I agree with you on the 'fair weather' fans that exist in Dallas. The WORST thing that happened to SMU football (pre-DP) was when the Dallas Cowboys came to town. Not only did we have to share a stadium (the Cotton Bowl and later Texas Stadium) with them but they took away revenue and butts in the seats. Although I grew up a Cowboy fan, I do not even watch or attend ANY pro football games anymore because of what it's done to so many collegiate football programs across the country.
Your comments about Dallas having grown from a smaller Texas city in the late 40s to the 8th largest city in the country rings true. When my parents attended in the late 40s, it was similar to a large 'community college' that many of the returning GIs went to because they wanted the familiarity of 'home'. Yes, we're waxing nostalgic over this...those days are gone...but I would urge many of the posters on this board to go thru Heritage Hall at Ford Stadium to get a better sense of what those days were like.
I've just spent the past two weeks cleaning out my parents' house in north Dallas to move my mother to a retirement center. My father passed away in December. The SMU mementos that I have found in the house are incredible! The Dallas Morning News sports page from Hayden Fry's last game, a ticket stub from the 1968 Astro Bluebonnet Bowl (in mint condition!), a 1948 freshman beanie, a Southern Methodist University felt pennant from the Cotton Bowl days, SMU drink glasses, Homecoming pins and Pigskin Revue programs. Man...those were the days!
TRADITION! LOYALTY! It's what we need to see a return of at SMU!
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"Winning ain't everything...but it's a lot more fun than the alternative!" S.M.U. SPIRIT: IT STARTS NOW!
[This message has been edited by MrMustang1965 (edited 07-02-2003).]
