1983 Sun Bowl and DMN Question

[Mustang98]

I have two historical questions.

1. How did we get worked so hard by Alabama in the first half of the 1983 Sun Bowl? Looks like the defense stiffened up in the second half, but our offense couldn't get clicking. Dupard seemed like a threat as did Mclhenny. Was Alabama's defense that good? We were the highest ranking team to play in the Sun Bowl. I have heard that the players were still let down only to be invited to the Sun Bowl and let that dissapointment affect their play.

2. Is it true that the Dallas Herald deliverd in the evening and the DMN in the morning? If so, wasn't that a recipe for disaster considering everyone likes their news in the morning?

[mathman]

As far as question one is concerned, I heard the same thing. Really weren't fired up at all for the game. And the answer to question two is yes. The Herald came in the afternoon. We took both papers for a long time.

[peruna81]

SMU was a bit discouraged by being overlooked for a bid to the Fiesta Bowl, and had to settle for a trip to the lesser Sun Bowl against a talented but under-achieving Alabama squad. They played like it the entire game, and 'Bama handed them their collective heads.

The Times-Herald indeed came out in the afternoon, after trying the direct competition ( and losing market share ) with the DMN and the predominantly conservative Belo corporation ...prompting JFK to once remark that the "good people of Dallas must look forward to the afternnoon."

[Arkpony]

I was at that game. The day before the weather was balmy in El Paso. Everyone shows up in short sleeves. The day of the game it turned incredibly cold! We would run under the bleaches everytime there was a time out to get out of the wind. The team was totally uninspired. Some of the players had earlier made derisive comments about the Bowl and El Paso and so the crowd was not very friendly either. In short, it was a not very pleasant experienence.

[Mustang98]

I guess after going to the Cotton Bowl the previous year and being ranked in the top 10 at season's end, it's hard to get stoked to play in El Paso. Ironic how today we would be overjoyed to be in a bowl game of any kind.

[jtstang]

Rumor I heard was the team partied its @ss off in Juarez the night before the game, and it showed on the field.

[solomouse]

i was at that game...smu had brought cleats for a dry field,the weather had changed,smu had lots of time to fly in the correct shoes,but did not do so...they slipped all over the field...an early indication of an inept athletic department...i sat in the press box that day and it was terrible...of course,there were lots of other reasons,i am sure...but that is one part of the story..

[mrydel]

The primary reason was that at 10-1 the team deserved to be in a New Years Day bowl, but our lack of fan following left us in El Paso which at that time was a very low tier bowl. Couple the lack of enthusiasm with the 50 degree change in temperature just prior to kick off and they were very uninspired.

This was a good lesson for those that think SMU should have gone for 2 in the Arkansas shootout at Texas Stadium the year we tied and subsequently went to the Cotton Bowl. A tie with Arkie meant Cotton. A loss and we would have been relegated to a much lesser bowl.

As far as the Times Herald, I enjoyed both papers. You got the overnight stuff in the DMN and the during the day stuff in the TH. Remember, there was no internet at that time although I am sure Gore had it in his plans. You also only had 3 news outlets on television who reprted at 6:00 pm in the evening, so getting afternoon news was kind of a big thing. Much more up to the minute than just every morning. It was also easier on me as a paper boy being able to deliver in the afternoon rather than when I had to fill in on my brother's route in the wee hours of the morning.

[PK]

It was also easier on me as a paper boy being able to deliver in the afternoon rather than when I had to fill in on my brother's route in the wee hours of the morning.

I delivered the Times Hearld also. Man early Sunday morning was a [deleted]...but at least it was only that one day a week.

[Stallion]

that particular team was better than they played but not as strong as the two prior SMU teams. It had some weakness exacerbated by recruiting sanctions in prior years. The recruiting scandals, coaching change and rumors flying around the program had cost us some top recruits otherwise guys like Brian Bosworth and Tim Brown might have been playing for the Mustangs. Alabama was a strong SEC team and quite frankly had better athletes. Plus they kicked our butt all over the field. Didn't they have Rickey Moore at RB -I remember their RB had a big day. Thorton Chandler was also on that Alabama team.

Also the competition between the Times Herald and Morning News was a factor in the breakup of the SWC. Don't see this any more but back then these papers in a competitive war took great delight in Front page exposes on the cheating done by SMU, A&M, TCU, UT, Texas Tech, OSU, Oklahoma, Houston and others. Those papers singlehandedly caused at least 15 different probations to about 10 different schools. They are out of the recruiting investigation business these days but it was a prominent part of the College Football coverage of the Day. I sometimes wonder whether SMU's Dallas location figured into their problems-actually I'm pretty sure they did-but that excuse justifies what Probation 1, Probation 2 ...but probably not Probation 5 in one decade. Nevertheless, I didn't see any investigations by the Bryan Eagle, Lubbock Avalanche Journal, or the Fayetteville, Norman, Stillwater or Austin papers. SMU was an easy target which could be sacrificed without substantial loss of subscribers unlike the hometown papers of the other programs. In fact, everybody was cheating-no doubt. SMU's hierchy was just a lot more stupid about it.

[Stallion]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2brpIQyzw1M

[RGV Pony]

we were ranked higher and playing in our home state. Why were we wearing white jerseys?

[mrydel]

we were ranked higher and playing in our home state. Why were we wearing white jerseys?

Nacho told them it would be cooler.

[ponyboy]

It was also easier on me as a paper boy being able to deliver in the afternoon rather than when I had to fill in on my brother's route in the wee hours of the morning.

I delivered the Times Hearld also. Man early Sunday morning was a [deleted]...but at least it was only that one day a week.

Ditto here too.

[ALEX LIFESON]

We were ranked 5th or 6th in the nation coming into that game, and most of SMU's players had zero interest in playing, because of being left out of a New Years Day Bowl. The great Reggie Dupard got hurt early in the game, and we had at least 3 fumbles in the 1st half. Mercy, it was 24 degree's and windy that day.