ESPN '3 Point Stance's' interesting take on SMU folklore

[leopold]

1. SMU announced Wednesday that it would play at Michigan in 2018, its first visit to Ann Arbor since opening the 1963 season with a 27-16 loss in the Big House. The SMU release recounted the legend that Ford exec Lee Iacocca was so taken with the spirit of the visitors that he decided to name the new Ford sports car the Mustang. Legend? Fact? Look at it this way: Michigan only beat two other teams that year, Northwestern and Illinois. Buick already had a Wildcat. And I just don’t think Wilson Pickett would have sung “Illini Sally.”

[ojaipony]

FACT.

[Nacho]

http://www.autonews.com/article/2013102 ... z2ilJIDwAF

interesting story of the name. hayden fry insists it was named after smu.

[GiddyUp]

And I've never understood why a Ford Dealer doesnt embrace us and sponsor with a nice shiney mustang on the Blvd or in front of Moody every now and again.

[Peruna94&07]

http://www.autonews.com/article/20131025/BLOG06/131029920/is-smu-horsing-around-with-the-mustangs-history#axzz2ilJIDwAF

interesting story of the name. Hayden fry insists it was named after smu.

Given Lee never denies this and I remember some professors telling me the story while there. I imagine there is some truth to both sides. My guess is Mustang was on the very shortlist but Lee still had final say. He went to the game and that pushed it over the edge.

The other story I heard was there was a daughter of one of the Ford big wigs at SMU in the 60's and she influenced her father to name it Mustang. In return she got the first one and it was white. If you remember Prof Collins over at the biz school he was the one that told me that one. He was old enough in the 90's to actually have been there so I never debated it.

The other interesting tidbit is the fact the logo's are near identical except the Ford one goes the wrong way. Prof Collins said that was the university preserving our TM against Ford. So you could say we have always been tight on our Logos not just now on tshirts at Walmart.

[No Quarter]

Been a long time since I read the Iaccocia autobiography which appeared in 1984. I know there is something in that book about the development of the Mustang, but don't recall if it included anything about the origin of the name. I am sure that the tribal knowledge then attributed it to SMU.

[CalallenStang]

And I've never understood why a Ford Dealer doesnt embrace us and sponsor with a nice shiney mustang on the Blvd or in front of Moody every now and again.

SMU alumni aren't exactly Ford's target market, so there's that.

[SMULaxer]

Besides, with Sewell in the Coc, I'm not sure he would appreciate that.

[Arkpony]

I've said this before, but I heard FROM FRY'S OWN LIPS that Iococca came into the locker room, got up on a table and addressed the team telling them he was going to name the new car after the SMU Mustangs. Fry went into great detail about the event. IT HAPPENED! Fry got the first Mustang off the assembly line but Iococca had him pay $1.00 for it, as he couldn't give it away!

[NavyCrimson]

No reason for Fry to lie - or anyone else.

Anyone know any '63 players that went to Michigan that can verify the story besides Coach Fry? I'm sure there were more than a few players around listening.

Besides. If it wasn't true SMU would have squashed the story years ago for liability issues & more.

[jpe747]

I remember Fry driving it around town.

[smusic 00]

http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairp ... g_afte.php

If the notion that one of America's largest carmakers would make a multi-million dollar bet based on a losing performance by a rival college football team seems far-fetched, that's because it probably is. On Friday, Automotive News' Nick Bunkley fact-checked SMU's claim and found it wanting.

First, here's Iacocca's story, as delivered to Automotive News by his personal assistant.

We had a fellow at J. Walter Thompson Advertising suggest a list of names. Cars were being named with animal names, which seemed to be popular at the time. Our list had animal names, one of which was Mustang. Gene Bourdinat, VP of Styling and I sat down and chose the name Mustang from the list, because the running horse connotation suggested 'moving fast through the countryside.' Our team heard GM was considering using the name Mustang, but we registered it first.

He wouldn't say whether or not he ever delivered the post-game speech, or if he'd even attended the game. But the evidence suggests that, even if he was there, Ford had already made its decision.

Ford dug up three photos of a Mustang prototype for me. They're dated Sept. 27, 1963 -- the day before Michigan played SMU. The car pictured has the word "Mustang" on the back and the horse logo on the grille, indicating that the name was chosen before the Mustangs arrived in Ann Arbor.

Not that we should let the truth get away in the way of a good story.

[Arkpony]

None of that conflicts with Hayden's version.

[PK]

For what it is worth:

The Ford Mustang I is a small, mid-engined (4-cylinder), open two-seater concept car with aluminium body work, that was built in 1962. Although it shared few design elements with the final production vehicle, it did lend its name to the line.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... pt_car.jpg

Not to say other names were not being considered.