Florida Today: June Jones helps SMU find life after 'death'

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June Jones helps SMU find life after 'death'
Coach guides severely penalized program to Conference USA title game

BY DAVID JONES
FLORIDA TODAY

In 1987 SMU became the first and -- currently -- only school to have its football program given the NCAA's "death penalty."

The program was terminated over booster payments to athletes. It later came to light that a "slush fund" had been used to pay players as early as the mid-1970s, and athletic officials had known about it as early as 1981.

SMU fell under the penalty because it had been on probation less than five years before the second infraction -- the initial penalty coming in a 1985 charge for recruiting violations.

The program was shut down until 1989 and since then the Mustangs hadn't played in a bowl until last season's 45-10 victory over Nevada in the Hawaii Bowl.

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