Who had/has higher expectations

[Mustang98]

This is a question for the older Mustang Nation. Based on your memory who had/has higher expectations? Ron Meyer coming from 12-0 Nevada in 1976 or June Jones coming from 12-1 Hawaii today?

When I say expectations, I am talking about the collective stakeholders (students, fans, media, alums, etc.) and what they expected from the new coach.

[GeorgiaMustang]

I would say June Jones has higher expectations. This is based simply on the fact that he turned around Hawaii so quickly. I would think that most everyone who knows what he did at Hawaii is expecting/hoping he'll do the same here.

[smu diamond m]

But he was also like 3-8 in Hawaii his 2nd year.

I think after 20 years of beating, we have less expectations now. But this is where Stallion or someone comes in and says we sucked for the 20 years before Meyer, too...

[Mustang98]

But he was also like 3-8 in Hawaii his 2nd year.

I think after 20 years of beating, we have less expectations now. But this is where Stallion or someone comes in and says we sucked for the 20 years before Meyer, too...

Not really. We had some good years with Hayden Fry, so there were some good years before Ron Meyer showed up. Back then I guess six years of poor performance made a Blue Bonnet appearance a distant memory. I leave it up to the more senior Pony Fans to make that determination.

[ponyte]

Meyer came in when SMU had some recent poor seasons. It was only 8 years prior to Meyer that SMU beat OU on the Bluebonnet Bowl. SMU did have a 7-4 season in 1972, 6-4-1 in 1973, 6-4-1 in 1974 (of interest, this was a tie with Arkansas played in Texas Stadium). In 1975, SMU went 4-7. Smith didn't produce the turn around that SMU fans wanted after Hayden Fry. In came Meyer.

June Jones is coming into a program without any winning tradition in over 20 years. (One winning season, one .500 season and no bowls). There was an expectation of Meyer to turn around the program and resume winning. Junes has the expectation of turning around a program without a recent winning tradition and in a lesser conference.

I would place a higher expectation on Junes because he has to overcome higher barriers to success (Meyers had an administration completely behind athletics, Junes faces an administration that until recently was hell bent on destroying athletics), a less competitive position to recruit and less media exposure.

There may be a sense of no expectation among some, but for the most part, people expect Jones to produce a miracle by returning SMU to national prominence in college football. That is a much tougher standard than Meyer faced.