Watching TCU on CBS CS This Evening, and Noticing What MEN

[ontheedgeofmyseat]

the are, beasts!!! Begs the question...this year, when I see our "boys", in person or on TV, are they going to FINALLY look like D-I players??!? Come ON MUSTANGS!!! WIN 3 in a row!!

[SmooBoy]

Please don't beg.

[ontheedgeofmyseat]

I'm beging for some freaking light...for some W's...we are ALL wetting ousrselves over JJ, I like JJ, but besides U of H, what has he done? Why is he dubbed this big turn a round artist? We went 1-11, again, last year in C-USA of all places...everybody acts like 2, 3, maybe 4 W's is some nirvana break through this year...really!!??! I have yet to see ANY reason to get fired up, other than I am a DIE HARD fan, other than that, gosh...what's new? I hope, when I turn on CBS CS this year, I do not see a bunch of skinny slow dudes...last year, flag is out, SMU hat on, Vodka poured, within 20 minutes we are down 20 and I am frustrated for the 15th year in a row. I read Dave Campbell's and it is the same [deleted] I have been reading for EVER!! I remain VERY skeptical about this season..I HOPE I am wrong, but....let's get back into a neat debate about retiring some of these current palyers jersey's, that is fun...Come On PONIES..dont' freakin' break me down for the 20th year in a row...

[Junior]

Um, I for one am not wetting myself, for the record.

But I am pretty excited for the season to start.

[ontheedgeofmyseat]

I'm ALWAYS excited for the season to start...let's just hope it lasts more than 2-3 games...

[davidpaul123]

I have always thought looking down from the stands on our team that they looked like a JV squad compared to some of the other teams, especially those from the bigger conferences. I also was amazed how much FASTER the players were on the other teams.

Its been obvious that Jones is going after and bringing in much faster players and for that matter more athletic ones. I think it will take a little more time for the young guys to really fill out.


Im not a June Jones expert but I remember him as the guy who made the Falcons relavant by installing the run-and-shoot offense and making mediocre quarterbacks look like all pros. He does have is own wikipedia entry... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_Jones

[couch 'em]

we are ALL wetting ousrselves over JJ, I like JJ, but besides U of H, what has he done? Why is he dubbed this big turn a round artist? We went 1-11, again, last year in C-USA of all places...everybody acts like 2, 3, maybe 4 W's is some nirvana break through this year...really!!??! I have yet to see ANY reason to get fired up, other than I am a DIE HARD fan, other than that, gosh...what's new?

Are you kidding me? You are questioning June Jones? Aren't you the guy who was defending Doherty a few months back?

Edit: you were:

Doh is a class act...the students love him (at least they show up for hoops..), he has a young squad and in only his third season (give him a mulligan for year one), he can and will turn this thing. I like the guy..gives the program some "street cread"...optimistic about the future. Changing horses now makes zero sense..think it through fellas....

What has f'n Doherty done?

[smuuth]

Patience and support. Don't forget how long it has taken TCU to get to this point. From one of the worst programs in football through the 70's and 80's (the same time SMU was winning national championships) to mild success with Wacker and Franchione. The TCU unfaithful were ready to fire Patterson in his first year after losing to Northwestern State of Louisiana early in the season. Bill Snyder at Kansas State went 1-10 in his first season after having many players quit after his first meeting with the team and his only win was over North Texas. They were the worst team ever. We have the coaches in place and the recruiting will get better each year. The foundation is being constructed with good young players who stay out of trouble and will not be academic casualties and will work hard. Us fans just need to stay positive, fill the stands both home and away and spread the word about all the wonderful things SMU and the North Texas area have to offer. Before you know it this thing will snowaball and we will be getting our share of top recruits who want to stay local and play in front of their family and friends rather than going and playing in the Big 12 North or sitting on the bench and running scout team plays for two or three years at Texas, OU, OSU and A&M.

[Billy Joe]

Here is my concern: JJ has a 5 year deal. He is in year 2 of his contract. The other school's coaches will use that to their advantage when recruiting against us. They will say "JJ only has 2-3 years left on his contract so he won't even be your head coach your junior or senior year. I will be your coach through your whole career since I have a long term deal." JJ is a great hire and will get us winning again but I would like to see a longer term commitment to him soon.

[davidpaul123]

Here is my concern: JJ has a 5 year deal. He is in year 2 of his contract. The other school's coaches will use that to their advantage when recruiting against us. They will say "JJ only has 2-3 years left on his contract so he won't even be your head coach your junior or senior year. I will be your coach through your whole career since I have a long term deal." JJ is a great hire and will get us winning again but I would like to see a longer term commitment to him soon.

I really dont see that as a real good recruiting tactic, or a really plausible one. While you always would rather have a winning coach on a long term contract they can just as easily be bought out and move to another school (would not be the case here with JJ).

