift of 25 million, way back.

How much do you think this amount totals?

My guess for this gift is 50M. Will definitely help the stadium feel more big time. Hope they are smart about it

My guess is $15 million.

The Miller's 2011 gift was $10M directly to Moody's renovation.
https://www.smu.edu/SecondCentury/News/ ... 8april2011