I am sure if the administration sees a winning improvement this year they will start thinking about an extension and certainly try to do something the following year. This however is all contingent on JJ wanting to stay and not retire or return to Hawaii. If he gets things rolling in the right direction even if he leaves, he will hand pick someone to continue to run this program in his image.

[EastStang]

The response is two or three years with a coaching Icon is better than playing under those jokers who are saying that. As to TCU. Better living through chemicals.

[rich59]

I was thinking about how frustrating it is to be an SMU football fan today so thought I would insert a little history that I personally went through. I started watching SMU football when Rote and Walker were playing. In fact, I believe I saw the last game SMU played in Ownby Stadium before they moved all the games to the Cotton Bowl. Ownby was packed and my recollection is we beat Texas Tech like a drum. In those days I could get as one of the Knothole Gang for fifty cents.
Mattie Bell retired and his assistant Rusty Russell was hired. Rusty had had a great record at Masonic Home and great things were expected. Rusty did not do well although SMU had good players and he was fired after three or four years. He went to Schreiner Institute and tried to recruit me out of high school along with four other players from my school. Did you all know that Raymond Berry played at Schreiner before coming to SMU?
SMU then hired Woody Woodard who supposedly applied for and got the job with a penny postcard. Woodard had great athletes but he and his staff were not that successful. I have a friend that played as a sophomore on the 1954 squad and the talent was unbelievable. Three players in the NFL Hall of Fame, including Lamar Hunt and at least a half dozen players who had careers in the NFl, including Raymond Berry and two other ends. Three ends off of the same team making it in the NFL! Woody was not that successful and after five years he was fired. There is a story that when Woody was hired, Darrell Royal wanted the job but I question the story.
The next coach was Bill Meek who was coaching at U of H. He had a pretty good record there but, although they recruited very well the wins did not come as often as needed. There is a story which I believe might be true that when Meek was hired Frank Broyles who was an assistant at Georgia Tech wanted the job at SMU. I have to believe that if Broyles had been the coach in 58,59, with the talent at SMU they would have won a lot more games. I have a good friend who played under Meek, and he was an outstanding lineman, and he had little regard for Meek and his staff. I used to play handball with Meek and some of his staff and they absolutely had no grasp of strategy. So Meek got fired and the cupboard was pretty bare except for Ray Schoenke.
Enter Hayden Fry. He came off the Arkansas staff and his first year at SMU, he won two games and was SWC coach of the year, I believe. The next year he won four games, including beating Navy, who was ranked and SMU went to the Sun Bowl and lost. Hayden looked like the real thing but he could not sustain his momentum. In eleven years he had three winning records and went to three bowls, winning one, against OU. It was decided to fire Hayden in 1971 but the powers that be wanted to wait until 1972 to fire him. It almost backfired on them for SMU came close to going to a bowl and had a good team. A loss at Virginia Tech which was weak in those days sealed it for Hayde. Of course, Hayden went to North Texas and then to Iowa where he became a legend. What could have happened if Fry had not been fired?
Dave Smith was the next coach and he got fired after three years. He is one of the few SMU coaches with an overall winning record.
Then came Ron Meyer. Dave Smith was and is a good friend of mine but I knew Ron Meyer pretty well and liked him a great deal. He eventually got the program going along with the recruiting stuff. The last couple of years that Meyer coached, SMU was one physical football team. I liked that and they were easy to root for. Ron hooked im out of there in 1981 and went to the pros. I always believed that he saw the handwriting on the wall with the NCAA and left in spite of the great team he had coming back in 1982.
Bobby Collins and his staff came in and I believe they were a solid coaching staff. I knew Collins well and played golf with he and some of his staff. I have been around a lot of head coaches and Collins was a true gentleman and not an egotist like many head coaches.

[rich59]

Continued- Of course, Collins was the beneficiary of the recruiting that was done at SMU and the victim also. When he was fired and Bob Hitch left also, we lost two good men. Everyone is familiar with the aftermath of the death penalty and we have had one winning season since 1986. It has been a story of inadequate coaching and lack of talent. The NFL used to have many SMU alums but no more. In the fifties, it was a case of great talent and pitiful coaching. In the sixties, there was some good talent but Hayden couldn't get it put together consistently. Dave Smith really had no chance and when Meyer and Collins really got it going, the roof fell in. Since the late forties there has been some great football talent at SMU, except after 1986 and some good coaches, Fry, Smith, Bob McQueen, Gary Darnell, Jerry Moore, Meyer and Collins, Whitey Jordan, Jeff Bower and many others, but we have never been able to sustain success. The only thing I can think of that is more frustrating than supporting SMU football is my golf game!

[smuuth]

Rich59-great stuff with the background and opinions of the different coaches from the different eras. We need to get these former players/coaches to feel welcome and that SMU is their home. We need to honor these great players, coaches and teams from the past with more visibility around the stadium and/or practice fields. I would sure like to hear from more of the older guys and the glory days. I bet that we won't take the success for granted next time.

[ontheedgeofmyseat]

couch em..we paying Doh $10mm?